Ordinary World

Happy Birthday Evie

2012-01-03T23:33:00.000+11:00

My baby has just turned one - I can't believe how quickly the time has passed.

It seemed like a good time to let her have her first piece of cake.

Some of it actually made it into her mouth!

It tasted so good she stole cake from plates left lying around!

Evie's gorgeous Bambi cake was made by bellaboo cakes

My big girl, Annabelle, who loved singing happy birthday to her sister.

Making an Aquarium

2011-12-02T13:28:00.000+11:00

With all the rainy weather we've been having I have had to come up with some indoor projects to keep Annabelle amused. So far my favourite is a mini aquarium made using a soft drink bottle - it kept her amused for hours!

I drew sea creatures on a sheet of cardboard and gave Annabelle paint to colour them...

... as well as paint Annabelle also used pencils, she seemed particularly heavy handed with the black!

When the paint was dry I cut out the animals and Annabelle and I stuck them

inside a clean soft drink bottle, which I had turned upside down.

The finished product - my no water, no mess aquarium!

Dandelions

2011-11-25T11:38:00.000+11:00

I showed Annabelle how to pick a dandelion and blow the little seeds into the air... watching them float away on the breeze.

It seemed a cute little thing to do but now she is obsessed with them and every time she sees one she insists on stopping to pick it - whether we're late for the bus or not!

Donkey

2011-11-04T13:44:00.000+11:00

There are some donkeys in a paddock near where Annabelle and Evelyn go to day care and Annabelle often asks me if we can stop so she can pat them (bit difficult when you're on a bus).

We've had some rainy weather lately so when the sun came out I finally took the girls up to see the donkeys.

It didn't take long for the donkeys to realise we had carrots and they slowly trotted up to the fence to get them - the closer they got to us the further away from the fence Annabelle got!

It took some coaxing but eventually she came back to the fence and patted the donkeys, although she was too scared to feed them. Annabelle kept asking me about the talking donkey and I had no idea what she meant and then I realised she'd been watching Shrek with my Mum and was referring to Donkey!

Evelyn fell asleep in the stroller just before we got to the donkeys and didn't wake up again until we were almost home, which is typical of her, but Annabelle really enjoyed herself - and keeps asking when we can go back!

Strawberries, glorious strawberries

2011-10-28T14:17:00.000+11:00

We've had funny old weather lately.

One day it's well into the 30s and so hot you can't sleep at night and the following day it's back to winter woollies.

The upside is that the sunshine and rain combo is doing wonders for our garden, particularly our strawberries.

The downside is that Annabelle doesn't always wait until they're red before picking and eating them.

Busby Pure Tissue Oil - Review and Giveaway

2011-10-21T14:28:00.002+11:00

For the past few weeks I have been testing a product called Busby Pure Tissue Oil and I'm happy to report it's fabulous!

I only reveiw products that I think are relevant to my readers and this definitely fits the bill.

Busby Pure Tissue Oil helps improve the appearance of:

Scars
Stretch Marks
Wrinkles
Ageing Skin
Dehydrated Skin

What I really like about Busby is that it contains natural nourishing ingredients including Avocado, Grape Seed and Rose Hip oils - and most importantly no petrochemicals, animal products or harmful ingredients.

I have dry, sensitive skin and after using Busby for three weeks I can see and feel the difference in my skin. My face feels more moisturised and my wrinkles seem less obvious - and that can only be a good thing!

My Mother has been using Busby on her face and hands and there is definitely a visible difference to marks caused by sun damage - her blemishes are paler in colour and it has also improved the texture of her skin.

Not only does Busby have 5 times more Vitamin E than other leading brands but it is also backed by clinical research where 70% of participants confirmed an improvement in stretch marks and scars. The natural ingredients don't clog the pores like parrafin and petrochemicals do so the critical vitamins and nutrients are easily absorbed into the skin.

If you're ready to say goodbye to your mummy tummy then I suggest you try Busby Pure Tissue Oil.

Busby comes in a 100ml bottle with a pump and is available from selected pharmacies for $17.95 AUD.

More information can be found at their website and they have a Facebook page too.

.....................................................................................................................................................................

Thanks to the team at FGB I have 3 bottles of Busby Pure Tissue Oil to give away.

This competition is open to Australian residents only and closes at 5pm on the 4th November. Winners will be chosen by random number generator so make sure I am able to send you an email!

All you need to do is leave a comment telling me what one beauty product you never leave home without.

**** 9th November 2011 - Phil, Joan & Michele will be receiving a bottle of Busby Tissue Oil shortly.

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

2011-10-15T00:17:00.001+11:00

Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
On a cold and frosty morning

Despite what the nursery rhyme says mulberry's actually grow on trees.

Lovely big trees.

On a beautiful sunny day there's nothing better than picking them off the tree and popping them straight in your mouth.

Just remember to wash your hands afterwards!

Hoot

2011-09-23T23:22:00.002+10:00

Annabelle loves the little owl, Hoot, from the ABC TV show Giggle and Hoot.

When she turned two recently her day care Mum made a Hoot cake topper for her birthday cake - and she did a fantastic job!

Hoot cake topper by BellaBoo Cakes

I decided to try my hand at making Annabelle a soft toy inspired by Hoot and I'm quite pleased with how he's turned out - she must like him too as she takes him to bed at night!

May the Force be with you

2011-09-22T09:02:00.003+10:00

Most little girls use pretty dolls in their dollhouse.

Not mine.

Mine uses Star Wars figurines.

While I do let her play with this Leia figurine I put away my original Leia's which I've had since 1979.

Yep, I'm such a nerd!

I hope she grows up to like Sci Fi like her mama.

Sleepy Head

2011-09-21T15:57:00.000+10:00

Annabelle normally goes to bed at 7pm, straight after the goodnight song from Hoot, and then we read her a book (or two) and then it's lights out.

Once Annabelle is in bed we normally have some play time with Evelyn before her last bottle, except for a few nights ago when Evie was obviously more tired than I realised.

I read Annabelle a story and came back into the lounge room to find Evie fast asleep in her bumbo seat - thank goodness she didn't fall out!

Doesn't look real comfortable does it!

Evie is now sitting up by herself and I'm sure it won't be long before she's crawling as she keeps rolling herself onto her tummy - she puts her arms and legs in the right position but she just hasn't got momentum yet.

My babies are growing up so quickly!

My big girl!

2011-09-06T17:13:00.000+10:00

At the end of August Annabelle turned 2 years old.

Two already.

I can't believe it!

I opted for a morning tea at her day care rather than a weekend birthday party.

On her actual birthday she had a play date in the morning with her cousins followed by cake in the evening with the family.

We had a lovely day.

A one year old, 90 seconds and an unopened packet of washing powder!

2011-08-07T23:23:00.001+10:00

She's quick.

I mean super quick!

I left her strapped into her booster seat eating her dinner.

I left her for all of 90 seconds - 2 minutes max.

This is what I returned to:

You should see the mess on the floor!

Don't even mention the fact that she's squatting on my dinner table.

I know that at almost 2-years old she doesn't realise that what she's doing is naughty - that doesn't make it less frustrating though as I had to clean up the mess.

I also owe my Mum a box of washing powder.

Feed the Birds

2011-08-01T16:20:00.001+10:00

My Mum often throws stale bread over her balcony to feed the birds, and Annabelle loves watching them eat the crumbs. Normally it's only sparrows, doves, honey eaters and willy wagtails that appear but over the last few days she's been visited by some lovely rainbow lorikeets - who made their first appearance looking water logged after several days of heavy rain.

Today Annabelle threw some bread out for the birds (some of which didn't get any further than her mouth) and was rewarded with the lorikeet's landing on the railing only a few feet away from her. I managed to hand-feed one of them but the other one was too shy to come that close to me.

It would be lovely if they became regular visitors to the yard.

Happy Ninth Birthday Belle

2011-07-07T12:20:00.000+10:00

Today my beautiful angel niece Belle would have turned nine. I wish with all my heart she was here to celebrate her birthday with us, instead she will eternally be a lovely 3 year old dancing in her pretty dress.

I miss you Belle.

Slow Cooking

2011-06-08T08:20:00.016+10:00

As far as seasons go this is my favourite time of year.

The oppressive heat of summer has passed and we're not yet into the really cold winter days.

Although the mornings are chilly the days are mostly still filled with sunshine, making it a good time to be outdoors.

Another one of my reasons for loving this time of year is the change in what I cook, gone are the light summer salads to be replaced with heartier meals.

Hello slow cooker!

I find one of the main problems of cooking is the timing - between 5 and 7 is pretty hectic in our house as there are meals to cook, (ours and Annabelle's), then there's bath time, story time and finally bed time - and somewhere in the middle of that Evelyn normally needs a bottle!

About 7 years ago I became a vegaquarian - no meat but occasionally fish - so the slow cooker was packed away in the cupboard. When I became pregnant with Annabelle I craved meat and by the end of the pregnancy I was once again eating meat.

A couple of weeks ago I dug out my slow cooker and now I remember why I like them so much - everything is so easy.

As we are moving in a few weeks time my days are spent packing up the house, leaving little time for anything else. I love being able to throw everything into one pot and leave it to cook itself, it's simple, tasty and the whole house smells yummy.

I picked up some slow cooker recipe bases at the supermarket and so far we've tried four different meals - two we would definitely try again. I've also used the slow cooker to make a chicken and barley soup, which even Annabelle enjoyed, so if anyone has any good slow cooker recipes they'd like to share feel free to pass them on to me.

Mmmmmm, this is yummy!

Look Mum, I can feed myself. Sort of.

Here you go, I've had enough now.

There's even enough for our cat!

5.7.11 - Not only have we finally moved house but the chilly winter weather has also arrived - and looks set to stick around. We've been without the internet for more than 2 weeks so it was a relief to be back online today (and I discovered this post still sitting in draft format).

Wordless Wednesday - love

2011-06-08T07:44:00.000+10:00

More Wordless Wednesday at My Little Drummer Boys and faith hope and a whole lotta love

On the Road Again...

2011-05-15T22:45:00.003+10:00

I'm going mad.

I'm sure I am.

Why? We're moving. Again.

Quick recap for the newbies: Bought a bigger house when I was 8 months pregnant (what fun it was to pack/move), sold bigger house after less than 12 months after Aaron was made redundant. Decided to rent for a while to have a break from mortgage stress and now 12 months later we are moving again...

There's a big difference between moving when you're single, moving when you're a couple and moving when you have children.

We have stuff. We have so much stuff.

We have toys. Lots of toys.

We have toys that you ride on, toys that sing songs, toys that make noises, toys that have buttons to push, toys that get pulled along and toys that you slide down!

Our girls have been spoilt by our lovely friends and family but now all of these gifts have to be boxed and moved to a new (as yet undecided location).

Packing with a toddler present is a trial in itself. I put things in the box, Annabelle takes them back out again... I keep finding things that I have 'packed' in the oddest places and things that aren't being packed are found in boxes as I am sealing them (so that's where my toothbrush has gone).

With a few short weeks to go we haven't found a new home nor are we anywhere near being packed!

Just seal everything up and move it as is says my Mother, which would be great if it was feasible but our kitchenware are in cupboards that get left behind, same goes for our clothing, which are in built in wardrobes and all the linen in the linen press! I know she's trying to be helpful so I bite my tongue and for once don't respond with any sarcastic comments.

So now that my coffee break is over I'm off to try packing up some kitchenware - my last attempt ended with Annabelle breaking 2 mugs after clinking them together while saying cheers.

Ah well, it's 2 less to pack I guess!

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 7

2011-05-04T13:39:00.000+10:00

30 Day Song Challenge

Day 7: A song that reminds you of a certain event

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 6

2011-05-03T13:46:00.000+10:00

30 Day Song Challenge

Day 6: A Song that reminds you of somewhere

I have some good memories of seeing Wet Wet Wet in the UK and whenever I hear one of their songs I always think of the UK.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 5

2011-05-02T00:12:00.000+10:00

30 Day Song Challenge

Day 5: A Song That Reminds You of Someone

Another song that Isabelle used to sing - it evokes happy memories of her.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 4

2011-05-01T00:09:00.000+10:00

30 Day Song Challenge

Day 4: A Song That Makes You Sad

My 3 year old niece Isabelle used to like singing this song (she obviously had good taste in music) and her father and elder sister sang it at her funeral, I don't know how they had the strength to sing it but when I hear it I always think of that day.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 3

2011-04-30T00:02:00.000+10:00

30 day Song Challenge

Day 3: A Song that Makes You Happy

A very catchy tune from Mr Lee!

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 2

2011-04-29T23:56:00.000+10:00

Day 2: Your least favourite song

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 1

2011-04-28T23:54:00.000+10:00

30 Day Song Challenge

Day 1: Your favourite Song

I just love this song from Ben Folds, fantastic lyrics.

One of those days

2011-04-21T23:57:00.001+10:00

I love being a mother.

In fact I really, really love being a mother.

I waited a long time to have my girls and I cherish every moment I have with them but some days it can be such hard work.

Today was one of those days.

When Annabelle put a chunk of her hot cross bun in my tea I stared at the floating sultanas and I immediately knew what sort of day it was going to be.

I wasn't wrong.

Aaron accidentally left the bathroom door open so while I was making a fresh cup of tea Annabelle snuck in and decided to go through the drawers of the vanity. Luckily she wasn't alone for very long, just long enough to pour liquid foundation on a pair of my pants!

Annabelle normally goes to day care 3 days a week but for different reasons she's only been twice in the last 4 weeks so we've all been suffering a bit of cabin fever. Unfortunately our backyard is small and sloping, which is not great for toddlers as they tend to fall over all the time, so I've had to come up with ways to entertain while staying indoors (we were quarantined for a week as we had been exposed to whooping cough).

Over the past couple of weeks we've done lots of drawing, made Easter cards for the grandparents and had fun stamping our hand print on paper - all very messy but fun! Today though Annabelle didn't want to do any of those things and I seemed to spend the whole day picking up after her as she went from one thing to another.

I thought I'd get a coffee break when Annabelle had her lunch time nap but Evelyn woke up for a feed as I was putting Annabelle to bed and then Annabelle woke up as I was putting Evelyn back to bed!

It really was one of those days!

The hours between 5 and 7 are always a bit chaotic as Annabelle has a routine of dinner, bath and bed. I love the time just before bed when she's in her pyjamas ready for her bedtime story and we get lots of kisses and cuddles. It's a lovely time.

With Annabelle in bed I get to spend some time alone with Evelyn before she settles for the night around 10pm and if I'm lucky I can have a shower and some 'me' time.

Not tonight though.

No sooner had I stepped under the lovely hot water when I heard Evelyn crying - she had wind pains again.

It's almost midnight and the house is finally quiet, so now I can read my emails, catch up on blogs and see what's happening on facebook.

One of the blog posts I came across tonight is from a lady named Romina Garcia and her post made me chuckle as her day was worse than mine, mind you she has three young children and is pregnant with her fourth! I don't know how she does it. Her very funny blog is called Martyr-hood and is definitely worth a read.

I'm off to bed now for tomorrow it starts all over again.

cuddles before bed

Don't be fooled by the cuteness of the picture - 2 seconds after

this was taken Annabelle reached down and bit Evelyn on the arm!

Baby Love

2011-04-19T17:03:00.001+10:00

When I read that Blog This had a photo challenge - to share a baby or toddler photo - I couldn't resist sharing this picture of me as a toddler as it's always been my favourite childhood photo.

Despite looking like a brat my mother claims I was a very good child! I'm just hoping Annabelle and Evelyn don't pull faces like this when they're this age!

I'm very excited to say my photo won the Baby Love challenge and I get to choose an outfit for one of the girls from the lovely MeGuy Designs

Wordless Wednesday - A Day by the Lake

2011-04-13T10:57:00.000+10:00

More Wordless Wednesday at My Little Drummer Boys and faith hope and a whole lotta love

Travelling with children

2011-04-12T22:05:00.000+10:00

As a Mummy Blogger I was asked by Hostel Bookers for tips on travelling with children. Seeing as school holidays are here and lots of people will be going away I thought I'd share the link as it contains some really good advice.

The full article can be found at hostelbookers family travel tips

Oh My Goodness, the Chips!

2011-03-21T13:24:00.000+11:00

Anyone remember the ad on TV where the woman leaves a deep fryer of chips unattended to answer the phone? The catchphrase of the ad was 'oh my goodness, the chips!' - her response when the house starts to fill with smoke - and a phrase still frequently heard today.

A few days ago we had our own 'oh my goodness, the chips!' moment when Aaron burnt his hand, quite badly as it happens.

Aaron has slowly taken over most of the cooking in our house as it's something he really enjoys, and I'm happy not to have to think about what to cook each night. Last Wednesday I decided to cook dinner to give him a break so I made him a lovely farmhouse chicken casserole, which I planned to serve with some fresh veggies, including mashed potato.

I have to point out that Aaron doesn't eat a lot of veggies unless they're baked and he eats very little mashed potato (I mean who doesn't like mashed potato!) so he decided he'd make home made hot chips to have with his meal.

I had just finished putting Annabelle to bed when I heard a yell followed quickly by a crash. I made a dash into the kitchen to see Aaron with his hand under running water and oil all over the floor, he was obviously in agony. Of course he refused to go to the hospital, despite it being less than 10 minutes walk away, and also to the Doctor. The following afternoon he finally went to the chemist for some dressings and cream and the hand is now starting to heal!

So what happened? As Aaron was taking the saucepan off the stove the handle completely broke away from the pan splashing his hand with oil. By the time the floor was cleaned (I used 1 roll of paper towel, 2 hand towels and mopped twice to remove all the oil) neither of us felt like dinner.

The moral of the story - eat your vegetables!

Day 2: more blisters appearing

EucoFresh Product Review and giveaway

2011-03-17T00:48:00.003+11:00

Staying clean is a costly business. I do at least two loads of washing a day which works out to be a minimum of 14 loads a week. What with a partner working as a tree lopper who gets covered in sawdust and sap plus two children, an 18 month and a ten week old it's also a pretty messy business.

I certainly know my way around a washing machine so when I was asked to review Bosisto's EucoFresh laundry powder I readily agreed - value for money, especially with a family is worth looking into.

The first thing I noticed was the lovely scent of eucalyptus - it just smelt clean and fresh. I normally use a powder suitable for sensitive skin to wash the girls clothes and as EucoFresh has no insoluble particles it's suitable for use by allergy prone people and didn't irritate my girls skin.

The Pros

Environmentally friendly

Low Allergenic so suitable for people with sensitive skin

Grey Water Friendly so it's kind to plants and soil

No synthetic perfumes or dyes so the scent doesn't compete with my fabric softener

Suitable for use in front or top loaders due to the low foam output

Ultra concentrate - approximately 40 washes per 1.5 kg box

Cost friendly at approximately 22 cents per wash

The Cons

Actually I only found one - at the moment it is only sold at Woolworths supermarkets and some independent stores, such as IGA (I normally shop at Coles).

It's also worth noting that I used EucoFresh in my soaking bucket, as I had run out of Napisan, and my daughters bibs and white shirts came out clean.

The most important thing though is it cleaned my clothes, even hubby's filthy work clothes, really well and I will definitely be using it again!

More information about EucoFresh is available from the FGB Natural Products website.

Now for the giveaway:

The giveaway is open to Australian residents only.
Leave a comment to enter. You may only enter once.
Entries close at 5pm 31st March 2011.
The winner will be drawn via Random Number Generator
Winners will be announced on this blog post after 5pm on the 31st March and notified by email.
Good luck!!

2nd April 2011

Congratulations to 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9

Emily

Mandy

Phil

Julie

Danielle

Jane

I will be emailing you shortly for your address details.

Wordless Wednesday - You're funny Mummy

2011-03-16T06:00:00.002+11:00

More Wordless Wednesday at faith hope and a whole lotta love and my little drummer boys.

The best job ever.

2011-02-24T11:03:00.000+11:00

There are quite a few blogs that I subscribe to and they tend to fall into two categories, people who blog about their family or people who blog about craft - and there's some who blog about both!

I like love reading about how other people are coping with the day-to-day difficulties of raising a family, particularly when it's done with humour. We all face challenges whether it be time management (especially for working Mums), monetary concerns, health issues... there's always something going on when you have children and it's good to know you're not the only one who has days when the dishes aren't done and the washing needs folding!

When I was pregnant with Annabelle everyone spoke about how wonderful being a parent is (and it is) but I wish more people spoke about how hard it is, particularly the first 6-8 weeks, as I think I would have been better prepared. With your first child it takes some adjusting to get used to the lack of sleep - and Annabelle was a fussy feeder who fed every 3 hours so there wasn't a lot of sleep between feeds.

On one of our first visits our paediatrician told us that he didn't know why Annabelle had colic but he guaranteed it would pass before she was 6 months old - and he was right.

We now have another baby in the house who has colic, and Evelyn's is worse than Annabelle's ever was, but we're coping better the second time around as we know what to expect - lots of crying and very little sleep!

According to the experts colic usually occurs mostly in the afternoons and evenings, however in Evie's case it starts at night and goes until the early hours of the morning - we've even had a few occasions where I have spent the night pacing with Evelyn and haven't been to bed until 7 or 8am but it usually eases around 3am (and then I'm back up at 6am with Annabelle).

Which leads me to my theory about why babies start to smile around the six week mark - when sleep deprivation is finally starting to take its toll these little cherubs reward you with one of their smiles, which is just the boost you need and it makes all those late nights worthwhile.

My favourite post this week was over at So Now What, a humorous tale about children's birthday parties - as Annabelle is making friends at day care it won't be long before we'll be attending parties like the one's mentioned so at least I have been pre-warned about what to expect!

Wordless Wednesday - Australia Day 2011

2011-01-26T11:47:00.000+11:00

More Aussie Wordless Wednesday at Faith Hope and a whole lotta Love and over at My Little Drummer Boys

Wordless Wednesday - Evelyn, a sister for Annabelle

2011-01-19T08:30:00.001+11:00

More Wordless Wednesday and here too!

...and then there were two!

2011-01-18T04:27:00.000+11:00

As you can see from the previous post Evelyn Grace joined our family on the 29th December 20010 and we are feeling pretty blessed to have our two wonderful girls.

The birth was pretty uneventful (thankfully), however afterwards I developed several blood clots in my legs, which are really painful and will take a few more weeks to disappear - I have to give myself two needles every evening so I will be pleased when I don't have to do that anymore.

Most of the nurses who looked after me were fantastic but my hospital experience was a little disappointing as they were understaffed - 13 patients and only 2 nurses on duty - so I came home earlier than planned.

Here's some pics of our gorgeous new addition!

All over with! Tired but happy! A big thank you to my sister-in-law Danielle who

supported us throughout the delivery (Aaron is v. squeamish so I was glad she was there)

One day old!

Annabelle meeting her sister for the first time!

Posing with two of her Mummy's hand made rattles from Annabelle and Fred

Evelyn Grace, 1 day old

2010-12-30T21:40:00.001+11:00

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T22:03:00.001+11:00

We had a lovely Christmas day. Annabelle opened her presents at home and then we went to my brother's place for lunch, which of course lasted until dinner time!

Boxing Day started out wet and gloomy but it didn't take long for the sun to come out and the cozzies to go on - I was able to take Annabelle for her first proper swim as she's only ever had 2 paddles in a baby pool.

I can't believe that next year we'll have two children opening presents - that's the best Christmas present I could ask for!

It seemed like a good idea to buy a talking toy - it's already driving me mad!

Opening presents with her cousins!

Maddy and Annabelle

Trying to escape the heat!

Dummy

2010-12-26T11:37:00.001+11:00

Many years ago, prior to becoming a parent, I thought the use of dummy's (also known as pacifiers or comforters depending on which part of the world you are in) was unnecessary. I used to hate being at the shops seeing an older child with a dummy in their mouth and I vowed I would never use them with my children - fast forward 20 years and how things have changed as I never leave the house without one in my bag for Annabelle.

When Annabelle was born she had trouble feeding and it was a real struggle to get her to take milk, whether it be by breast or bottle. It didn't help that my milk never came in properly so she had to have a top up bottle until we decided at six weeks to switch her entirely to bottle - I still had no milk and the routine of breast feeding followed by feeding her expressed milk, a bottle and then expressing for the next feed was exhausting, especially as she was feeding every 3 hours.

Annabelle was such a poor feeder we were kept in hospital for 8 days as they tried to get her to gain weight, with little success. By the time we got home colic had set in and so began the cycle of crying and pacing as we tried everything to ease her pain, including a much lauded gripe water that brought some relief but wasn't the miracle cure we'd hoped for!

The only thing that seemed to provide her with any comfort was the use of a dummy, which was actually suggested by her paediatrician and the clinic nurse that came out for a home visit. Apparently the sucking motion helps to move the wind through the body and so began my love/hate relationship with dummies.

My dilemma now is how and when do I get rid of the dummy? All suggestions will be gratefully received!

Annabelle is only 16 months old and while she doesn't have the dummy permanently glued to her mouth there are times, such as when she is tired, that it definitely provides comfort. The flip-side is that when she loses it during the night she cries and we have to go into her room to find it for her - some times up to 5 times a night. With a new baby due any day now I am starting to realise that there is not going to be much sleep happening in our household over the coming months!

Wordless Wednesday - My Birthday; My Cake!

2010-12-15T08:46:00.000+11:00

More Aussie Wordless Wednesday over at My Little Drummer Boys and Faith Hope & a whole lotta love

Happy Birthday Mason

2010-12-11T23:28:00.000+11:00

My lovely nephew Mason turned 3 yesterday - a day of equal importance to his parents as it was for him.

I have mentioned my beautiful niece Isabelle many times before but for the benefit of any new readers of my blog she passed away after being involved in a low impact car accident more than four years ago - she was 3. The older sister Mason will never get to meet.

So now Noel and Danielle find themselves with a 3 year old again - such a big emotional milestone for them.

Mason was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and has already undergone several surgeries, with more to come in the future. If anyone has a reason to be shy and introverted it's him but he's such a bubbly, lively little boy who is a joy to be around - and he has the stamina of the energiser bunny! After all girls being born into our family Mason was the first boy, luckily for him he now has a brother, Oliver, as he would have been well and truly outnumbered as we currently have 9 girls to 2 boys - my bubba will be the final addition to the family and we still have another 3 weeks until he/she joins us!

We had a family dinner last night on Mason's actual birthday and today was his birthday party with his friends. I was quite excited about Mason's party as it was Annabelle's first birthday party where she could actually participate - she's only been to one other, her cousin Oliver's, and as she was only 10 months old at the time she slept through most of it!

A fun day was had by all!

A newborn Mason - pic borrowed from Danielle's Blog

With the cake that his clever Nanna made for him

Enjoying being sung to

Oliver & Madeleine watch as Mason blows out the candles

It's my party & I'll lick my cake if I want to!!

Maddy helping to look after her cousin Annabelle

I can't believe my baby is soon to be a big sister

The newest addition to our family, my niece Matilda

4:09

2010-12-10T04:49:00.002+11:00

So here I am at 4:09am wishing I was in bed asleep but knowing it's futile to even attempt it as it hasn't been very successful so far tonight, or should that be this morning!

As of today I have approximately 3 weeks left until our new baby is born and I have reached a point where getting comfortable in bed is difficult to do. Laying on my back is not recommended as the baby's weight applies pressure to the large vein that carries blood back to the heart from the feet and legs, and is uncomfortable anyway. When I lay on my left side, which is the recommended sleeping position during pregnancy as it supposedly improves circulation to the heart and allows for the best blood flow to the fetus, uterus, and kidneys my hands go numb and I wake up anyway! It's very difficult to sleep in one position all night, which partly explains why I am still awake at 4 in the morning!

My other reason for being awake is because Annabelle is also having a bad night and keeps waking up every 20 minutes or so and getting into bed only to have to get back up again not long afterwards is making me feel sick so I am fighting the stinging eyes and trying to do something productive instead.

I am wondering if Annabelle is about to cut another tooth as she always gets restless when she is teething and she doesn't have a temperature or runny nose so she doesn't appear to be sick in any way. I am thankful that she is easy to settle as a few soothing words and getting her to lay down again are all that are normally required, however two nights of doing this repeatedly is starting to take its toll on me!

Sadly, I think my lack of sleep is affecting me in other areas as I am feeling quite apathetic about Christmas - and it's normally my favourite time of year! I keep looking at the presents that are in the spare room and I think to myself 'I must get in there and wrap those' but so far it hasn't happened. I'm now at the point where I really need to wrap presents as some have to be posted to people and I'll be cutting it fine if I don't do it now.

I'm also feeling undecided about putting up a tree this year. Last year I was thrilled with my tree, it was covered in ornaments that I had brought back from my holidays overseas and I had about 5 different sets of lights on it - it looked fabulous! I normally put the tree up on 1 December but Annabelle is only 15 months and I haven't found a place to put it where she won't get to it and so instead I've done nothing.

I think it's time I got myself sorted as Christmas is coming whether I am ready or not and then straight after that our baby is going to join us - I need to stop ignoring both facts and get organised.

So now my plan for today is to wrap presents, put up Christmas decorations and wash newborn baby clothes in preparation of the new addition. I'm definitely going to do that today, but first I think I might go and have a nap!

It's Good to Be Home

2010-11-24T22:09:00.000+11:00

I am now 32 weeks along with this pregnancy and I have to say the last couple of weeks have proven to be exhausting. I remember being tired when I was pregnant with Annabelle but of course I didn't have another child at home to look after - plus I have been working 3 days a week and my commute is 4 hours each day.

By mid last week I was really starting to feel awful, and the fact that I've had a head cold for more than 3 weeks, with no sign of it budging, isn't helping. I woke up Friday and I couldn't put my finger on it but I just didn't feel 'right' so I rang and left a message with work to say I wouldn't be in.

Annabelle goes to day care on a Friday so I got her ready and waved her off and then it happened, a very strange sensation that started with my vision. All of a sudden I could see flashing lights, mostly pink and silver, in my right eye making it very difficult to see.

I googled 'blurred vision during pregnancy' and I came across several articles that said to seek medical attention as it was probably pre-eclampsia. I rang the birthing unit of my local hospital to get advice and I have to say I was disappointed in their attitude as they told me in no uncertain terms not to go there. I then rang my OBs office and the ladies there were fantastic and told me to come in immediately.

As I don't drive I decided to ring a taxi as my symptoms were worsening and by the time I got to the OBs office my right arm was numb and the right side of my face was paralysed, thankfully only temporarily. I suddenly realised it might have been more serious than I suspected when my Doctor mentioned the word stroke! Before I could blink I was on my way to hospital, yes, the same hospital that turned me away and the same hospital that is walking distance from my house!

Thankfully they took me into emergency fairly quickly and hooked me up to machines and started all sorts of tests... the hardest bit was answering their questions as I was having difficulty reading - everything looked like hieroglyphics - and forming proper sentences. It was a strange feeling knowing I wasn't saying the right thing but being unable to form the right word.

About 4 years ago I experienced two migraines quite close together that involved blurred spots in my vision and a tingle in my right arm but nothing as scary as this! Thankfully I could remember the name of the neurologist that treated me so the hospital was able to obtain my records from him and it saved me having to undergo specific tests again!

I spent just over 24 hours in the high dependency unit - my first ever night away from Annabelle so there were a few tears in the morning - and then I was transferred onto the ward sharing a room with 3 men all over the age of 70; now that was an experience!

After 3 days and a barrage of tests I was finally allowed to go home with the diagnosis of a Sporadic Hemiplegic Migraine! As you can imagine I was relieved that I hadn't had a major stroke but Hemiplegic Migraines come with their own issues as they are rare but severe, and can also lead to strokes - in fact sufferers are twice as likely to have a stroke as non migraine sufferers - and the more frequent the attack the more likely to cause brain damage .

While I am pregnant there isn't much they can do for me in the way of treatment but after this baby is born, which now looks like it might be brought forward, the Docs will sort out a treatment plan for me.

So for now I am resting up, I've had to finish up with work 4 weeks earlier than planned, and I am hoping that the weeks until our new family member joins us are uneventful.

One can always hope!

Wordless Wednesday - Just 'Cos

2010-11-24T09:24:00.001+11:00

More Aussie Wordless Wednesday and also over at My Little Drummer Boys

Wordless Wednesday - Annabelle's First Ever Swim!

2010-11-17T08:34:00.003+11:00

More Aussie Wordless Wednesday and also over at Faith Hope and a Whole Lotta love

Once More Unto the Breach

2010-11-12T11:24:00.001+11:00

When I was pregnant with Annabelle I developed high blood pressure, which meant a stay in hospital on bed rest and leaving work earlier than I'd hoped. It was good at the time but it actually meant I had less time at home with her after she was born as I had exhausted all my leave and had to return to work when she was only 6 months old, thankfully only part time.

This pregnancy has been completely different to Annabelle's, which is why I've been convinced from day one that I am having a boy. The morning sickness was far worse, and still pays me the occasional visit, the heartburn has kicked in a lot earlier (Gaviscon and Mylanta are my new best friends) and the exhaustion doesn't seem to want to leave me - regardless of how much sleep I have (the fact that we have a 14 month old probably has something to do with the last bit).

The upside to all this is that I've actually lost weight, 6 kilos to be exact. I'm not exactly sure where the loss has come from as it certainly hasn't left my butt - it's a shame we can't choose these things isn't it! I have to add that I haven't been trying to lose weight, however I'm putting it down to two bouts of gastro and horrendous morning sickness.

Of course the most important thing is the health of the baby, who is measuring correctly and appears healthy on all the scans. This time around I am hoping for a nice healthy sized baby as Annabelle was induced two weeks early and weighed 2700 grams (5.9 pounds). ). Even 0000 outfits were too big for her so I had to go and buy premmie clothes for her to wear, although technically she was considered full term. I have since been told that high blood pressure affects the placenta, which in turn affects the size of the baby!

So, despite the weight loss, tiredness and everything else I had been travelling along quite well and I’d been feeling pretty pleased with myself that my blood pressure had remained stable – until I reached my 29th week and then everything went pear shaped!

I’ve already had a trip to hospital to be monitored, poked, prodded and scanned and now I am the owner of my very own blood pressure machine as I have to take readings several times a day and then email them to my Obstetrician – what fun!

Although this bubba isn’t due until the 14th January I’ve been told I will probably have a December baby – please let bubba hang on until after 25th December! The realisation that I only have about 7 weeks to go is both exciting and a little scary as we’re neither mentally nor physically prepared.

I guess it’s time to stop procrastinating and start getting organised – looks like we’ll be buying a cot this weekend!

My Creative Space - 11.11.10

2010-11-11T10:29:00.002+11:00

This week I am taking part of My Creative Space so I thought it was a good time to point out that I have started a craft blog called Annabelle and Fred, which is charting my journey making handmade baby rattles, mobiles and soft toys - and where I have posted a picture for My Creative Space.

I am hoping to eventually have enough stock to take to a market - but with a 14 month old and another on the way my plans may be too ambitious - we'll just have to see what happens!

In the meantime you can pop over to The Homespun World of Annabelle and Fred, which is my business Facebook page, to see what I have completed so far!

Wordless Wednesday - Can anyone name these flowers?

2010-11-10T20:09:00.001+11:00

More Aussie Wordless Wednesday and here too!

Wordless Wednesday - Get out of my face!

2010-11-03T00:15:00.002+11:00

More Aussie Wordless Wednesday and here too!

Frittata Fingers

2010-11-02T22:20:00.000+11:00

I don't often post recipes but this one has been such a success with my 14 month old I thought I'd share it!

Frittata Fingers
Ingredients
1 medium zucchini grated (about half a cup)
1 medium carrot grated (about half a cup)
1 small tin creamed corn - 135g
1 small onion chopped finely
1-2 small broccoli florets finely chopped (just the tops, no stems)
4 eggs lightly whisked
grated cheese - 1/3 cup
1 Tablespoon sifted plain flour
2 teaspoons olive oil

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a square cake pan, ( I actually use a rectangular lamington pan as I prefer the frittata a bit thinner as it is easy for little fingers to hold).

Heat oil in a frypan over medium heat and add zucchini, carrot, broccoli and onions. Cook mixture for about 5 minutes until veggies are softer. remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl and add cheese, sifted flour and vegetable mix Stir until well combined.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until set. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before placing on a plate to cool completely

Cut into fingers.

I have previously substituted the creamed corn for shredded chicken - I used a small 85g tin, or sweet potato, both of which were successful (it just depends on what I have in the cupboard and fridge!)

I freeze the fingers in packets of two and they make good day care food as Annabelle will eat them cold and she can actually feed herself. If I serve them to her for dinner I heat them up and serve them with cheesy mashed potato and pumpkin.

The frittata can also become an adult dish with the addition of seasoning, parsley, garlic (which is cooked with the onion), omitting the brocolli and replacing the corn with some bacon.

Serve warm in squares with a lovely crisp green salad - and a glass of wine if you wish!

Wordless Wednesday - Lots of Bubbles

2010-10-27T07:16:00.001+11:00

More Aussie Wordless Wednesday

and here too!

What's In a Name

2010-10-21T20:57:00.007+11:00

Aaron and I have approximately 10 weeks to go until the new addition to the family arrives. That means there’s only 10 weeks left for us to come up with names that we both like.

Sounds easy doesn’t it.

It isn’t.

We’ve recently settled into a ritual, usually just before we go to sleep, where I run a bunch of names by him and he says no, no, no. Then he suggests a few back to me, usually something silly and to do with fishing like Snapper or Trout, at which point I say no and then I get told to be quiet and go to sleep.

Are you starting to get the picture?

These are just some of the names Aaron has said no to:

Girls Boys

Bethany William

Grace James

Sophie Liam

Amelia Connor

Heather Thomas

Fiona Duncan

Ava Lucas

Raewyn Mathew

Marae Buster

Elisabeth Angus

Stella Edward

Claire Harry

Olivia Joshua

Mackenzie Riley

Abbey Finley or Finn

Gabrielle Austin

Piper Bailey

I wouldn't mind all the 'no's' if I was given an alternative or even a short list of a few names but so far he hasn't come up with any girls names and the only boys name he likes is Freddie (or is it Freddy???)

Not Frederick, not Fred, just Freddie.

And he won't budge.

Of course he we made the mistake of telling people Freddie is on our shortlist of boys names and the usual response is: 'You're not serious are you?' or 'You can't do that to a child'.

And still he won't budge. In fact he's now referring to the bump as Freddie.

As for girls names we don't even have a shortlist. Nothing, Nada, none.... zip, zero, zilch!!!

Name suggestions please as I've run out of ideas???

Wordless Wednesday - Can I Have My Dummy Back Please

2010-10-20T20:17:00.000+11:00

More Aussie Wordless Wednesday

He Was Here; and He Was Loved

2010-10-14T21:22:00.001+11:00

Last Friday I attended the funeral of baby Stefan, the two-week old son of my friend Jane. In the past 4 years I have been to 3 children's funeral's, my niece Isabelle who died after a low-impact car accident, my cousin Natasha who had leukaemia and now Stefan, who suffered complications during his birth but eventually succumbed to pneumonia.

You never get used to seeing the small coffin.

Nobody enjoys funerals but when the person is older and has had the chance to live a good life their funeral, while sad, can also be a celebration of their life and the things they achieved. The same can't be said for a child.

Losing a child isn't just the loss of the physical form, it's the loss of the life you envisaged, all the things you planned/hoped to do together. Parents always wonder what their children will be like when they grow up, will they marry, have children, be studious or sporty... when you lose a child you also lose that dream.

It's an awful feeling looking into the face of a grief stricken parent knowing that nothing you say can bring them comfort - there are no magic words that can erase their pain.

My beautiful friend Jane somehow composed herself enough to read out the following poem, which she adapted for Stefan's funeral.

Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing

Now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips

Like a puff of summer wind

Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace,

Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon

In the instant we learn, that Stefan is gone we know nothing

No clocks can tell our time and no oceans can rush our tides

With the abrupt absence of our treasure

Though we are many, each of us is achingly alone

Piercingly alone

Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us

and we did have him

He came to us from the Creator, love from his parents in abundance

Despite the suffering of his life he was sheathed in parental love, and family love

We looked forward to his arrival with passion, compassion and humour

and never took him for granted

We had him

Whether we knew who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his

We had him

Beautiful, delighting our eyes

He suffered and he fought so very, very hard....

And he was stronger than anyone we’ve ever known

We were enchanted with him because he held nothing

He gave us all he had been given

Today we are missing our beautiful boy, Stefan Andreas Charles

But we do know that we had him

And we are the world.

Four years on and we are still grieving the loss of Isabelle so I know Jane and Colin have a long dark road ahead of them. There is a difference between moving on and moving forward and I hope Jane and Colin find the strength to move forward while always keeping Stefan in their hearts.

And I sincerely hope I never have to attend the funeral of another child.

Ever again

Wordless Wednesday - Nap Time

2010-10-13T07:14:00.002+11:00

More Aussie Wordless Wednesday

The Blue Mountains

2010-10-10T22:19:00.000+11:00

A few months ago I decided we needed a long weekend away, or a mini-break as I like to call it.

We'd had a few hectic months what with birthdays, Blessings and baby showers and seeing as we have another baby due at the end of the year we decided we should have a weekend away while we still can!

My sister in law Danielle was due to have her baby in mid-September so we booked our 4 day break for the first weekend in September, giving us plenty of time to be back in time for the birth (the due date was mid-September) - or so we thought!

Aaron and I were initially undecided as to where to spend the weekend and we were leaning towards a resort called Bannisters, which is down the coast, mostly because we discovered English chef Rick Stein has a restaurant there (thanks to pay-TV we have seen every episode of every series more than once).

In the end we decided to spend the weekend in the mountains rather than by the sea and so a booking at a gorgeous place called 'Secret Garden Cottage' was made.

Finally our weekend rolled around and our early morning departure was greeted with heavy rain, things were not looking good. My lovely Dad took us to the train station so we didn't get soaked and thankfully it was only sprinkling at the other end so we arrived at the cottage nice and dry.

Once we had a look around we understood why the cottage was called 'Secret Garden', there were so many nooks and crannies to investigate with seating areas and fish ponds nestled away amongst the greenery.

Aaron lit the fire, which Annabelle thought was fantastic, and we settled in for the night. The following morning we explored the Blue Mountains, despite the strong winds, and finished up at the Three Sisters - which was just as impressive as I remembered from my childhood.

Day 1 - we had rain.

Day 2 - we had gale force winds.

Day 3 - we had glorious sunshine but we didn't get much of a chance to enjoy it as we had to leave a day early as my sister in law had baby Matilda two weeks earlier than her due date!

On our first night Aaron lit a fire, which enthralled Annabelle

The stunning back garden

A beautiful spot to have breakfast

Annabelle & Daddy

Mummy, Annabelle & the Baby Bump

The stunning Blue Mountains

The Three Sisters

Afternoon tea at the Three Sisters

I loved the old fashioned high chair - it works better than our modern one!

Miss Annabelle enjoying the train ride home.

The reason for our early departure, the very gorgeous Matilda Louise

Wordless Wednesday - Oh When the Saints Go Marching In

2010-10-06T06:46:00.005+11:00

More Australian Wordless Wednesday here

(For those outside of New South Wales & Queensland our Rugby league team - St George Illawarra Dragons - won the Grand Final on Sunday for the first time in 31 years.)

Tagging Tuesday - Handmade by Haylz

2010-10-05T22:46:00.000+11:00

I ordered some things for Miss Matilda and Miss Annabelle from handmade by haylz which have now been shipped to me so here they are:

This is a gorgeous throw for Annabelle to have in her pram - I love the bird fabric.

This is a cuddle blanket for Matilda

This is Annabelle's cuddle blanket

Some very funky burp cloths for Matilda - much prettier than using cloth nappies!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T06:40:00.001+10:00

More Wordless Wednesday

Tagging Tuesday - Belle & Boo

2010-09-28T22:35:00.000+10:00

This week I am loving an English shop called Belle and Boo which has gorgeous retro style products.

I really love the style of the prints and could spend a fortune on buying them -

if I had a fortune to spend!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-22T00:16:00.002+10:00

More Aussie Wordless Wednesday

Tagging Tuesday

2010-09-21T23:59:00.001+10:00

It's that time of the week again and this week I'm loving these gorgeous hand made giraffe's! In fact, I've just ordered a pair for my lovely new niece Matilda as well as a pair for Annabelle.

5 Giraffes and a Cheeky Monkey

Aren't they gorgeous?

These are the fabrics for Annabelle's giraffes

This is one of Matilda's fabrics, I still have to choose another!

Seeing all these lovely hand made products has inspired me to get creative again so I have started work on my own little project... more information once it's all up and running!

Annabelle's Baby Blessing

2010-09-16T06:49:00.000+10:00

As promised I am going to post some long-overdue pictures from Annabelle's Baby Blessing at the Nan Tien Buddhist Temple in Berkeley.

Nan Tien, the name means "Paradise of the Southern Hemisphere', is dominated by a three tired Pagoda which contains three shrines lines with more than 10,000 Buddhas, magnificent gardens, meditation hall and a museum. I really love going to the temple as it has such a tranquil feel to it.

The Great Hero Wall - the 5 Buddhas mean Confidence, Longevity, Wisdom, Inner Beauty and Calmness.

]Prayer and Wishes for Baby Blessing ]

Oh, Great Compassionate Buddha!

Today we gathered before you for the Baby Blessing Ceremony.

We pray that under your compassionate guidance and protection,

May these children;

Be free from harm and enjoy a healthy body and mind;

Meet with favourable conditions so that they may grow up with stability and peace

Be intelligent and enjoy learning without difficulties;

Be blessed with good virtues and fortunes, and be loved by all.

Oh, Great Compassionate Buddha!

Please allow them to feel gratitude in their hearts

So that they may cherish the sacrifices others have made;

Allow them to be virtuous and be able to contribute and bring benefit to society;

May they nurture proper beliefs and hold correct views and thoughts.

We really liked the meaning behind the Baby Blessing, which is why we chose it over a more traditional Christening or Baptism, and I think the Prayer is really lovely.

Annabelle receiving her Blessing

All the babies who were Blessed with Annabelle

Annabelle's Certificate

with my Dad, Annabelle's Grandad

The gorgeous Blessing cake made by Annabelle's very talented day-care Mum!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T10:39:00.002+10:00

More pics here - Wordless Wednesday

Tagging Tuesday - handmade cards

2010-09-14T21:16:00.000+10:00

Lately I have come across lots of lovely handmade products - and I just love anything handmade - so I'm hoping to share some of my favourites with you of a Tuesday.

I'm kicking things off with a few cards that my lovely friend Amanda has made as I think her cards are just gorgeous! I know Amanda used to have a website to sell her cards but sadly people would rather pay $1 from the discount shop than pay for quality so I'm not sure whether she still her website up and running (if you do Amanda post the link in the comments section).

This lovely card was made for Annabelle's first birthday!

Aren't they all lovely? One of the best presents I have been given was a box of mixed cards that Amanda made for me that covered pretty much every occasion, birthday, thank you, wedding, new baby, mother, father and even Valentine's Day!

If you're struggling to come up with a present for that hard-to-buy-for person I can definitely recommend putting together a selction of cards for them to use, it's such a useful gift and even better if the cards are handmade.

Watch out world, here I come!

2010-09-13T20:34:00.000+10:00

In the last couple of days Annabelle has started pulling herself upright by clinging to the furniture. At this stage she's still weight-bearing on the tip of her toes so she still has some way to go but we're excited by her progress - especially as she's not crawling properly yet and is still 'commando' crawling!

I have a feeling she'll skip proper crawling and go straight for walking!

Be Careful I Bite!

2010-09-03T22:10:00.001+10:00

Two nights ago I was in a deep-sleep when I felt Aaron shaking me awake. Naturally I thought there was something wrong with Annabelle so I jumped out of bed to race into her bedroom only to be told 'you're snoring and it's keeping me awake'.

To most readers this may seem like a reasonable thing to do, however I have to admit I was more than a little miffed for several reasons.

1. I am tired. All the time. No really, all the time! I'm almost 6 months pregnant, I have a 1 year old daughter and I work 3 days a week - on work days I am away from home for 12 hours at a time - so there's not a lot of time for relaxing. I need uninterrupted sleep.

2. Aaron snores! That's right, Mr complainer himself is a snorer. Hello Pot, have you met Kettle?

3. I can't help it, it's pregnancy related:
As you enter your second trimester you may find yourself snoring for the first time in your life.
According to a sleep survey, about 30 per cent of mums-to-be start to snore during this time.
While you -- and your partner -- may be less than thrilled about this new development, take heart, because there's a good chance that you'll stop snoring after your baby is born. The cause of your midnight melodies is swollen nasal passages. During pregnancy, an increase in progesterone may cause the soft tissues of the nasal passages to swell and partially block the airways. Baby Centre

4. We're only just heading into my sixth month of pregnancy so I still have a long way to go - and pregnancy related snoring is coming along for the ride!

My advice to anyone dealing with a similar problem is to just let it go, pregnant women have enough to deal with without being harassed about their snoring. I can promise you this; if I feel that hand on my shoulder waking me up again because I'm snoring then he may just feel my teeth biting him in response!

After all, there's always the spare room!

Birthday cake

2010-08-31T22:57:00.001+10:00

Here's a couple of pics from Annabelle's actual birthday!

When Annabelle had her birthday party (two weeks before her actual birthday) there was so much cake left over I was able to freeze the toadstool to use again on her birthday - with the addition of some freshly baked cupcakes and decorations!

Daddy giving Annabelle her first taste of cupcake!

More please!

I was very excited about Annabelle's first birthday but it seemed to last a long time, mainly because we celebrated it early in conjunction with her Baby Blessing. In a matter of weeks we've had Annabelle's Blessing, Annabelle's two birthday celebrations, my birthday, my nieces birthday plus I threw a baby shower for my sister in law!!! I am hoping September is going to be much quieter!

Happy First Birthday Miss Annabelle

2010-08-26T11:12:00.002+10:00

This time last year I was in labour awaiting the birth of my much longed for first baby. I say I was in 'labour' but really there wasn't much work involved as I was given an epidural (I had hypertension so they wanted to keep my blood pressure down) so I didn't really feel any contractions or pain until it was time to push (I know, I shouldn't really admit that should I).

The whole experience was quite calm and peaceful - until the vacuum extraction which ruined the pain-free experience I'd had up to that point!!

Annabelle was born on 26 August 2009 at 5.32pm...

...and weighed 2710 grams (5.9 pounds)!

Happy First Birthday Miss Annabelle Suellen! What joy she brings to our lives.

Lots of lovely

2010-08-16T22:45:00.000+10:00

Once upon a time I used to be very crafty and my spare time was spent scrapbooking, card-making, cross stitching, knitting and even crocheting. All this of course was in the pre-Annabelle days as these days I barely have time for the basics, like housework!

While I don't have time at the moment for making things myself I still love anything handmade - anyone can walk into a shop and buy a card or present but to take the time to make it yourself, now that's special!

Here's a few lovely website's that I've come across lately:

Buttons by Lou Lou

icklekids - travel toys for baby

Flirty Bird

I think I might have to buy these as they're called 'Annabelle snap clips'

La di da Kids

Trifle

'B' for Belly

2010-08-13T23:33:00.000+10:00

When I was pregnant with Annabelle I was disappointed that I never got a lovely big baby belly, in fact I looked as though I had two bellies, an upper and a lower bisected by my waistline. Most people didn't even know I was pregnant, I just looked as though I'd been eating too much junk food (I hadn't been).

I vowed this time would be different.

Next Friday I will be half way through my pregnancy and sure enough the dreaded 'B' shaped belly is back! Side on there is a distinct indentation around the waistline leaving me looking lumpy not pregnant. I am so envious of my sister in law's gorgeous round 'D' shaped belly, but then with all of her pregnancies she's had a beautiful baby belly - I bet no one ever says to her 'you don't look pregnant' or 'are you sure you're eating enough'?

I look at the maternity clothes in the shops but I can't buy them as the stretchy tops just make me look porky, not really the look I was hoping for!

All I can hope for now is that as the uterus expands upwards the two bellies will morph into one lovely big round baby belly and people will stop looking at me in disbelief when I tell them I am pregnant.

There's always hope.

"The Cake"

2010-08-09T23:21:00.001+10:00

I have quite a few pictures to post from Annabelle's Baby Blessing /1st Birthday party but they won't be going up until I get copies from the relatives that took them!

I do however have a couple of pics of the cake, the one I obsessed over and spent a fortune on.

Here they are!

Toadstool Cake!

So was it over the top? Definitely.

Did it look fabulous? It did.

Does it taste good? It does.

Would I be this extravagant again? Absolutely!

Obsessed Much?

2010-07-30T23:00:00.001+10:00

Next month our little cherub will be turning one, a milestone that must be celebrated with a party, even if it's only a small one.

Neither Aaron nor I are particularly religious so instead of a Christening or Baptism we've opted for a Blessing at the Buddhist Temple nearby. I really love the meaning behind the Blessing; a wish that the child grows up to be a good person - you can't want more for your child than that!

The Blessing's are only held 3 times a year and luckily for us the next one is only a few weeks away from Annabelle's birthday so it's going to be a joint Blessing/1st Birthday party.

As Annabelle is my only child this is the first time I've had to plan a child's party, a scary new world of party favours, kids food and activities to plan.... my head is already reeling.

The one thing I have been sure of is the cake. Even though Annabelle won't be able to tell the difference between a mud cake and a lump of coal I have a very specific idea in my head of what I want. I never had any fancy cakes when I was growing up, and Annabelle probably won't have another party until she starts school so I don't mind being a little OTT for this birthday.

When I started looking at cakes they were mostly themes like Disney Princesses or Dora and I didn't want that as Annabelle has no idea who they are yet. One night while I was lying in bed thinking, which is where all my great ideas spring from, I decided I wanted a toadstool cake. Not just any toadstool cake, I specifically want a red and white toadstool that is made to look like a house.

The following day I searched the internet for a picture that I could take to the bakers with me but I didn't really come up with anything quite like I was picturing in my head. What I did discover is that there are quite a few pink or purple fairy toadstool cakes, although none of them actually resembled a proper toadstool!

Cake image from birthday cakes

Although this one is pretty the dimensions are all wrong.

The top of the toadstool should be much bigger than the bottom - and the shape is all wrong!

Anyone remember reading Noddy books as a kid?

This is the house of Big Ears and this is what I've had stuck in my head all these years.

This is the picture I took with me to the bakers - the colour is right and so is the shape,

it just needs doors and a window, or so I thought.

After thinking I'd found the perfect cake I was disappointed to discover that once it was made it would only cut about 15 pieces. Luckily the man who is going to decorate the cake, quite an excitable young man I must say, had some good ideas of his own and it didn't take long for him to start sketching them for me.

What I've ended up with, I think, is a grassy hill with a stream running through it and a toadstool house sitting on top. I have asked for it to look 'enchanted' so hopefully it will have butterflies, flowers and ladybirds on it. We pick up the cake next Friday, lets hope it lives up to my (obviously very high) expectations!!

Meet the Watsons

2010-07-28T22:34:00.000+10:00

Last weekend Aaron and I took Annabelle up the coast to meet family members on Aaron's side of the family, particularly his Gran who isn't well.

One bus and two trains later and we had arrived!

Annabelle, Gran and Siara

Annabelle, cousin Beau and cousin Siara

Aaron's brother Caleb

Aaron's cousin Selina and her daughter Siara

Borrowing Siara's swing - we know what to buy Annabelle for her birthday!

Oompa (Aaron's Dad), Annabelle & Gran

Gran cutting her birthday cake - she's now 85!

Exciting News

2010-07-07T22:59:00.000+10:00

Aaron and I are very excited that there will be another little soul joining our family, the expected due date is 14th January 2011.

Due to my age I have been worried about the risk of there being an abnormality with the baby so we decided not to tell anyone I was pregnant until we'd had our scan at 12 weeks - a great idea in theory but my horrific morning sickness was a give-away to a lot of my workmates.

I've been following the guidelines regarding what to eat when you're pregnant, which means I have given up a lot of my favourite foods like smoked salmon, brie cheese, pre-prepared salads, shellfish and alcohol just to name a few! So it's typical of my luck that I (and Aaron) end up with a nasty - and I mean nasty - case of food poisoning the day before I was due to have my scan.

I really didn't want to reschedule the scan so went along anyway and figured if I was sick in the waiting room I could pass it off as morning sickness - thankfully I made it there and back without embarassing myself.

The good news is the scan went well, as much as they can tell at this point anyway, so I feel like I can finally exhale the breath that I seem to have been holding for weeks now and start to enjoy the pregnancy.

Side view of bubba

Bubba kicking up its heels

I can't see it but apparently this is bubba's face...

Looks like Bubba has the same long legs Annabelle has!

10 Months

2010-06-28T23:50:00.000+10:00

When we went to the Celtic festival I entered one of those guess-how-many-jelly-beans-are-in-the-jar competitions and was surprised to receive a calla few days later telling me I had won a free photo shoot for Annabelle. Here are a couple of my favourite photos from that day.

I love that her two bottom teeth are showing in this photo.

...

Sideways looking at her Mummy.

My cheeky girl

Ollie's birthday

2010-06-12T17:40:00.003+10:00

I went to add a new post to my blog and discovered I still had 2 unpublished posts in draft mode! Spare time seems to be pretty scarce these days, especially when I spend 3 days a week commuting to and from work. It's dark when I leave the house at 6.30am and dark when I get in at 7pm, not to mention how awful it is to be away from Annabelle for such long periods of time.

Anyway, the first unpublished post I have is from my nephew Oliver's 1st birthday, which was at a park with little trains, which the kids loved riding (over and over again). Ollie is just adorable, such a cuddly loveable little fella who just oozes sweetness and it was nice to celebrate the day with him.

Mason, Danielle, Madeleine and Oliver

Ollie's cake was made by his clever Nanna

The kids (and some big-kids) loved riding the trains!

Mason loves Annabelle and he spent ages telling her how cute she was -

at one point he even asked Danielle if they could take her home with them!

The Celtic Festival

2010-05-26T16:10:00.000+10:00

During the week I saw an ad on TV for a Celtic Festival in the township of Berry and decided it would make a good family outing. Berry is a lovely country town about an hour away from where we live so we decided to make a day of it.

Annabelle loved the train trip and spent most of the time looking out of the windows; somehow she missed all the cows but she thought the trees were pretty special!

We watched a lot of the traditional Celtic entertainment:- Irish Dancers, Caber Tossing and Lifting of the Stones - but when the fairground was at its noisiest, with the sounds of the pipe band, that's when Annabelle decided to have a snooze. No amount of bagpipes were going to wake her up!

After buying some Celtic jewellery and sampling the lovely Celtic food (Irish soda bread and Cornish pasties were my favourites) it was time time head back to the train station.

A good day out!

One of the many pipe bands

It may have been sunny but there was still a chill in the air!

Too Blessed To Be Stressed

2010-05-14T20:20:00.000+10:00

It feels like forever since I've had time for myself - what spare time I have is usually spent either washing clothes or folding them and putting them away!

The last week has been a tough one for us as Annabelle has been ill. I was at work last Friday when I received a call from her daycare mum asking me to come home and collect her - I commute to work, which normally takes 2 hours each way, but of course last week track work was being done on my line so it took even longer to get home.

Initially Annabelle seemed quite cheerful, despite having gastroenteritis, but as the days wore on her temperament worsened and the last two days have been filled with lots of sad moments. I seem to spend a lot of time questioning why Annabelle is crying; does she have a headache? Is it a pain in her tummy....? It's so hard when she can't tell me what's wrong and sometimes cuddles from Mummy make no difference at all.

In the middle of this was Mother's Day - my first ever! I wish I had photos but when I got my camera out the battery was flat. Still, the fact that I'm actually able to celebrate Mother's Day as a Mother is something that I am thankful for every day, I'm still amazed to have Annabelle as my daughter.

On Tuesday I took Annabelle to the Doctors as I was worried that she was dehydrating but I was more concerned that she wasn't improving as she's such a wee thing and can't afford to lose any weight. The Doctor told me to feed Annabelle nothing but diltuted sweetened condensed milk for at least 24 hours, after which her stomach should improve enough for her to start on bland solids.

I'm not saying the Doctor doesn't know what he's talking about but if anything the condensed milk made Annabelle worse as she started vomitting after each bottle so on the advice of the local pharmacist I put her back on her formula and finally today she seems to be improving.

I'm hoping for a weekend with a few less nappy changes, less nappy rash, a lot more smiles and a stretch of sleep that is longer than 4 hours! Perhaps I'm asking for too much.

13th April 2010

2010-04-28T16:03:00.001+10:00

April 13 is always a day of mixed emotions for me.

April 13 is the day my beautful 3-year old niece Isabelle was taken from us in a car accident.

This year marks 4 years since Isabelle left us; she's now been gone longer than she was here.

The anniversaries don't get any easier.

April 13 is a not just a sad day, it's also a day to celebrate that Isabelle was once here

and how lucky we are to have known her at all.

Noel and Danielle always 'do' something as a family on April 13, usually an outing chosen by Madeleine, which is far better than staying at home dwelling on what's happened.

This year we went to the Nan Tien Temple.

Maddy and Belle

The Bell of Gratitude

Maddy ringing the bell

The view from the bell; I pushed Annabelle up to the bell in her stroller!

The Pagoda

Maddy

I love Maddy & Annabelle in this pic!

Maddy, Annabelle and Georgia

Me and Annabelle

My gorgeous girl!

Annabelle's First Easter

2010-04-04T10:45:00.000+10:00

Happy Easter Everyone!

Je Suis Un Rock Star

2010-03-15T23:28:00.001+11:00

We were incredibly spoilt when Annabelle was born as people were very generous with the gifts they gave us. I've loved the outfits that were sent to me from friends overseas as they're different to what we have in the shops here but my very favourite thing of all is a mini Duran Duran t-shirt!

Anyone that really knows me will know that I have been a Duranie since back in the 80s, this blog is even named after a Duran song, so you can imagine how eager I have been for Annabelle to wear the shirt.

Today it finally fit!

My little rock chick!

Breaking out some dance moves!

Air guitar!

Roll Baby Roll

2010-03-05T21:46:00.000+11:00

The week my baby reached the 6 month milestone was the week I had to return to work, thankfully only part time.

The first morning I had to leave Annabelle with a carer was incredibly difficult for me. I restrained myself as much as I possibly could but I still had to make a few phone calls throughout the day just to make sure she was okay, which of course she was.

A few weeks on and it's still heartbreaking having to go to work but we're starting to get into a routine.

I've been worried about missing out on Annabelle's 'firsts' (first word, first time she crawls etc) while I'm at work only to discover I can miss them when I'm at home too!! I was in the kitchen making Annabelle's lunch when I heard her making a funny noise, when I walked back into the room I realised she had rolled over for the first time and we had missed it - although she was stuck laying on her arm so at least we didn't miss it completely!

Belle's Legacy

2010-03-01T19:45:00.001+11:00

SHE looked perfect, sitting in her booster seat in the back of the family car, seemingly just a bit startled after a minor traffic accident that broke only a headlight.

But within minutes Isabelle Broadhead was bleeding to death - a tiny life lost due a fatal flaw in the laws covering child restraints.

Now, thanks to devastated parents Noel and Danielle asking how it was that Isabelle could die in what in April 2006 was a legal booster seat, no other NSW child should suffer the same fate after such a minor incident.

Isabelle's legacy is new state laws demanding that from March children aged up to fours years must be in a child restraint, not a booster seat with an adult seatbelt. The laws also state a booster seat must be used for children aged up to seven years.

"It started a few months after Isabelle died," Mr Broadhead said.
"My wife Danielle started to ask questions about why did Isabelle die, why didn't she walk away like she did and Madeleine, Isabelle's older sister, did from such a minor accident.
"Isabelle was sitting in an approved seat, appropriate according to the standards, appropriate for her age and her height and weight."

Their daughter's liver had been compressed into her spine, almost severing it, but it was baffling just how she could suffer such deadly injuries.

"Why did she die I think is a reasonable sort of question but people didn't really have any answers," Mr Broadhead said.

"Danielle jumped on the internet and found evidence of research in the years before the accident that said for children who went from a child restraint seat that had the built-in harness to a booster seat, that if they do it too early then it radically increases the likelihood they'll be severely injured or killed in a crash.

"And yet the law said it was fine. The law actually said it was legal to put a 12-month-old baby in an adult seatbelt. Actually until the first of March that's the law still."

Mrs Broadhead had been taking Isabelle to preschool and Madeleine, now 11, to school when a truck forced her to veer off the road at Mt Kembla, south of Sydney.

After hitting a tree at just 40km/h, Mrs Broadhead turned immediately to check on her children.
They appeared to be fine. The car itself only had a broken headlight and some minor crumpling of the bonnet.

"She got Madeleine out of the car and when she released Isabelle's seatbelt, Isabelle slumped forward," Mr Broadhead said.

"Until that point she didn't realise there was anything wrong. Obviously the blood had already stopped going to her brain and she blacked out."

Despite support for the campaign, Mr Broadhead has a message for the few parents who complained of the cost of keeping kids in restraints and booster seats for longer.
"Isabelle had three older sisters," he said. "One of the hardest things I have ever done was to tell the girls their sister died.

"And I had to tell all three separately . . . I had to do it three times. I would ask them to consider just for a moment, to think what it would be like to do that."

From: The Daily Telegraph
February 13, 2010 12:00AM

A big 'well done' to Noel and Danielle as the new laws take effect today. I don't think many people understand what a fight it has been, and what an achievement it is, for two ordinary people to have our laws changed. Along the way there have been a lot of people who have complained about the cost of replacing their existing child restraints - something I can't understand as you can't put a price on your child's safety.

However, as wonderful as these changes are they don't bring Isabelle back...

This old heart of mine

2010-02-19T11:27:00.001+11:00

You know you're getting older when you start saying things you remember hearing your parents say, such as 'they don't make them like they used to'. It's true that these days DVD players, TVs and even kids toys are cheaper to replace than to have them fixed if they break- products are no longer made to last.

My Mother gave away most of my toys years ago so the only things I really have from my childhood are my cot blanket, which I used when I brought Annabelle home from the hospital, a shawl and this little musical heart - which is now 40 years old and like its owner is a little worse-for-wear on the outside but in perfect working order.

Annabelle recently had her needles for her 6-month immunisation and she was a little grumpy afterwards and hard to settle so I decided to see if a bit of music would do the trick - it did. It may have lost its original ribbon, and for many years the sides have been held together with masking tape, but the music played exactly as I remembered it from my childhood.

It's now part of our bedtime routine to have the music play for Annabelle after we put her in her cot as she seems to find it relaxing and is normally asleep within minutes.

It may be old but my little musical heart was definitely made to last!

My Little Calendar Girl

2010-02-18T17:22:00.001+11:00

Just before Christmas I noticed a sign at my local shopping centre stating that a photography company was taking children's portrait photographs for only $1 - of course I couldn't resist. I dressed Annabelle in a pretty yellow dress and took her to be photographed.

The catch, because there always is one, is that they took lots of photos and when I went to collect my $1 photo I had to look through the complete 'package' first - and who can say no to photos of their child looking so pretty! I won't even mention how much it cost to buy the whole package, which they let me pay in instalments, but here are some of my favourites.

Annabelle had started smiling only a couple of days before these photos were

taken so I was very happy with the pictures that captured her smiling.

My favourite! So serene.

The obligatory Christmas photo!

Home Grown

2010-01-27T22:33:00.000+11:00

When we first bought this house one of the first things I said I wanted was a raised veggie garden. I still don't have my proper garden but I have started planted veggies anyway!

The gardening in our house goes something like this:

I buy the plants and tell Aaron where I want them in the garden.

Aaron plants them.

I water the plants and do the weeding.

Once something grows or blooms Aaron takes the credit because he 'planted' it!

I'm still hoping to get my raised garden because I'd love to plant a bigger variety of vegetables - I obviously haven't nagged him enough yet but I'm working on it. So far we've harvested home grown broad beans, tomatoes, limes, strawberries, corn and the capsicum are almost fully grown! We did plant pumpkin but the snails ate all the seedlings before they had a chance to grow. We also use a lot of home grown herbs (which I actually did plant myself) like thyme, chives, parsley, basil, rosemary and mint and it's really handy being able to snip off some fresh herbs when you're cooking.

Seeing as we don't spray or even use snail bait - in case Sandy eats it by mistake - I think we're doing really well.

All I need to do now is work out what to plant next!

broad beans

Roma tomatoes

grosse lisse tomatoes

corn

They really do taste yummy!

Counting Our Blessings

2010-01-17T08:26:00.004+11:00

Aaron and I are feeling a little blue today as we've had a rough couple of days.

Before Christmas we found out that I was expecting our second child, due in August on my birthday. It took a few days to sink in as we weren't expecting it to happen so quickly, especially as Annabelle would have turned one just after the new baby was born.

Although most people normally wait until the end of the first trimester before telling anyone about a pregnancy Aaron was so excited he told his Dad and brothers (without me knowing). Suddenly I started receiving emails from his extended family congratulating me - so he then confessed he had let 'just a few people' know the news.

Seeing as my parents live in the same suburb as Aaron's father I decided I'd have to tell them our news in case they heard it from someone else, which wouldn't have gone down very well!

Things had been progressing well, the morning sickness was bearable - and mostly in the evening when it didn't matter so much, and my obstetrician had shown me the foetal heartbeat via ultrasound when I was 6 weeks pregnant. Our next step was the 12 weeks scan and the end of the first trimester - just 3 short weeks away.

I woke up early Friday morning, around 3am, with a strange feeling in my tummy - not pain or cramps just an odd feeling - so I went to the medical centre later that morning.

My usual Doctor wasn't there that day but the receptionist wanted me to see someone straight away so she booked me in to see someone else - Doctor Obiwanor. As a Star wars fan I was amused by his name and wondered if anyone ever called him Obi Wan Kenobi, that is until I saw him and realised he was more Darth Vader than Obi Wan Kenobi!

Doctor Obi Wan was really good and spent a lot of time getting background information before sending me off for an urgent ultrasound, which is when I got the bad news that the baby had not survived beyond the six week mark. Blood tests were ordered and I was meant to be returning to the Doctors on Saturday to get the report from the ultrasound, the blood test results and to find out what the next step would be.

Early that evening I went to watch some friends at roller Derby training, which was great fun and I'm looking forward to watching them in competition. As we were leaving I realised there was a problem... no need for details but my friend Kelly (still in her training gear, minus the skates of course) drove me to the emergency department of our local hospital.

When I realised the nurse and the Doctor looking after me were both men I thought I was having more bad luck but they were both brilliant, particularly the nurse, and they really did their best to treat me as quickly as they could while remaining sympathetic to the situation I was in.

By 1am I was back home with Aaron and Annabelle, which is when it really sunk in that we'd lost the baby.

Yesterday morning I had a follow up appointment at the hospital and another ultrasound, which showed there is no need for any follow up procedures - thank goodness!

Initially I was a bit upset at Aaron for telling people about the baby prior to the end of the first trimester - because now we have to tell everyone we've lost it - but he says that even if no one knew about the baby he would have told them after I'd been to hospital anyway. Fair point I guess....

For the time being we're focussing on the good things we have in our life, especially Annabelle, and we'll probably reassess things in a few months.

Annabelle loves her musical play gym

Christmas Treats

2010-01-08T20:15:00.004+11:00

I had forgotten that I was going to post some of the Christmas recipes that I used this year until I had an email asking where they were! Having a four month old means I don't have the free time I used to, but I get around to things eventually!

White Chocolate & Cranberry Pudding
375g white chocolate melts
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
275g jar whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup milk
3 x 170g packets dried cranberries (craisins)

1. Brush a 6-cup pudding basin with melted butter, refrigerate for 5 minutes, then rebrush with more butter. Line base of basin with baking paper. Put half the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and position over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Set aside. Coarsely chop remaining chocolate.

2. Using an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate. Add cranberry sauce and stir until combined. Sift flours over mixture, add milk, dried cranberries and well chopped chocolate. Stir until well combined. Spoon mixture into prepared basin and smooth top with the back of a wet spoon.

3. Cut a round of baking paper to cover top of pudding and lay it over mixture. Cut a large sheet of baking paper and a large sheet of foil. Lay foil on top of paper and makea pleat in the centre. Put paper ide down on top of pudding, then tie around rim of basin with string to secure. Make a strong loop that runs from one side of the basin to the other, to help ease basin in and out of pan.

4. Put a trivet or upturned saucer in a large heavy based pan and stand basin on top. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up side of basin. Cover pan with a tight-fitting lid, bring to the boil and cook for 3-31/2 hours, replenishing with boiling water as pudding cooks. Remove pudding and stand for 30 minutes before turning out, or leave to coll completely before storing.

I served the pudding with brandy custard and it was a lovely alternative to plum pudding.

Mixed Pea & Bean Salad
3 cups fresh peas
300g sugar snap peas, halved
200g butter beans, trimmed
50g packet broad beans, defrosted & peeled
4 shallots, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
250g feta, crumbled
1 cup mint leaves

1. Cook peas, sugar snap peas and butter beans in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Add broad beans and cook for a further 1 minute or until bright green and tender crisp. Refresh under cold running water. Drain well.

2. Combine shallots, lemon juice and oil in a small bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over pea mixture; gently toss.

3. Add the feta and mint and gently toss to combine. Spoon into a serving bowl and serve immediately.

I made this to accompany the prawns and ham that we had on Christmas day and it was a lovely summer salad that wasn't too heavy. The recipe serves 12 so I reduced the quantity by half, except for the dressing, as I knew we wouldn't need that much.

I may post a few more later on - depending on whether I have the time!

Annabelle's first Christmas!

2009-12-27T17:19:00.006+11:00

We had a lovely first Christmas with Annabelle, which was shared with members of my family. This year Christmas lunch was held at my place but I was fortunate that everyone chipped in and brought along at least one meal so the workload was shared by everyone. I do have a few new recipes that I tried this year which were quite successful so I'll post them later.

The weather was cooler than the previous days had been although we still needed the air conditioning on to keep us cool!

Annabelle was very spoilt by family and friends, including special friends overseas, so we're glad we resisted the urge to go crazy and only bought her one big present and three little ones.

Daddy bought Annabelle Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls

Annabelle's presents!

Annabelle's present from Mummy and Daddy!

Our pretty girl!

I hope everyone had a Christmas as lovely as ours was.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-22T20:00:00.005+11:00

Our first ever Santa photo! We couldn't get a smile out of her but at least there were no tears!

I can't believe Annabelle is four months already! Soon I'll have to start thinking about returning to work and I hate the idea of leaving her - even part time! For now I'm just enjoying watching her develop, from her first smile to baby-talk, it's all wonderful.

Cicada Season

2009-12-04T08:39:00.000+11:00

The drone of cicadas is one of our most recognisable sounds of summer as they are the loudest insect in the world. We've noticed that the backyard is full of their discarded skins - they're stuck to all our trees, some plants, even one of the garbage bins! Everyday we wake to find more of them.

My mother tells me that when I was a child I used to collect them and at one stage I had a suitcase full so they obviously didn't scare me! Nowadays I find the adult cicada much more attractive, especially when they're fresh out of their skin and their vein-filled translucent wings are shimmering.

So far we've only seen one adult but it's early days yet - and we can certainly hear them at dusk so I'm sure we'll be seeing more over the coming weeks.

Boys and their toys!

2009-12-03T10:05:00.001+11:00

We had a tree in our backyard that was slowly dying so we decided the best option was to remove it now and replace it with something else.

I asked Aaron to leave part of the stump rather than grind it out so that I could put either a bird bath or a bird feeder on top - an easy request I'd have thought seeing as he is a tree lopper.

A few seconds after this photo was taken I walked away as I heard Annabelle crying through the baby monitor. After I'd finished feeding the baby I came back to find this:

Apparently it's a 'sculpture', which is funny as I'm sure all I asked for was a level stump to put something on top of! Once Aaron got the chain saw in his hands he couldn't stop himself and now I have this ugly lump of wood in my back garden... all it needs is a figurine to finish it off!

You can't get much cheesier than a garden gnome - and this one is holding a chain saw! I wonder what Aaron will say when he gets home from work and discovers it!

12 weeks today!

2009-11-18T17:35:00.008+11:00

At exactly this time 12 weeks ago our lovely Annabelle was born! I can't believe how quickly the time has passed.

Annabelle has just started to give us real smiles, which is lovely, particularly at 4am in the morning when she is awake for a feed and she looks up at me from her cot and smiles - it makes getting out of bed a little bit easier!

Blessing Oliver

2009-11-07T23:59:00.000+11:00

Today was my nephew Oliver's Blessing at the Nan Tien Temple. Last year Mason had his blessing at the temple so I was really looking forward to going there again.

The weather this week has been cold and wet but when I woke up this morning

the rain had gone and we ended up with a beautiful sunny day!

Maddy, Mason, Danielle, Oliver & Noel

Maddy & I in pink!

I really like the philosophy behind the blessing, despite the fact that we're not Buddhists, which is a wish for the child to grow up to be a good person. Aaron and I are thinking of having Annabelle blessed next year.

All the babies who were blessed today

Aaron, Annabelle & myself

3 Generations; my Mum, myself & Annabelle

with my Dad & his wife

Annabelle looking very cute!

After the blessing we went to a friend of Noel & Danielle's

for afternoon tea and a swim in their pool for the children.

Luckily it was a hot day as they'd have been disappointed if it had been too cold to swim.

The speech

The cake that Maddy decorated (with a little help)

An outfit change when it got cooler

The Isabelle Regulation

2009-11-04T22:42:00.000+11:00

Today, the NSW government announced new safety rules - dubbed Isabelle's regulations - that mean children aged up to seven will have to be strapped into car restraints.

Child seatbelt laws overhauled in NSW

BY BRETT COX AND MEGAN LEVY

4/11/2009 2:56:00 PM

Child seatbelt laws in NSW are set to be overhauled from early next year in a bid to reduce the number of children injured and killed on the state's roads.

As revealed in the Mercury today, State Cabinet has approved new vehicle restraint laws affecting children up to the age of seven.

At present, only children up to 12 months old must be restrained in an approved seat in NSW.

But NSW Premier Nathan Rees and NSW Transport Minister David Campbell today revealed that, from March, children between six months and four years will have to be secured in a rear-or forward-facing restraint.

Those aged four to seven will have to sit in a forward-facing child restraint.

Other changes include:

Children younger than four years cannot travel in the front seat of a vehicle with two or more rows

Children between the ages of four and seven cannot travel in the front seat of a vehicle with two or more rows, unless all other back seats are occupied by children younger than seven years in a child restraint or booster seat.

NSW Premier Nathan Rees said the changes were about saving children's lives.

"We can always do more to reduce the road toll, to reduce the tragedy and the impact on loved ones that comes from those deaths on the roads," Mr Rees said.

Under the national guidelines, a rear-facing capsule is required for babies aged up to at least six months, a child restraint seat with an inbuilt harness for those between six months and up to at least four years of age, and a booster seat for children aged between four and seven.

It is understood there will be a period of grace until fines for non-compliance are imposed and a minimum age may be set for children sitting in the front seat.

Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria have already said they will apply the national standards.

In March 2008 then Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal indicated he would toughen laws in NSW, but neither he nor subsequent minister Michael Daley succeeded in doing so.

In Australia, 500 children up to the age of 10 are killed or seriously injured every year in car accidents, with 2300 sustaining minor injuries.

Some medical studies have suggested the premature graduation of children into adult seat belts increases the risk of injury or death in an accident.

Mt St Thomas parents Noel and Danielle Broadhead, whose three-year-old daughter Isabelle died due to seatbelt injuries sustained in a low-speed car accident in 2006 at Mt Kembla, have been prominent campaigners for the law changes.

They were unhappy with the State Government's progress.

But when contacted by the Mercury yesterday, Mr Broadhead praised the swift action of Mr Campbell, Minister for the Illawarra and Minister for Transport, who took added responsibility for roads in September.

Mr Broadhead believes Isabelle would have survived the accident had she been in a seat with an inbuilt harness.

"In all likelihood she would not have suffered such serious injury because the force would have been spread across the seat," he said.

"She probably would have walked away like her sister."

Mr Broadhead said he and his wife, Danielle, had pushed for new state legislation to honour their daughter's memory.

Seats can be bought for about $90, which Mr Broadhead said was a small price for saving a life.

"We don't want to be the parents who find out someone else has died for the same reason as Isabelle," Mr Broadhead said.

"We know how it feels and we wouldn't want anybody else to feel it."

Illawarra Mercury

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T00:29:00.001+11:00

This afternoon Annabelle went to her first Halloween party!! Wearing orange and black was as close as I got to dressing up but Annabelle was dressed as a butterfly fairy (thanks to her Aunty Danielle)!

Halloween isn't traditionally celebrated in Australia but over the past few years it has started to become more popular so Danielle thought Madeleine would enjoy having a party - it's better than knocking on strangers doors as you're guaranteed to take home a bag full of lollies!

Of course at a Halloween party you have to play games like wrap the Mummy, apple bobbing, egg toss (one of the eggs was not boiled first) and a gooey game where you stick your hand in a bowl of spaghetti and pull out spiders and other creepy crawlies!

Mason had a ball running around amongst all those girls, about 18 of them, and they were all really good with him and let him stick around.

Over the last few days I have noticed Annabelle has started to settle more during the day and she doesn't seem to be suffering from colic as much as she was a few weeks ago, which is fantastic but it also means she slept through most of the party!

borrowing Oliver's pumpkin-head!

Oliver looking as cute as ever!

My first attempt at putting the wings and antennae on Annabelle

My butterfly fairy; munching on her fairy wand!

Mr Mum

2009-10-21T01:00:00.002+11:00

I was recently out of action for a few days, due to a stomach bug, so Aaron was left with the job of looking after Annabelle.

As lovely as our girl is she doesn't sleep very much due to a combination of colic and reflux - and she spends a lot of the day crying. The paediatrician has just put Annabelle on medication for the reflux and the colic should pass within the next few months so I know there is light at the end of the tunnel.

For Aaron it was baptism of fire as he's never had to do a night feed before - and Annabelle is on a 3-hourly cycle - and he'd only ever changed one or two nappies! There were several times that Aaron brought Annabelle in to me complaining that he couldn't get her to sleep or that she wouldn't stop crying (and he was so tired).

At one point I heard the volume of the TV getting louder and louder and I realised Aaron was turning it up as he couldn't hear his fishing show over the sound of the baby. There were times that I really wanted to take Annabelle off him, just to give her a cuddle or try and comfort her, but I didn't want her to get my bug as she's so tiny she would have ended up in hospital.

Despite being exhausted after his 2 days of being Mr Mum he actually looked forward to returning to work, he said manual labour was easier than looking after a baby.

I have to say it was really difficult to stay away from my own baby, especially when she was in the same house as me but Aaron did a pretty good job - he even changed all the dirty nappies without complaining!