Mayana weight update:

So the dreaded doctor’s appointment was today.

I surprised myself and didn’t feel as nervous as I had anticipated. I felt reassured by the knowledge that many friends and family were praying for the three of us, and that the whole situation is in God’s hands.

We first went to the midwife, Jill, at the family clinic. She weighed Mayana, and Mayana proceeded to wee all over her scales (what else is a girl to do when the cold air hits her tooshie!?). Jill announced that Mayana had put on just under 100grams!!!! Yay! We had a good chat, Jill reassured us that everything is fine – once any problems are ruled out we can pretty much just be sure that she is a small baby.

So off we went to the GP. Like usual, my doctor was running late. Fortunately Mayana was easily entertained by a combination of the fish tank in the waiting room, and her Papa’s finger to chew on (it is, evidently, much more satisfying than her dummy at the moment). Mayana managed to still be in a happy mood when our doctor called us in, and for the first time in her lifetime, actually gave the doctor big smiles for the whole visit – I don’t think Dr believed us that Mayana could smile, lol. Our GP’s scales must be a bit different to Jill’s, as on those scales, she had gained just over 100g. She now weighs 3.7ish kilos, is 54cm long and has a head circumference of 38cm. My doctor was reasonably happy with that gain, though she asked us to come in weekly to get weighed. I put on my brave mummy face, and told her that I would prefer to go and see Jill at the family clinic fortnightly instead, but if she liked I would let her know of weight updates. She agreed, and I felt proud, even though it is seemingly a small battle to have ‘won’, I stood up to my doctor for the first time ever, instead of just nodding and agreeing like a good little girl.

So, I am feeling much better about the whole situation now. I was going to a pretty bad place last week, and I’m so thankful that I was brave enough to reach out to a friend for help, before I let it get too far.

Not many people know this, but about 18 months ago, I went through a pretty dark, depressive stage. I hardly ate, and slept my way through nearly a month of my life. The whole episode lasted probably closer to three months, but the middle month was my darkest. I seriously have a month that I barely even remember. It was a horrible time, and I remember feeling very hollow, numb, tired, lonely, scared…unhappy. I was hardly able to let Pete in to what I was feeling, and he was very concerned about me – I can’t imagine that I was much fun to live with!

I know that God got me out of there. I spent a lot of time reading my Bible, journaling, and eventually got brave and talked to my Mum. It’s been a long time since I left that place behind. Over the last 18 months, I have occasional days where I feel those pangs of anxiety, or can feel myself beginning to get dragged down but I fight not to give into it. Last week was one of those times when I could feel myself sinking again. I spent most of the week in tears, the smallest thing would set me off. On Friday, Pete had to go to uni, and the thought of him leaving me at home on my own with Mayana was just too overwhelming. I had two choices. I could stay at home, dwell on what I thought was ‘wrong’ with Mayana, the doubts about my mothering that kept attacking my thoughts… or I could reach out and admit I needed someone.

I realised that I have Mayana now, I cannot afford to let myself go back to that horrible place, I have to eat, have to be awake, have to look after my precious daughter. So I rang my friend. I know it seems dumb, but it was a big step, and one that I definitely needed to take. I spent the morning with my friend, talking, playing with our baby girls.. I shared my story with her, and she shared hers with me. I think I might be surprised if I knew how many people had been ‘there’.

You know what? By the end of that visit I felt 110% better. I felt good about the decisions I had made for Mayana. I felt loved, blessed to be cared about by such a gorgeous, generous, kind-hearted woman. I felt relieved that I had someone I could turn to without burdening my beautiful husband. I didn’t feel worried or lonely anymore. I feel so blessed that after 3 years here, I have friends that I feel I can call when I’m down (though I’m also sure that’s more a growth on my part, than a fault of other friends).

I honestly haven't felt that intense worry about the whole situation since Friday, and today, any remains of that burden has been lifted off my shoulders. I know that I am doing the right thing for my baby girl, and I know that she is healthy and well. I am never again going to let someone make me doubt myself where my daughter is concerned.

I’m sorry for that huge ramble.. I had no idea when I started this post that it was headed in that direction, but clearly, I needed to get it all out!

Before I go, I just wanted to share this devotion with you. It is from Word4u2day, a daily email devotional from UCB. It really challenged me, I could see it in the context of my current situation…

Genesis 50:20 TM
Yesterday we faced up to the reality that life can be painful, that things in our lives can go horribly wrong. It did for Joseph (read Genesis 37 - 50)! At first you think, will anything ever go right for this poor guy? He gets laughed at, bullied, beat up and left for dead by his brothers before they decide to sell him. As a result he has to live in Egypt as a slave, his boss's wife tells lies about him and he's thrown into prison, where he's forgotten about! Nothing's gone well and it's not even his fault. What's going on? At the end of his life, this is what Joseph says to his brothers, 'You planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good'. Rather than get angry, bitter and plot revenge, Joseph put his trust in God. No matter what was happening, Joseph kept on living for God. Later, he recognized how God had worked in His life all along. God used all the mess to enable him to save the lives of thousands, including the lives of his family. He had no reason to be angry but every reason to be thankful. Romans 8:28 NAS says, 'And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God...' Remember today that no disaster, disease or delay is beyond God turning it into something good

I realise, that though last week was horrible, and the enemy used the experience to get thoughts of doubt and anxiety into my head.. by trusting God through it all, leaning on Him, I have had the revelation that God entrusted Mayana to Peter and I for a reason. We are the best that He has for her. He knows that we are capable of loving, and looking after that little girl, of raising her to the best she can be. My ‘something good’ that came from this ‘something bad’ is a renewed confidence in my ability to look after, to mother, my daughter.

Our Anthem

As most would know, yesterday was ANZAC day.

Peter, Mayana and I traipsed across the road to our ANZAC park at 7am for the service that we go to each year. It's a lovely service. We both feel it's very important to attend an ANZAC service each year, I have relatives that served in wars, and have an uncle that is still currently serving as a peace keeper. Even though Mayana obviously doesn't understand what we were doing or why, we both felt that it was really important to take Mayana to a service, and instill the importance of remembering from the very beginning. I hope that Mayana will never miss a service either!

Something struck me while we were singing the National Anthem. I was suddenly saddened by the fact that we only ever seem to sing the first verse of our lovely anthem, when to me, the second verse epitomises what Australia really is about, and the third verse is... well.. wonderful! I'd be willing to bet though that half of Australia doesn't even know that there is more than one verse! So I will share them with you (from the version printed in an Australian songbook I own):

Australian's all let us rejoice
For we are young and free
We've golden soil and wealth for toil
Our home is girt by see
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare
In history's page let every stage
Advance Australia fair
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australia fair

Beneath our radient southern cross
We'll toil with heart and hand
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned by all the lands
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australia fair

(and my favourite verse:)
With Christ our head and cornerstone
We'll build our nation's might
Whose way and truth and light alone
Will guide our path aright
Our lives a sacrifice of love
Reflects the Master's care
With faces turned to heaven above
Advance Australia fair
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australia fair.

Isn't it fantastic!? Don't you wish all three were used...

PS: Check out the lyrics to New Zealand's national anthem! More a prayer than an anthem- awesome!

Retail Therapy

There is a new store in our local shopping centre, called Temt. I am officially in love. For the first time in I can’t remember how long, I walked in, grabbed an armful of stuff I liked, at great prices, took it all into the fitting room and LOVED almost every piece I tried on! I have 6 new tops, and only spent $78! I promised myself that part of my Kruddcash would go towards updating my wardrobe, but up until now have been very disappointed with my options. Yay for this new store! I will definitely be going back!!!

My purchases today:

Left: Spaghetti strap singlet top (perfect under any top for discreet breastfeeding) $9.99, worn underneath white top, $14.99)

Right: High-neck tshirt, $9.99, worn under black top, $14.99 (shoulders of this top also unbutton, which will be great for feeding)

Black & watermelon versions of the same top, $14.99 each.

I LOVE bargains :) Next I will get brave and go and try on pants… my pregnancy ones no longer stay up, lol.

How I’m Feeling Now

After a couple of stressful days, I have today made the decision to stop making myself sick with worry about my baby girl.

I spoke to a councellor from the Australian Breastfeeding Association, who reassured me that I am doing a good job, that Mayana is taking enough feeds, and producing enough wet nappies for her to be considered to be feeding well.

I had a fantastic visit with a wonderful new friend who was encouraging and supportive and helped me to get out of the horrible place I was starting to enter.

I spoke to the midwife who I initially saw on Tuesday, as she rang me to check how Mayana went with the doctors. Once she found out that nothing came up in the tests, and that she is medically healthy, feeding, producing wet nappies etc, her opinion would be that Mayana is simply a *little* baby. She agreed that giving her farex (which by the way she is LOVING) is not a problem and will not hurt her. She also supported me in my decision NOT to continue to force Mayana to feed every two hours, as this was just distressing to both of us, and not conductive to good feeding anyway.

She also supported my decision to cancel my doctor’s appointment today. She also felt that it was unfair of my GP to do that, given the amount of pressure I felt I was under to try and stuff as much as I could down Mayana’s neck in two days. She did not feel that was a fair amount of time to track any weight gain. She suggested that I go to see her BEFORE my GP appointment on Tuesday (which will be giving it a week, as suggested by the paediatrician). This way, I will have an idea of what Mayana has gained, and will be able to have a professional opinion on Mayana’s situation, meaning I will go into my GP appointment with that much more confidence, and enough information to back myself up if my GP does make me feel uncomfortable again.

I have decided to make regular visits to this particular midwife (from the family health clinic at the hospital), instead of the drippy MHN I have been seeing. She is a lovely lady, and didn’t make me feel like I was doing anything wrong once. I also really appreciated her follow-up call today, and her willingness to back me up in my decisions as a mother.

So all-in-all, today I am feeling much more confident in my decisions, in my daughter’s health, and in my ability.

Praise God! Thank you to all those who have been praying for me (and Mayana).. I really appreciate it.

“Failure to Thrive”

Doesn’t that sound horrible? Supposedly, that is what’s “wrong” with Mayana.

Makes a Mama feel really good when she hears those words…

I dare anyone to look at my baby and tell me she’s not thriving!

I understand the problem, I just wish the term for labelling it was different.

Yesterday was the crappiest day I’ve had since Mayana was born.

As you know Mayana’s weight gains lately have been less than fantastic, and this week she started mucking around with her feeds… still feeding, just taking a little longer to get to business. I went to a maternal health nurse (MHN) on Monday, who just managed to get me down in the dumps by telling me that it’s all a supply issue – I haven’t got enough milk, blah blah blah She is the sort of person that if she says something once she says it 2000 times – so even though she says it nicely it still comes across really patronising.

I left there really confused, because I don’t feel like there is anything wrong with my supply. I can squirt milk across the room at any given time of the day for goodness sake! There is milk there, and she is drinking it… Not ALL women get engorged or have the let down sensation, and I’m one of them, it doesn’t mean I have no milk.

So yesterday morning I remembered being told about the lactation consultants at the hospital that are free to visit any day at any time. So once my little sleepy head woke up, off we went. The midwife was lovely, much more supportive than the drippy MHN I’d been to. First she stripped Mayana down, did a bare-weight, measure, head circumference etc. Weight was 3.65kg. Which is lower than I thought it was, though I hadn’t had her bare-weighed since her immunisation appt.

Midwife watched me feed, had a look at my breasts etc and said that it didn’t look as though supply was the issue. She seemed to think that the feeding issues this week were mostly to do with the fact (too much info coming up here) that my period has started again this week, and the hormones can change the taste of the milk and make bubs fuss (also another reason why this whole day messed with my emotions so badly). However, because the weight gain decline had begun long before this, she recommended a trip to the doctor to get some tests to rule out anything like a bladder infection.

So I rang my doctor and she managed to get me in fairly quickly. My doc was shocked at Mayana’s weight, especially given how fantastically she gained in the first 2 months. She agreed that she needed to be tested for infections, but that has to be done be a paediatrician. She looked at sending us to one of the two private paeds in Toowoomba, and told us that we’d be paying around $300, and that was only for the initial consult, the tests would cost more again, and we’d only get a fairly small percentage back from medicare. Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of money, so she rang the Base hospital (where M was born), and arranged for her to see the paed on call – who happened to be the same private paed doc had first called!! I thank God every day that we live in Australia.. and not somewhere like America! Yay for free public health.

So we went to Emergency at the Base with a letter from my doctor. We sat in the waiting room for maybe 1/2 an hour before a doctor came and got us. She ran initial tests – collected blood (which was the most horrible thing I’ve ever had to watch, I cried the whole time), urine (a bag had been put into her nappy at my gp). We then sat around in a curtained room in emergency, waiting and waiting and not being told anything. I got asked the exact same questions 53 times by different people. Next thing they sent someone in with admission forms for me to sign, I asked if I was being admitted, that person didn’t know what was going on, it was ‘just in case’. Then another person came down and put an ankle tag on Mayana’s foot and told they were admitting her and watching her feedings. I told them she only would have 2 more feeds for the day and then she would sleep, and struggles waking up to feed. She told me to tell them that when I got up there. Up where!!??

Eventually a nurse came and led us up to the paediatrics ward, showed me “Mayana’s Bed” and told me to wait for the Registrar. I was so bewildered and overwhelmed by that point I just started bawling. I had no idea what was going on, whether they’d found something in her bloods or urine, no one had told us anything. A nurse came in (stinking of cigarette smoke by the way) and stripped Mayana off to weigh and measure her for the FOURTH time that day.. can these people not just ask us for her stats!?? Of course, she had started to nod off again when they did that and didn’t much appreciate being made naked, and screamed her guts out. All day people were assuming that she’s a stressed baby because she was upset all the time. Um, she’s upset because she’s missed her morning nap, she’s been poked and prodded at all day, had a needle in her arm, undressed and dressed so many times… she’s overwraught, and yes, stressed but because of YOU! Come to my house and see the happy, smiling, laughing, playing baby that she is 90% of the time. It was the most frustrating thing because people would not listen to me.. made me feel like … well like crap really. As if I don’t know my daughter.

The Registrar eventually came to us. He was so lovely, and it was the first time that I felt like someone actually listened to me all day. He told me that while she really does need to have a bit more weight happening, but because her length and head circumference have risen fairly significantly, he was not overly concerned, and didn’t see any need to keep her in. She is feeding as frequently as I am able to keep up with. He did suggest that I top her up after feeds with either expressed breast milk or formula (no thanks!). Even if she only takes another 10mls, that will add up to a whole extra feed by the end of the day (apparently on formula he would only tell me to feed her 70mls per feed). I am determined not to go to formula. I have been told that instead I can try giving Mayana a little bit of Farex with breast milk each day. I love our breast feeding relationship. I am making milk, there is plenty there, and she feeds well. Breast milk is good for her, good for her immune system, and good for me. So the lovely man sent me home!

We got home just after 6pm. The three of us were completely exhausted. We had left the house at about 9.30am, and hadn’t even had a chance to eat all day. When we got home I took Mayana for a bath, and fed her in there and she went off to sleep very quickly. I woke her for a feed just before I went to bed. She had a fairly decent feed, and luckily went back to sleep easily. This morning we gave her a top up bottle after her feed and she took just over 10mls, but we had to fight her for it. Farex this afternoon. My GP wants to see her on Friday and see if she’s gained anything. I also have to weigh her wet nappies to check her output to get an idea of how much she’s taking.

The main issue is this: She was born in the 3rd percentile for weight, and is now just below the 1st percentile. While she is healthy at the moment, the worry is that if she was to get sick for some reason, she hasn’t got a whole lot to fall back on – not much to be able to lose.

It’s all really stressful, and I want to trust my Mama instinct and hated being made to feel like I wasn’t doing so well yesterday.

For me, for Mayana, I need to remember this:

• Mayana is a happy baby and anyone who knows her in real life knows that she spends most of the day grinning at everyone.
• She is meeting all of her milestones.
• She is very alert and loves to know what is going on around her.
• She is extremely strong, she has incredible neck control, and can pull herself from lying down to standing up only holding onto my fingers.
• There is a possibility that Mayana has started teething (judging by the amount of dribbling and gumming on things that she is doing).
• Mayana feeds often and well.
• I am making nourishing milk which is allowing my daughter to survive.
• I know my daughter, and I know what is best for her.
• I AM HER MOTHER

We will get through this, Mayana will grow and get bigger, and I just want to put that whole crappy day behind me, and never go through any of that again!

Our baby is 3 months old!

I remember when I was pregnant, waiting and waiting to get to that ‘magic’ 12 week mark, my first appointment at the hospital… and how it took soooo long. I can’t believe how darn quickly the first 12 weeks of my darling little girl’s life have gone! And how I can hardly remember what it was like to not have her in our life. It feels so weird to look at my bump photos and grasp the fact that it’s Mayana in there!

She is such a precious little girl – brings such joy to mine and Peter’s life, and to so many others also. I can’t wait for her to reach her arms out to me, to give me a kiss, to say, “I love you Mama”… but for now, I’m loving watching her grow and develop, her gorgeous little smiles when she sees me in the morning – her chuckles when we play together, the way she snuggles into me when she’s snoozy, the gooey looks she gives her Papa. These precious days will be gone before I know it, and I’m going to enjoy and make the most of every single moment while they’re here.

Some days are rough, when she decides not to sleep, or feed properly, or doesn’t want me - only her Papa. But one little cheeky grin and all of that melts away and is taken over by an enormous wave of love – and the rough day is forgotten in an instant. And there is nothing more precious and peaceful than watching over her while she sleeps – sometimes Pete has to pull me away and make me go to bed so I can get some sleep. The love I have for is just all-encompassing and deeper than I could have even imagined.

(ps. does anyone else think her hair looks red in the pic??)

lovely day

I had such a lovely day with my girl today. Especially after yesterday, where she screamed pretty much from about 12-4pm :-(

Today, we took Pete to work at about 9.15am and then did the groceries. I thought she might fall asleep during groceries, but she's far too much of a sticky beak. She just loves watching everyone staring at her and clucking over her...

So we did Aldi, and then Coles. I had her weighed, and she is now 8lbs 6oz. She has put on nearly 90g this week, which is okay, but not quite as much as I would like. Though the lady who weighed her told me not to worry because their weight gain does fluctuate, and she is looking healthy, feeding properly, lots of wet nappies etc.

She fell asleep just as we were leaving the shops, and stayed asleep enough for me to put her in the cot when we got home. Little angel stayed asleep until I had unpacked all the groceries, and then woke up for a feed which she was well overdue for. After the feed, we had a play together and then I put her down for another nap- wrapped her, put her in her cot wide awake, went to look 15 minutes later and she was asleep!! She only slept for one sleep cycle, then I went in to resettle her and she calmed down and I thought she was asleep but she was being cheeky and staring at her curtains instead. I left her in there while she was happy though so I could get some stuff done.

After she woke up we had a lovely play together with her play gym and just chatting to each other. She's such a cutie and I love her little giggle - we had such fun together.

She was very happy to see her Papa when we went and picked him up from work too.

I love happy days with my girl.

Easterfest 2009

What a blast! We had the best weekend, somehow Easterfest/AGMF gets better every single year!

That last picture/post from the other day was posted live from my new phone, during the Audio Adrenaline concert – how cool is that!

Mayana was an absolute legend baby – I was so stoked at how well she coped, and at how little the weekend messed up her routine. You can read about my honey baby here.

My Easterfest highlights would have to be the two major reunion shows: Audio Adrenaline and Paul Colman Trio. Man they both have still got it baby! What fun! I’m so glad that we got the chance to see both of those bands again.

I also REALLY enjoyed the return of New World Son – absolutely fabulous music.

Some of my new favourites would have to be Spacifix, Naturally 7 and The Sowers Group (some of the members of which were once Compassion sponsor children). Oh there were just so many!

It’s also always wonderful to catch up with old friends – there are always people who I only ever seem to see at Easterfest each year, and it’s definitely a highlight.

We did have a bit of rain this year too. It was hard to be annoyed at it when we need it so desperately here in Toowoomba. It didn’t put too much of a dampener on things though – us committed, hard-core Easterfest-lovers just sucked it up, lol.

It was a lovely weekend – they always go way too fast, and leave you hanging out for the next one.

Superchic[k] will be there next year – so totally can’t wait for that, they do a great concert.

This year, we also made the decision to sponsor a child through compassion. We had previously sponsored a child, but got to the point where we were struggling to afford to live ourselves, but fortunately we are that much more financial now, and having a daughter of our own makes it seem even more important… “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” [Matthew 25:30].

So our little sponsor daughter, Spesioza Sande Andrea, is from Tanzania and is 8 years old. She is an orphan who lives with her grandparents. I like that as well as helping to feed their families, Compassion runs education programs not only for the sponsored children, but for their parents/carers, and also provides church and bible classes. Who knows, perhaps some day we’ll have a chance to meet this little girl. I’m just so grateful that we’re in the position and have the opportunity to do something for this little child – that we can make a real difference. I can’t wait to get our first letter from her!

Anyway, I should probably get myself to bed… Grocery shopping tomorrow – on my own with Mayana: fun fun fun!!!

Easterfest- audio a reunites!

Having an awesome time with about 8000 other ppl watching audio adreniline in their 1 and only reunion show! So awesome! And Mayana is asleep! I love Easterfest.

fantastic news

Pete got a holiday job today!

He is going to be working at the vacation care program that our church runs :-)
He starts next Tuesday!

God is so awesome... it's a really great opportunity for him, and a chance for him to get more experience with kids, have something extra on his CV and a little bit of extra cash can't hurt!

The lady who runs the program was praying for males to employ, as last year they only had one - and this year, she is going to be the only female!!

The awesome thing is that this job just totally fell into Pete's lap - he wasn't looking or anything. Someone from church approached him and asked if he'd be interested, he said yes then got a phone call from the lady who runs it, had to go and fill out an application form - and today got asked to come in for an interview, but it was pretty much a matter of, "if you're interested, you've got the job!"

So at this point, he'll be working 4 days next week for the Easter break, and if everyone's happy with how that goes, he will possibly be offered more in the June, September and Christmas holidays!

He's very excited, and I am too!

Praise God :-)

twenty-two today!

I have had a very lovely birthday :-)

Mayana didn’t give me much of a sleep-in (up at 5) but she greeted me with lovely smiles and giggles so i didn’t mind in the least!

After her morning feed, we had some snuggles and did presents! (Please excuse my [un]attractive morning state)

My new phone, from Pete, and my new Willow Tree sculpture from my Mama & Papa…

And gorgeous smiles from my beautiful daughter – who also gave me a pretty ‘mock’ (mobile phone sock) for my new phone!

After presents, Mayana went back down for a sleep, and Pete and I played with my new phone for a while, then he made me bacon, eggs and coffee. He used the very last of our Starbucks Christmas Blend…mmmmm

Amid various birthday calls and texts, we got ready for church – the girl woke up for another feed and then off to church we went!

After church, a group of new church friends from our connect group, and one of my uni friends and her partner went out to Sizzler for lunch! We were planning on a picnic in a park, but we’ve had a bit of a rainy weekend here in woombie-town so we had to go to plan B.

Mayana was seemingly underwhelmed.

It was a lovely lunch, despite the fact that for the first half of it our group was separated. A group of old men were having lunch and the lady told us that she thought they were nearly done when we got there, so we could have that table and the two on either side of it. However, they decided to have about 6 bowls of ice-cream, very slooowly. But in the end it all worked out, because to compensate for the inconvenience, they gifted me, the birthday girl, with a lovely big blackforest birthday cake, on the house! Noice.

After lunch, we came home and spent the day trying to calm down a very unhappy baby. She was sooooooo overtired from her big day yesterday. She had a couple of little sleeps today, but not enough to make up for it. Poor little honey didn’t know what to do with herself and cried her precious little eyes out for the better half of the afternoon. At one point we put her down in her cot, and she did stop crying and was quiet for a very long time. We thought she had gone to sleep, when we heard her giggling through the baby monitor! Evidently, the curtains I made her are hilarious when they flap in the breeze. Seriously though, it was sooooo cute. We ended up having lots of snuggles all afternoon, then she had a bath with Papa which always calms her down, and she went down surprisingly easily at bedtime! Fingers crossed for a good night!

We are now chillaxing in front of a Gilmore Girls DVD, Pete’s making me dinner (reheated leftovers, lol), which will probably be followed by some of my left over birthday cake, and we’re contemplating watching a movie later. Tomorrow night, we are going to have Thai for dinner! Pete still has a few tricks up his sleeve for the rest of birthday week… woohoo!

Will leave you with a few pics of my birthday stash!

My pretty slide-phone. It’s got green bits!!! I love green.

My ‘mock’ from my girl :-) Doesn’t she have good taste!

My new Willow Tree sculpture, “New Life”. Fits in well with my collection hey!

My pile of little goodies from my lovely uni-friend, Sarah

Beautiful home-grown lavender from the gorgeous Helen.

I have had a really lovely day… I think I’m gonna love 22 =)

Save your marriage:

Buy a GPS. I’m not kidding. If we hadn’t had bought our new best friend yesterday, today would have been slightly scary.

Think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever met a couple who DON’T argue when they are trying to find their way to an unfamiliar place. You know the scenario. Hubby is invariably driving, totally thinks he knows where he’s going. Then, he becomes confused – maybe there’s roadworks, or a confusing round-a-bout, or he just takes a wrong turn (but would never admit it). So wifey gets asked to check the referdex. Wifey invariably takes a few minutes to figure out where exactly they are, which often involves turning the book upside down or sideways, which for some reason frustrates hubby’s no end – even if it’s working! Insults are thrown, voices are raised and before you know it your’re in a fight, even if you’re one of those couples (like we are) that truly never fights!

Seriously, the only time I really ever saw my parents fight was in the car over directions and being lost. We were so assured of my parents not-fighting-ness, that when this particular referdex fight occurred, my poor little sisters were beside themselves thinking we were going to become a divorce family! So not pretty.

We have all been there, and it’s okay to admit it.

Thankfully, technology has provided the answer to yet another problem. The GPS. Today, the venue of the wedding we were going to was changed at the last minute due to weather. Now, usually, this would have been a guaranteed for a feisty trip to Brisbane. Not today! We just let our friend Tom Tom know, and our trip was re-routed just like that! After the wedding, we needed to go to the shop to get a wedding card to take to the reception. Good old Tom Tom to the rescue again! We just let him know we wanted a shop, he provided a list and we chose one we liked.

Sigh.

Have I mentioned I love Tom Tom?

Now I’ve got that out, I’ll get to the part that I actually came here to blog about: The wedding.

It was Pete’s cousin Lesley’s wedding to Ryan. What a gorgeous couple. It was such a beautiful wedding, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a groom so gooey and in-awe of his bride ever (except maybe Pete, lol). He had such a goofy, love-struck look throughout the entire ceremony, it was soooo lovely.

The bridesmaids were beautiful, the bride was STUNNING – it was a really nice wedding.

The reception was also beautiful. Very family orientated similar to our wedding. Funny and heartfelt speeches, yummy food, good company. A lovely way to spend an afternoon.

The centrepieces and the tables. So simple yet so effective.

Poor Mayana was totally wrecked by the end of it all. She didn’t really have any decent day sleeps, and was passed around a bit too much than she knew how to handle. Just a wee bit overstimulated. She can’t help it that everyone thinks she’s gorgeous and wants to cuddle her! We didn't have the happiest car ride home, but after a feed when we got here she went down very quickly. Here’s hoping she gives me a sleep-in for my birthday present tomorrow! (at this point, 6/6.30am would be pretty good, lol).

I’ll leave you with some photos of my gorgeous family from today…

Me with the gorgeous bride, Lesley..

My lovely little daughter and I… ain’t she just the prettiest thing you ever did see!?

My hunky spunky husband! He scrubs up pretty good huh!?

What a lovely way to spend my last day of 21-ness.

Ps. In case you’ve forgotten, it’s my birthday tomorrow!

Can I just say:

I love this stuff.

I know it’s probably made of lighter fluid or toilet cleaner or some such, but seriously it’s so cool, and so yummy.

Very childish, and probably stems from the fact that my mum NEVER bought it for us when we were kids, when I know my cousins had it all the time… but I buy my own groceries now and I like it, so I bought it. Besides, it’s just a once-in-a-while treat, and a cheap chocolate fix. And tonight I ate it on top of my ice-cream which was sitting on top of a banana cupcake.

sore fingers, tom toms and cake

Last night, I had an accident. I was walking into Mayana’s room to pop her dummy back in, and I put my hand out, because I knew there was a pedestal fan there somewhere. Next thing I knew, my little finger was IN the fan!!! Straight through the bars and into the blade. FLIP it hurt!!! Mangled my fingernail and cut my little finger. Ouch!

Seriously, imagine a paper cut and times it by 3.5trillion. It hurts a lot. Especially when I type, so you should think yourself lucky that you’re hearing about it at all!!

In other news, Pete and I stimulated the economy today. Thanks to Uncle Kevi we are richer than we have ever been in our marriage! Portions of our bonus(es) will be sending us to Perth for Christmas, and be contributed to our savings account, and we decided to spoil ourselves just a leeetle. So today, we went out and bought…

Meet Tommy, or Tomasina… I haven’t decided yet. This is our new friend who will never let us get lost, if only we listen to his/her instructions (a bit like God now that I think about it!).

Isn’t it pretty!? And an awesome bargain! Perfect timing for the wedding we’re going to tomorrow! No arguing over the referdex, or Pete mocking me for turning it upside down EVER again ;-)

Later in the day, we headed down the hill to my cousin’s place, where we introduced Mayana to her Great-Great Aunty and some of her cousins – well third or second once removed or something obscure like that anyway!

(Me & Mayana, Aunty Judy with Micah, Nathan, Peter, Jared & Brendon)

I even got to share a birthday cake with my cousin Nathan, who’s birthday is today. ‘Twas lovely to see everyone – and I love a chance to show off my girl!

Big weekend ahead. Off to Pete’s cousin’s wedding tomorrow in Brisbane, and then, on Sunday it’s my BIRTHDAY!!! Yep, that’s right, only 2 sleeps! I’m just a little bit excited.

My Jonah Day

(If you haven't heard that expression before, go and read Anne of Avonlea)

So this morning, Mayana woke up at 5am, dummy back in, snoozed until 5.30am and then I fed her. She was back in bed asleep by about 6.15am and I had every intention to get up and start my day. But I fell back asleep.

At 9.15 I woke up!!! Pete had woken up over half an hour before and decided to let me sleep in. Very kind, except that we had to be out of the house by 9.45, and had a list as long as my arm of stuff I needed to do by then :-( Sometimes he can be such a boy and doesn't think things through very well.

Mayana woke up as I did, so of course needed a feed, then I had to have a shower... and in short I was running around like a headless chook trying to get a few things done before we had to go.

Pete started uni at 10am, and M and I went to do groceries while he was in class. I hadn't had time to have breakfast, so I popped into maccas because I NEEDED a coffee. While getting Mayana out of the car, I accidentally caught some skin in her dummy clip while trying to clip it to her shirt (*sob*). She bawled her poor little eyes out, so I joined in, and cuddled her and gave her a quick feed in the backseat in the carpark at maccas.

THen on the way to the shops I had a Lorelei Gilmore moment and ended up wearing half of my coffee - only I didn't have a B-52's tshirt to change into, so I just had to keep the coffee-shirt on.

Got over to Garden Town (where I was going to buy the other half of M's outfit for the wedding we're going to on the weekend) and it was absolutely nutso over there! I drove around for ages to get a park, ended up having to park on the roof, meaning I had to walk in the rain to get the the store. There was only 1 left in her size, praise God I got to it before anyone else!

Back in the car, M very unhappy about that, and off to Aldi. Mayana fell asleep in the car on that leg of the trip. I got to Aldi, got the green bag, $2 coin (because the stupid trolley ate my little token a few weeks back), nappy bag, blanket to lay in the baby-seat trolley in one arm, Mayana in the other. Get over to the trolleys and realise that they have (stupidly) put the baby-trolleys outside of the awning so they're sitting in the rain, completely soaked!! Arrrgghh.. Back into the rain, to the car so I can get the sling, pop Mayana into it, back into Aldi. This means I have to use one of their stupid new trolleys which come up to my shoulders! They're so flipping huge, they make me feel like a little kids pushing the trolley for mummy. Plus I have a baby strapped to the front of me, making it a bit difficult to reach into the stupid thing!

So I stroll around, trying to make a list on the run, because that was one of the things I was going to do earlier this morning and didn't happen. I get to the register and am trying to figure out how I am going to get the stuff out of the tall, deep trolley onto the conveyer belt. Eventually I manage it.. got to the register and commented to the lady that it would probably be a lot more helpful if they baby-trolleys weren't out in the rain, because these trolleys are really hard to use when you have to carry a baby. She laughed at me. Um. I wasn't joking. Stupid stupid. Paid for my groceries, out to the car, M still strapped to me, and I've got to lift my groceries into the boot. They were so heavy I basically had to unpack the whole bag and then repack it into the car.
Eventually got it all done, took the trolley back, got Mayana out of the sling and into the car - all in the pouring rain.

Next stop, Coles. I pull into the carpark, sweet, there's a pram park! Park the car, get Mayana unstrapped when I realise I'm actually in a disabled spot. Arrgh! Back in the car, find another park, get Mayana out. Into the shops to find a baby trolley. They've parked them right in the corner, behind about 5 normal trolleys and one of those huge trolleys with the big red toddler seats. So here I am, with a baby in one arm, nappy bag and blanket to lay in the trolley seat over the other, trying to manoever the stupid trolleys so I can get to the one I want. By the way, do you think they put the baby seats on the trolleys with dicky wheels on purpose??

Finally get there, Mayana's screaming because she has a very full nappy. Off to the mother's room. We get in there, and a woman, her child and the child's grandmother are in there with 3 trolleys full of clothes which they have just picked up from layby. They are trying them all on the kid, deciding which ones to return (what the!?). Meanwhile, this room is probably about the size of my bathroom, with 1 space for changing a baby and not enough room for the 4 trolleys that are now sitting in there. Mayana's screaming, and they get the picture that I need the change mat. So they have to try and move the trolleys so I can get to it. It was like one of those puzzles where you have to move the little squares around to let the other one through. Got there eventually, changed Mayana's bum, happy again, off to finish groceries.

Thankfully Mayana was happy during this leg of the trip- she really does like being up in those trolley seats where she can see everything. Get to the checkout, pay for the groceries, and then I realise that I've paid for all the groceries with my card, not the grocery card. I know I can fix it up online later, but still, how dumb!

Outside, I decided that it would be easier to grab my 2 bags of groceries and the bub, instead of mucking around with the trolley in the carpark. There's a woman sitting outside the shops, under a no smoking sign, smoking! That irks me no end. By then I was so over it all, I (maybe rudely) loudly commented to Mayana how annoying it is when people think no smoking signs are just suggestions... "it's not like it's illegal or anything (sarcastically of course) and I'm sorry my darling that you have to breath in this crap just because people are selfish or can't read". I guess I'm lucky I didn't get smacked!

Back to the car, and yay it's time to pick up Pete from uni. I hate driving in Toowoomba in the rain - Toowoomba drivers are crappy at the best of times - shockers in the rain.

This whole time, my stupid ear has been exploding. I'm mostly deaf in my right ear from this stupid ear infection and I'm just so over it! I hope it gets better soon.

So all of this crappiness before 12pm. This is why today has been a Jonah day. I'm hoping it improves in the second half. Actually, so far so good. When we got home, I fed Mayana, and Pete has taken her out for a few hours to go birthday shopping!

So I'm here hanging out with my good friends the Gilmore Girls, enjoying some me-time.

I think I might go and get my doona. It's just one of those days.

What a weekend

We had a fantastic weekend, camping at Sommerset Dam with new friends from our church. It really was great. We haven’t been camping since Pete’s birthday 3 years ago, and boy, that was an adventure. We took Alexie and Jordan (my bro & sis), camped at Crows Nest, it got down to –1degrees at night, we had one queen-sized airbed to share, cooked over the open fire, had no lights… Let’s just say it was a loooooong night – good memories though!

This weekend, we were living in the lap of luxury… I’m talking five-star camping my friend. Over the last 3 years since *that* camping trip, we have collected a whole lot of little goodies, our favourites being our camp kitchen, and our tarp. So this camping trip was a horse of a different colour. See for yourself!

We spent Saturday down at the dam, friends we were with had the loan of a ski boat, so those that were so inclined allowed themselves to be dragged behind it on various devices. Pete had a go on the wakeboard – it took him a few goes but he got up eventually. I declined.

Mayana was SUCH a good baby, and as far as we can tell loved her first camping trip. She kept fairly well in her routine, we still managed to have her pretty well asleep by 7pm, and she slept through till 5.30/6pm both mornings. What a little angel! There are pictures of her camping experience at my brag book blog.

The only sucky thing about the weekend was the amount of pain I was in. On Thursday night, I went to bed with a very sore ear, though I just thought it was maybe a pimple in my ear…

Over the weekend it got progressively worse, and by Sunday i was in SO much pain. On Saturday night, we made the snap decision to go home to Noosa instead of Toowoomba on Sunday after camping. We don’t have uni till Wednesdays, so we decided to stay until Tuesday. And that’s what we did! We didn’t tell anyone we were coming, just surprised Mama and Papa- and surprised they were! They were very thrilled to have a visit with their little Friend Family.

I took myself to the hospital and saw a GP who pronounced I have an acute outer-ear infection, and prescribed an oral antibiotic as well as an ear-drop antibiotic. Between that and the ibuprofen/paracetamol cocktail I’ve been downing every 4 hours I’m feeling okay now (though I’ve seen a few very scary nappies in the last few days!). Still in a bit of pain, and still feeling fairly deaf but I’m pleased to say I’m on the mend.

So home yesterday, now here we are, on the countdown to my birthday! This year, Pete’s starting my birthday week on my birthday, meaning it will end with Easterfest and my family coming to visit. Only 4 more sleeps! Apparently Mayana has told Pete what she wants to get me for my birthday, and they are going shopping together tomorrow ;)

For now, I have to go because my gorgeous daughter has just woken up from her (nearly 3.5 hour!!!!) morning nap.. I’ll bet she has a VERY full nappy, and is absolutely starving…