29 June 2012

Week 26: A Night Out

I can't believe I'm halfway through the "52 weeks of grateful" journey already. Amazingly, I haven't thrown the towel in or claimed it "too hard", but there have been weeks I have struggled to write what I am feeling grateful about. This week has been one of those weeks.

I really had no idea what I was going to write about this week. I'm a bit tired and not been in a grateful mode. I like writing about something because it is how I am feeling, not just something that I think "Yeah, that will do".

These past few days I've been feeling exhausted, soar and tired. Both girls have been sick (which I wrote about here), so I've been at home with them most of the week keeping them warm and out of the cold.

"Popette" has been a little stir crazy, and has been following me around the house like a lost sheep. Every few minutes or so she'll ask me for something to eat (a sure sign that she is bored), or asks me to "do something fun" with her. Thank goodness she doesn't know or understand the word bored yet! While I love her to bits, she's been driving me insane!

We've had a rough couple nights with a sick "Cherub". She's been very unsettled at night with her cold, and teeth, so it takes a few attempts to get her to bed...or she just wants to stay up and watch the latest recording of "MasterChef" with Mummy & Daddy.




I'm catching up with a good friend tonight for dinner. It'll be nice as we haven't been out together for a while, or whenever we've caught up we keep getting interrupted by the kids and can't have a proper conversation...or a hot cup of tea!

My friend always jokes about us going to a hotel for the night so we can get some sleep...I honestly don't think it's a bad idea. We are always tired from the kids...but tonight it will just be a few hours away from the house.

Hubby had a boys weekend away last weekend, although he doesn't think of it as that, and constantly reminds me that he doesn't get to go out that much with the boys. Of course, I politely remind him that it's not my fault he doesn't go out...I'm not his social secretary. In any case, he got to spend a night away with his mates (something I still have yet to do), he had some male bonding, talked about blokey stuff, drank alcohol, all with no kids interrupting him for something or wanting a story read to them before bedtime.

I, on the other hand, stayed at home with my little munchikins. I fed them, bathed them and put them to bed. Then afterwards I rewatched "Eat, Pray, Love" on DVD (best quote from the movie "Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face. You really need to be certain it's what you want before you commit.") and ate some yummy chocolates hubby bought me from Darrell Lea...a present of guilt for leaving me at home with the kidlets.

So this week I am grateful for a night out, were I hope to have a drink or two, have a good time catching up with my friend, and unwind from a long week of being a Mummy.

What are you grateful for?

26 June 2012

Through sickness and in health

My household has been sick for what seems like forever, and I'm finding myself miserable and frustrated fairly easily by "Popette", or take my irritation out on her, and then feel really terrible for doing so.

I sometimes forget that she is only 3.5, and isn't capable of doing everything by herself and still needs Mummy or Daddy's help. As much as I want her to be my 'big girl', she really is still my little girl who I adore.

Source: kidspot.com.au via Alex on Pinterest

We've had a rough few months with the girls and myself being sick.

For the past couple days I've had a dizzy head, and been wobbly on my legs so haven't been able to drive.

Poor little "Cherub" has conjuctivitis. Her eye has been weepy for sometime, but hasn't gotten any better so we saw the Dr yesterday who has prescribed eye drops.

"Popette" is coughing, sneezing and has a runny nose yet again.

I wonder if it will ever...stop.

Hubby had a 'sickie' from work yesterday, so he could be with me, and drive "Cherub" and I to the physio, and later doctors.

I really am very lucky to have his support. There are so many women I know whose spouse/partner etc, doesn't help them out with their kids.

I know he's extremely busy at work, and has a lot on his plate. But he's been so good at helping me out before and after work. When I was sick a few weeks ago, he worked from home so he could help me out with the girls.

We can't seem to get a break lately. If it's not one thing it's another.

My Dad's cancer has made a comeback (another story) and my eldest brother is moving his family to Queensland this week. Everything seems to happen at once.

So today all I want is a big hug!

22 June 2012

Week 25: Becoming a mummy

I always thought the day I became a mother would be the most exciting, joyous occasion I could experience. I had imagined that I'd have contractions in the wee hours of the morning, and after a while be taken to hospital where I would start pushing and panting. Then after many hours our baby, who we wanted so much, was finally born.

Me and my girls, "Popette" and "Cherub" (at 5 weeks)

I imagined it to be a time of celebration, and pictured us calling and texting our family and friends with the "happy news". Then receiving visits in hospital, where we would hear everyone's "oohs & aahs" and have them congratulate us on our sweet baby.

Unfortunately nothing like that happened with the birth of our first daughter. Of course we had visitors at the hospital, mostly immediate family and friends of ours, but instead of visiting my hospital room with me and the baby, they were taken into the NICU, one at a time with either myself or husband to see our oh so tiny, girl.

At 28 weeks gestation I was admitted to hospital with high blood pressure, and was bed ridden until my daughter was born at 29+3 weeks gestation due to me developing severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome.

During the time I was experiencing terrible migraines, swollen ankles and high blood pressure, all signs of pre-eclampsia, then just days before "Popette" was born I started having issues with my platelet levels dropping. The night before "Popette" was born, my body started going into HELLP syndrome.

My placenta was rejecting my liver, causing my liver and kidneys to begin shutting down. My OB/GYN and renal physician decided quickly that I needed an emergency caesarean, and that the baby needed to be delivered as soon as possible.

Instead of it being the happiest occasion I imagined it to be. I was in pain and crying. I was scared for my baby, not to mention myself.

My husband and I were feeling anxious and afraid of our little baby being taken to the NICU, which they had only shown us the day before "just in case". All those happy feelings we had expected to feel where not to be.

I broke into tears when my OB/GYN told me that the baby had to be delivered that morning, however due to a bed shortage in the NICU, she would have to transfer me to another hospital and couldn't be there to delivery my baby.

That morning I rang my hubby in tears telling him the news. He drove to the hospital as quickly as he could, gathered all my things, and followed the ambulance I was in to the hospital.

When they delivered my baby, all I saw was a tiny little baby lifted over the top of my head and given to the NICU staff patiently waiting behind my husband and I. "Popette" weighed a tiny 1.1kg.  My hubby quickly took some photos and cut the umbilical cord before the NICU staff whisked her away.

All I wanted to know was if it was a boy or a girl. Finally my hubby told me it was a girl and I cried tears of joy. The doctors quickly sewed me up not saying a word to me.

I was then whisked away to recovery for over 2 hours, leaving my hubby behind in a waiting area with my parents for what seemed like forever. They sat and waited patiently for a nurse to give my hubby an update on how his two girls were.

My first photo of Popette

Afterwards I was placed in an acute care room for 27 hours. I still hadn't seen my husband since the operation or met my baby, or knew how she was. I was monitored around the clock by nurses, and hooked up to an automated blood pressure machine that took my blood pressure every half an hour, a drip containing magnesium sulfate to reduce the risk of me going into seizures or full-blown eclampsia, a catheter, and the epidural.

That evening my hubby was so tired and worn out, he decided to go home. I was heartbroken I had really wanted him to stay, but there was no bed for him to sleep in. Before he left, he gave me a Polaroid photo of my little girl, her first photo, which we stuck onto the bed so I could see it. When I didn't sleep I would turn the light on and stare at my new baby girl who still didn't have a name or who I had seen.

This was not what I had in mind for the arrival of my first baby. Instead of celebrating our new life as Mummy & Daddy, we spent our first couple of months traumatized, and constantly worried about our baby girl.

It is hard to believe that was 3 1/2 years ago.

"Popette" is our fun loving, cheeky, gorgeous "big girl", who loves Peppa Pig, playing with her Barbies, having baths, making craft with Mummy,  and having fun with her friends.

"Cherub" who is nearly 9 months old, is a very giggly (mainly thanks to her big sister), chubby, wriggly, happy baby girl. 

My sweet girls make me very happy. As much as there are days when I've had enough (I'm sure you know what I mean), being their Mummy is what I am truly grateful for.

I am linking up with Maxabella Loves over at Village Voices on the 52 weeks of Grateful journey.

What are you grateful for?

14 June 2012

Week 24: Sunny days

After days of miserable, cold, rainy weather, and weeks where I have felt cold and not quite myself, I am grateful for sunny days.

The view out my back dining room window

I am grateful in feeling the warmth on my face.

I am grateful that the clothes I have washed and hung on the line will dry in the sunshine.

I am grateful for the views out my dining room windows of the beautiful trees and big blue skies.

As much as I love those winter nights rugged up in front of my log fire, I really love sunny days like today.

What are you grateful for?

11 June 2012

Rainy day craft - Egg carton caterpillars

Today has been one long rainy day. It would have been much nicer if it was sunny considering it was a long weekend, but the weather had a mind of its own. So today was spent at home relaxing in front of the log fire, making some craft with "Popette" and watching a movie while eating Hubby's homemade pizza.


Usually on a Monday "Popette" is at daycare, and is doing something fun like painting or drawing. "Popette" love love loves craft, so I thought I'd create a bit of fun for her, and make caterpillars out of an old egg carton.

The caterpillars were very simple to make.

All you need is:

Pipe cleaners
1 Egg carton
Googly eyes
Gloopy glue (I think someone has been watching too much Mr Maker!)Paint
Coloured paper
Pom Pom

After cutting the egg carton in half, "Popette" and I painted our caterpillars.

Once they were dry we decorated them with googly eyes, a pom pom for its nose, a pipe cleaner for the antenna and a mouth cut out of coloured paper. And there you have it a caterpillar!

I hope you've had fun over the long weekend whether it was outdoors or inside like us.

What type of craft activities do you like doing with the kids?

08 June 2012

Week 23: Grateful for Support

Being a Mum can be hard work, even harder when your not feeling 100%. Looking after my two littlies these past couple weeks has been rough, if it wasn't for the help of my Hubby I don't know how I would have coped.


 


Some mornings I have struggled to get out of bed as I've spent half the night awake from coughing.

"Cherub" has been waking at odd hours for bottles or "Popette's" coughing has been waking her up or "Popette" has woken up.

I haven't been able to get up to them, so poor Hubby, who has been sleeping in the lounge room these past couple weeks, has been doing it all by himself.

And now he is starting to get the dreaded lurgy :(

Over the past couple of weeks, he's worked from home a couple times or started late so he can help me out in the morning so I can rest a bit longer. He's dropped "Popette" off to daycare or picked her up, so I didn't have to leave the warmth of the house, as well as kept the logfire going in the morning so I woke to a warm house.

I've been very lucky that his work hours are flexible and he is able to work from home. I don't think I would be feeling as well as I am now or had the chance to get the rest I needed if he wasn't there to support me.

I guess there are times when I don't realise how lucky I am or how much he actually does for me or the girls. This week I am grateful for his support, not just for the last couple weeks but for all that he does for us.

What are you grateful for this week?

01 June 2012

Week 22: Grateful for bed

This week I wasn't really sure what I would write for my gratitude entry. It's been a long, hard, tiring week. I've been battling the dreaded cold/flu lurgy, which has been visiting our home quite a lot lately.



 



Everyone I know seems to be suffering the same thing, runny nose, persistent cough and soar throat. I'm so over cold & flu season...and its only just begun.

My poor Hubby has been sleeping on the sofa bed out in the lounge room for the past week, so not to catch it from me. Fingers crossed, he's okay, but now my little monkey's are starting to show signs of a cold. Just when I thought they had gotten over it for a while, it's knocked them back down
again. So unfair.

The last few mornings I've been feeling dreadful. When I wake up I can hardly talk as I've been coughing all night, leaving my voice hoarse. By the end of the day it gets so husky from talking (or yelling too much at "Popette") that I nearly lose it. 

So this week I am grateful for bed where I take comfort in the warmth of my flanny sheets, and can curl up in my blanket and doona. It's been nice having the bed all to myself...but it will be much more cosier when I have Hubby back in it with me.