Busy as a Queen Bee

I haven't been around much these last few weeks... I have been busy, getting organised for a few new things, settling into the school routine, crafting it all leads to a very busy schedule and not much time for electronics.



So here, in a few snippets is what we have been up to. The Princess is now eating with gusto, her favourite snacks being watermelon and sweet potato. I have been sewing up a storm of toys for an up coming market, designing my own doll patterns, making clothes for the princess (that jacket is reversible, and made from scratch from my own pattern YAY!) I have been really getting into the swing of making Waldorf Dolls, the Prince got his very first school sticker on his second day of school for his behavior (beaming mumma here!!) and also again on his third and fourth. He was born ready for school this one, and comes home each day full of excitment, yet when asked what he has been up to says with disappointment... 'they still haven't taught me to read yet!'. Last of all, I have been working on my very first Waldorf doll for sale... the pink hair beauty. She still has some work to go, but is coming along nicely... this one is for a friends little girl!

So, hopefully now I am back in the swing of things... I hope you all had a fab weekend!

Happy Half Birthday

My sweet girl was 6 months old yesterday. Yes, you heard that right a whole SIX months old. Before I know it, we will be celebrating her 1st birthday.

She is such a sweet thing. But has a huge personality, she is loud, but in a good way and adores her brother. She is moving around the place with speed, into everything and has a keen eye for lego ;)

I am loving watching her grow, I am loving how different, yet how similar my two sweet ones are, I love watching them interact with one another. The princess loves having her big brother read to her, he reads his favourite books which he knows page from page, her favourite is Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox - I think it has something to do with all the funny voices that he uses.

Thankyou dear beautiful girl, for choosing me as your mama, I can't wait to see what the next 6 months has in store for us!

5 Months

My sweet princess is now 5 months old. Its so cliche to say 'where has the time gone', but it really does feel like it was only yesterday that I was anxiously awaiting her arrival.

In five short months she has gone from snuggly newborn, to a delightful, giggly girl who is just about crawling. We have had a few presents opened under the Christmas Tree, and any toy that her brother leaves on the floor is up for grabs.

She is such a peaceful babe, never really uttering a cry. She loves being read to, and loves her brother jumping up and down.

Her favourite song is 'You are my sunshine' or 'Open, Shut them'.

Favourite toy is her butterfly wrist rattle (or her brothers toy cat if she manages to grab it)

Her favourite noise to make is a high pitched girly squeal.

We are still breastfeeding, and it is such a joy.

She is a blankie baby, she loves blankets to cuddle, suck, play you name it!

Her favourite game is 'Where is Ava' (pick-a-boo)

Dear baby girl, while I enjoy watching you grow day by day, please slow down, if only for a little while. I love those baby giggles, and those baby smiles. I'd like to hold on to them, if even just for a little bit longer. You and your brother bring me such joy, I'm so glad you picked me for your mama. 

Just a quick post

My little princess is growing to fast!

We have had a few interstate visitors the last few days, so have been spending a lot of quality time with them, usual programing returns tomorrow :) We hope you had a nice weekend xx

Fighting with a smile

Now, I must not complain, the princess is in a nice pattern of sleeping from around 7.30-8.00 until around 4.30 - 5.00 most nights. Its of a day that she fights with me to sleep, even though she is tired she is at that age where there is to much going on around to actually want to close those little eyes. So begins the fighting.

The wrapping of the arms coincides with fits of giggles - which she knows makes me giggle.

The rocking or bouncing method starts off the cooing.

The lullaby singing starts off her own attempt to sing.

An hour later, no sleep happening yet its time for another feed and then it all begins again, hopefully this round produces an exhausted princess, because it sure produces an exhausted mama.

Doesn't she get that when she sleeps well of a day,  she sleeps better of a night. Obviously no one sent her that memo!

Jumping is Hilarious

I think I'll let the video do the talking!

Love the Simple Things

One of my favourite times of the day is when the prince and princess wake up. No matter in what order they wake up in they are both equally excited when the other wakes up and I LOVE it. Its like a need they have to be close to one another, even if it only lasts a few minutes. I wonder if it will last, as the princess is growing up so fast right now she hangs on every movement and sound that comes via her brother the prince. We will see I guess as time goes on, right now I will enjoy it for what it is, a simple daily pleasure to witness.

Have a nice weekend!

Almost four months...

Been a while again, I know. Its hard work this two children parenting gig. (But defiantly worth it.)!

Can you believe that I almost have a 4 month old? Wow, how fast time flies.

Ava is such a breath of girly-ness I don't think I realised how much I wanted a little girl until she came along.

She is smiling and giggling the days away, especially at Charlie, all he has to do is walk and she is in fits of giggles. She is sleeping from around 7.30 until 4.30 in the morning which is such a slice of heaven compared to the boy with who I still struggle on the sleep side of things.

Charlie is great as well, he has been doing private swimming lessons now for a few weeks and is my little fish. We have his interview for school next year tomorrow (scary!!), I'm tearing up just thinking about it.

I hope you are all well xx

Need. More. Sleep. Please.

{image from here}

Pretty Please? I'm asking so so nicely.

Phew, What. A. Night. That has turned into an even longer day. Ava decided that last night was not a night for sleep. She went to bed at 10.30pm and was awake again at around 1am. Her mumma had only gone to sleep at 12pm.

From 1am till around 9.00 she stayed awake. WIDE awake. Then slept for around 45 minutes. it is now 2.30pm and I am bouncing her with my foot as we speak as I type and you read, trying to lull her off to sleep. At least she wasn't screaming awake, she was quite content even spoiling me with a few giggles here or there. I think that she may be coming down with something as she has a little bit of a fever. Either that or she is teething. No, I'll just forget that I mentioned that as my baby is to young to start becoming a 'big kid' yet!

So pretty please sleep, come and visit my household.

A Quick Update

Ah, life has been so hectic around here the last week or so. I have so much to catch up on with blog posts, I recieved a lovely gift in the mail the other day from a fellow blogger, I will be back for tomorrow to share it all  with you. For now, I will share some pictures I took of my two yesterday, I plan on getting some of them together when the 'no cheese' or 'no pictures' boy decide's that it is ok, the poor child has been photographed to the extreme his entire life I think he is a little over it! I hope you enjoy them :).

I took lots more, but for some reason blogger keeps turning them sideways when I upload them. You can check on the rest on my photobucket album here or on the breif slideshow to your right --->

We are off to the local show tomorrow, I hope you all have a lovely weekend. xx

A precious moment... (even if I had to pay for it!)

See this photo... it cost me $20. That boy there is my little (but slightly humongous) brother, Daniel. He is 17 and thinks that he is just too cool for school.

He was around a few weeks ago and I caught him talking to Ava in her swing... I said you can pick her up if you want matey which prompted a 'hell no', a retreat to the hall way and denying that he, the man of the family, was ever talking to a baby!

So, last night I bribed him and gave him $20 to get a picture of him and Ava... and it was totally worth it, don't you think.

restful Weekend

Charlie spent the weekend just gone with his dad, and now that Ava is becoming more aware of her surroundings I really think that she missed him being around. As soon as he was home at eight o'clock this morning she only had eyes for him.I have a feeling when she starts moving around, a little boy I know is going to have a little shadow following him everywhere!

Charlie teaching Ava how to play the playstation

I feel so refreshed after the weekend, I don't think that I realised how much running around after a 4 year old and looking after a baby takes it out of me. Ava actually slept fantasically on Saturday night, she slept from 9.30 till 6.30 which gave me a much needed boost in the energy department. It was a once off I think because she had been awake for around five hours before that, but I'm still happy with that effort even if it only happens once in a blue moon. I hope you all had a great weekend. :)

This is exactly how we are all feeling after a long and tiresome weekend. Today was spent trawling the local Penguin Market with my mum and Ava (Charlie had the weekend with his dad). How cute is that beanie? I bought it today for only $12 at the market, I told the older lady that was selling them about ETSY, and how something similar sells for around $30+, she couldn't believe it, but I think I have her hooked on ETSY as she was going home to have a look.

Saturday was spent visiting Ava's name sake, my grandmother for her birthday, visiting a friend and of course taking the girl to her first ever voting day (where the offical in charge could of just eaten her up)... and that vote lead to an extremely late night, and other than saying I am extremely worried the outcome I will leave talking about it for the moment.

Instead, I will leave you with a few pictures of the cutest girl I know, who's nana (aka my mum) is trying to turn her into a die-hard hawthorn fan...

Will be back tomorrow with hopefully a little more excitement injected back into my posts :)

A Catch Up...

So unbelievably tired. Did you know that you can never 'catch up' on sleep, once you miss it, its gone unless you have access to some fantastic time machine that you have forgotten to tell me about. The only thing you can do is to get more in the future, which if your anything like me then you wake up after your extra sleep in a some what 'hung' over daze.

Miss Ava's reflux is slowly improving, but there have been sacrifices along the way... I've slowly taken gluten and dairy out of my diet as well as tomato's and any citrus fruits. Ok, I semi-lied, I am still having a whole two cups of tea a day, but that is just to keep me sane. Last night she had a good sleep, two five hour stretches (she is still sleeping now, see above), and I woke up feeling like crap, two much sleep apparently. We are on some medication to help her reflux, and I gave in and have her in bed with me. It's s much easier rather than waking up every two hours and having to go and get her from the cot. At least this way I still stay in a semi-sleep state and it doesn't take me the whole two hours she sleeps for to fall back asleep. The most annoying thing is that she wants to sleep. The poor thing is so tired, but I'm guessing the constant bring up milk and then swallowing it is waking her up because its painful. Hopefully we are on the road to going back to good nights sleeps.

Me, I'm feeling rather drab lately. When I had Charlie I was one of those women who you secretly want to punch say wow, you look amazing after having a baby. The weight just fell off and was back to my normal self in two weeks. This time however, its hanging around. I know that I am not fat on any measure, but I feel like it. And I know that there are no 'instant' fixes. Oh well, at least chocolate is out of the picture until the reflux has vacated the building.

Silent Reflux...

I'm not much of a swearer, but right now I'd like to say to silent reflux, would you kindly go and four letter word off!!

I've had the feeling that something has not been quite right with my little madam for a few days, and low and behold my mother instincts were right.

Silent Reflux. Which has caused the poor little poppets oesophagus to become inflamed, a little burnt and it has a few ulcers on it from her constantly swallowing 'spewed up' milk. Nice.

She is in pain tonight, and I don't like it. She is lying beside me right now asleep and I can hear and see her swallowing milk back down and her face is grimacing in pain and has a little sob here and there.

I would also like to say a very loud 'for four letter word's sake!!' to the gobble-dee goop bull-poo medical advice that I received from a GP about managing it. I could write a whole post about his need to go back to the research books as he had no clue. All the advice he gave me is almost the exact opposite of what I have found out online and from an ABA counselor after getting home.

Me. I think I'm just upset that she's in pain and there is nothing that I can do for her at the minute. Part of me also feels a little selfish and horrible for also thinking 'oh no, not another no-sleeper'. Charlie's first full night of sleep was on July 15th, 2008. He was 2 years old. Yes, I remember the exact date, because before this he was waking up 5 + times a night. Normally more than 5, but certainly NEVER any less. (No exaggeration either.) I physically and mentally CAN NOT do that again. And its making me nervous just thinking about it...

So we are off the the paediatrician tomorrow to hopefully start getting this nipped in the butt, and to deal with her ulcers.

Wish my sleeping sanity luck...

One Month...

Dearest Ava,

Where has the time flown to? It's all going to quickly I must say. This time only four weeks ago I was still anticipating your arrival to the world wondering if you would ever make an appearance. Ever since you did decide to join us earth-side, our lives have been filled with utter joy and amazement of the love and comfort such a tiny little being can bring to a family, our family.

So far you are a little sleeping beauty, (apart from a few all nighters) you are starting to smile at your favourite people and are slowly starting that ever so infectious baby babble.

You sneeze a lot, and send your big brother into fits of giggles whenever you do a few in a row.

And talking of your big brother, what a gem he is. You are settled by his voice, and he likes to sing made up songs and tell you stories all the time... even while you are sleeping. He loves you 'to the moon, around the stars, through the clouds, over our house, down to coles??(don't ask where this one came from) and back'.

To one of my precious ones, thank you for picking me to be your mumma, but please, oh please, stop growing up so fast, I am happy to deal with a few more sleepless nights if only you will stay small for just a little longer.

Love Mumma xx