The diary of four little people and their crazy mum!

2011-03-22T17:16:00.000+10:30

2011-03-22T17:13:00.000+10:30

Thought I should update this old blog.....

2011-03-22T16:49:00.003+10:30

I had a chat to a lovely mum at school today and she mentioned that she found this blog, which is nice. My last update was over two years ago and a lot has happened since then, so I thought I should come in and give a very quick update.

I used to blog often when I was home with the girls, but these days there is no time. Perhaps one day I will have time again.

Maisie started school this year and the twins are now in year three. Poppy is in childcare and will start school in 2013. I started a new job last year which is perfect for me. It is a position in an area which is of much interest to me and I feel lucky because it is hard to get such a position with part time hours. My boss, a mother of five, understands the demands of family and work, so is very understanding.

I am now studying law and hope to finish in the coming years. I was enjoying history and politics, but decided to challenge myself further and have a go at legal studies. Thankfully all of my previous units court towards my LLB as open electives. Things are quite hectic at the moment but I love it and would not change a thing.

Happy New Year...

2009-01-11T18:41:00.002+10:30

As I sit here and reflect on the last few weeks, I realise how special and nice my time away was.....

A happy belated new year to anyone reading. We had a pretty quiet NYE in Tamworth, which was really nice. We went for a drive at about 1030pm to see if there was any action on the main street, we were disappointed to find the place dead :( Actually I lie..I was somewhat relived as I feared we would be mugged cruising in my husbands brother Tim's 4WD BMW hehe...Tamworth is a nice town and I enjoyed my time there, we had some really nice dinners out on MIL balcony overlooking the town. I probably had one too many wines some nights, but and managed to write a reasonable essay during the stay. MIL was really great and SFIL is just gorgeous.

We left the twins there and headed to the coast north of Sydney to leave the two little girls with my parents. We jumped on a train and headed to Sydney for our 5 day stay with no kids! The train trip was wonderful and relaxing, I think as soon as we arrived we both had a long sleep...We didn't stay in Double Bay as we had planned as a place came up in the city for $79 per night, with pool, spa, gym etc. The location was superb and the views from our place on the 47th floor were spectacular. We spent the 2nd day at the cricket, my husband has membership so we had very good seats. I was one of the very few women there that day and enjoyed it very much. I had some very interesting young lawyers sitting next to me and I had some funny conversations with them as one of them had a wife just about due to give birth. The general vibe that day was really amazing! We went out for Thai that night and crashed....The following day I spent locked in my room finishing the essay that was due the following morning! To reward myself we went down to Newtown and met some friends at The Bank Hotel and had Thai again, the restaurant was amazing and the food was to die for. I highly recommend it to anyone in the area or who may be visiting.

The next day I met up with a couple of different friends in Newtown and made a visit down to the Rocks to pop into my favourite bookshop and the bakery on the main street. I really enjoyed this day because it gave me that mental break I have been craving for such a long time. The following day I went to the cricket again because a good friend and her partner met us there. It was a nice day, the afternoon session was spent in a bar at the back of the members stand with my girlfriend while the boys watched the cricket LOL.

The time away was great. I did most of the things I wanted to do, I got to shop, drink, swim, meet friends and relax....what more could you want!

I will sign off with a pic I took of Poppy earlier. She is going through a gorgeous phase of bringing things from around the house for me to put on her. Her favourite thing to do right now is wear the girls play aprons and random bibs. The one she brought in here tonight makes me wonder if she can actually read LOL...she has been keeping us up in the early hours of the morning as she is getting all her teeth at once and she has a little cold. My mum actually co-slept with her a few times while she stayed with them rofl....Anyway look closely at the bib, it's hilarious :)

OMG!!!!

2008-12-21T16:25:00.007+10:30

I had a discussion with my friend today about the use of 'OMG' when chatting online or using forums. I must admit I do use it a lot, it's a good way to express my feelings, when I cannot be physically seen. I do not actually say 'Oh my God' out loud when talking in real life...well maybe I do sometimes hehe...but not to the extent that I do in the online. So after having this discussion and a few chuckles I went out for a shopping trip. I actually had a few OMG moments and believe me, I was saying 'Oh my God' in my head many times. I decided to head out and get one last present for Sophie. I went out to get it yesterday, but typical me got sidetracked talking to people at the markets, so I ran out of time!

The place I went to is about a half hour drive from our place, it's almost across the other side of Canberra. I was driving along this ridiculous road that our local government started to build a few years ago and, it's still being built due to stuff up after stuff up...**sigh** that is another post. Anyway, I took a stupid wrong turn, I was kind of vagued out listening to the radio and enjoying the drive. I ended out at the cemetery, so turned around and got back onto the ridiculous road......I then missed another turn off, so had to keep travelling along the one lane......I kept driving and missed another!!!!! Yes, I admit it was driver stupidity, but the stupid road did not help. I finally got the chance to turn around and head back in the direction that was intended, I probably added an extra 20 minutes onto my trip...thank god for some good tunes on the radio, which I played loud. I am embarrassed to say, the Spice Girls came on and that got pumped up really loud LOL. So during that time there were several 'OMGs' going on in my head.

I finally made it to my destination, and was able to get the present for Sophie. I decided to pop my head into another shop on the way back to the car. As soon as I walked through the door and 'OMG' a beautiful bag caught my eye. As you know from a previous post I have been on the look out for a nice bag, and I am pretty fussy! I quickly sent N a text to see what he thought....I seriously could not walk away without buying this bag. It's just delicious, practical and so me :)

I then went into the city...I didn't have any 'OMG' moments on the way. But I stopped and bought myself a coffee and went outside to sit on my own and soak up the peace and quiet. As it happened a little boy around Maisie's age sitting close by with his mum decided he liked me more and wanted to sit there with me. I swear, I can't get away from kids, no matter how hard I try.

As I sign off, I just had another 'OMG' moment by forgetting about the chocolate I had melting in the kitchen LOL.

Belinda

Some more pics of my little darlings!

2008-12-17T21:39:00.002+10:30

There were so many nice pics taken that day when N's brother was here, I thought I would post some more. I have actually had phone calls about Maisie's hair (oppps)...N insisted we use the GHD on it LOL. It's not permanent, she still has curly hair! We are catching up with Ns family again on the weekend, so I might see if T will take some more hehe.....

Christmas is creeping up, ever so fast.

2008-12-16T20:53:00.007+10:30

The last week has been busy, as usual. The last time I updated was after the exam and so much has happened since. I started my unit 'The Making of Australia' and I am now into week three. I am really enjoying, the lectures and readings, I am absorbing the information like a sponge. The tutorial group is great, there is so much discussion and debate going on and out tutor contribution is excellent. I have an essay due in a couple of weeks, and feel this is such a bad time of the year to be doing this, but I will get through, the content is so interesting! I must admit (I am human) I feel so overwhelmed at times, I wonder if I am out of my depth, then I snap my self out of it. In saying that, have I mentioned that I am considering Law??? LOL.....I am going to continue with BA history/politics for now and make my mind up next year. N is encouraging me to drop everything and become a full time student, we are in a position where it is something we could do, as we do not have any financial pressures. It would mean putting off other financial plans for a few years, but in the long run, I think a good move.
Now to the title of my post....(updates on the other people.....I have kind of taken over this blog...all about moi)

Today we went to Sydney to see Poppy's specialist. Her hip has not changed much since our last visit, so she will stay in the brace for another six months. He said she will not be in the brace any longer, as they tend to let nature take it's course beyond eighteen months. He said depending on how the hips are at the next appointment will determine how often he will see her until she is four. I am not a medical person, and do not consult Dr google, so I will take his word for it. I don't want to think beyond the next six months. She is not in any pain, and does not know any different, she has had three months out of it in her short life. I am not disappointed by this result, I am happy that she has not needed surgery and is being treated now, not in say, two years time.

Another thing he picked up (now she is walking) is the crocked bones between her ankle and knee. I have no idea of the medical term for the bone LOL (he did say), but basically when she was in utero she must have been in the same position for most of the time (which makes sense given the hip problems). If you could imagine the foetal position with the legs crossed over together at the front of her chest. So the bones have grown in a rounded shape (not straight). So when she walks her feet go in and her legs are very wide (which the brace contributes to). As she grows and stops wearing a nappy, her feet will turn in more. She should grow out of it as the bones grow., he is going to keep an eye on it though. Another case of, things could be worse....I actually saw a baby there today, who 'looked' terminally ill :(...he was very weak, very, very ill....I realise how lucky I am to have four beautiful healthy girls to put to bed each night.

School wraps up this week, so the girls are very excited. We are heading up north for Christmas, so I have limited the amount of presents, not that they ever get much anyway. I had put a wooden kitchen on lay buy during the year, which is far too bulky to take up, so I have told them that N and I have bought them a special Christmas present (from us) to pick up on Friday, their last day :)....it has given them something to look forward to, and come in handy for me as a bribe tool hahaha.

We have been busy attending school concerts and Christmas parties, which has been fun. The twins teacher is seriously the female version of Mr G from Summer Heights High....trying to get a bunch of five year old to perform the Christmas play was hilarious. I could have filmed her and made a comedy.....she needed to lighten up and not take it so seriously LOL. Anyway, the play was excellent and entertaining.

N is off to Sydney tomorrow to attend his work group Christmas party....I am jealous!!! Oh, well, I'll be back at work next year, and be able to attend my own....speaking of which, I am counting down the days to our little Sydney getaway!!!!! I will get this essay done while we are at N's for Christmas, so I can relax in Sydney. I have a picture of the place we are staying in Double Bay sitting here on my computer to keep me motivated and drool.....

Bring on the kid free days, swims, wine, food, some cricket (perhaps more time in the members bar) and shopping of course ;)

Till next time,
Belinda

P.S
Thank you for the comments Ziz...it's nice to know you're reading :)

What a week....

2008-12-07T19:00:00.003+10:30

This last week was very busy for N and I.....it was the last huge week of the year for him, in what has just been a massive year!!!! He may travel between now and the new year, but it will not be as intense as things have been. Kind of a little breathing space :)

I had my exam on Friday, so spent most nights preparing. There was no cramming as such, as I had paced it out pretty well. I feel I did OK in the exam, I never stopped writing, but probably should have spent less time on the short answer questions and more on the reading review at he end. The reading review was rather hilarious considering the last week in federal politics, it was comparing research on education with the opinions of Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd and Brendan Nelson! It was funny considering a phone conversation I had with one of N's colleagues this week ;) Overall it was a very enjoyable exam ;)

We have had a very relaxing weekend. I really love this time of the year, the warm days, lazy afternoon sleeps, sitting outside watching the girls play and having friends around! We had a Christmas BBQ on Saturday night with N's family as we will be away over Christmas. N's brother took the most amazing photos of the girls, some of which I have included. So if you're reading this, thank you :)

Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.....

2008-11-29T13:17:00.003+10:30

It's that time of the year again....where is time going! I love Christmas, my parents always gave us the best Christmas, I seriously thought I was the luckiest kid in the world, I remember my brother would be so overwhelmed on Christmas morning, he often shed a tear. Our family holiday after Christmas was also very special, when I reflect back on my childhood, I begin to realise just how lucky we were. My parents had a holiday house on the coast, we had many friends down there, and plenty of family and friends who would pop in and stay for a few days over the period of six weeks, those days were carefree and fun. How things have changed now....I can't imagine holiday homes for the average 'working family' would be very common, nor would a trip away for six weeks every Christmas. While our girls are growing up in a home filled with love and parents who adore each other, we don't go on family holidays....we go up to my parents from time to time, but that is not the same. Perhaps in future years we will :) But then again, you don't want to try to live in the past and try to do the same things you did as a child, it can often end out in disappointment. I think if we were to ever get a holiday house, or caravan, I would not go back to the place we went growing up....it would just not be the same. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think it's best to create our own memories as a family, new memories!

So, the old tree went up today....the girls were most excited and begged me all morning to start. I like many other mum's wanted to give the house a really good clean before we started! Sorry there are no pics of Maisie....I forgot to take some of her.

The girls are five, but act like a pair of old ladies!

2008-11-29T13:06:00.004+10:30

I have to either laugh or cry at times when it comes to my twin daughters. The way they carry on together, anyone would think they were a couple of eighty year old ladies sitting in a bingo hall, add to the mix Maisie. I wanted to share this pic I took the other day, they had swimming lessons through the school and were most excited!!! I think the pic speaks for itself ;)

Study, stress and a little plug!

2008-11-26T21:32:00.009+10:30

Before I start...my word for the day is 'temporary'...I shall come back and explain that some day soon ;)

Things sure are busy around here in the lead up to Christmas. We have parties and concerts to attend in the coming weeks, which will be fun. And hopefully Poppy will get the all clear for her hips. We have an appointment at Westmead mid December, we haven't worked out if we will take a break from then until Christmas...N is unsure with work at this point :) I will be happy if I get my few days 'away' from the kids...we plan to use our SCG membership and spend some time in Sydney alone. I want to go shopping, swim down at Bondi, eat out and drink lots of wine! And maybe watch a little cricket (or read a book).

It certainly has been a great year for us, but extremely busy. I have been reflecting on it a lot in the last week, whilst I drive the car, or sit here procrastinating :) In summary I am so happy right now!

However.......

I am in the process of preparing for an exam to be held next Friday..I have no idea if I'm doing enough. This unit sure has been a great learning experience, the essays and weekly work all seemed to flow. I love to write, so even though my essay topics were bland and boning I still enjoyed the process. The exam is another thing, I think it will take a few goes at it before I start to feel comfortable with the process. My office is currently a mass of papers, coffee cups, large pieces of cardboard sheets with my crazy mind maps outlining the unit week by week (I have a strange way of doing things). I am one to thrive on stress, but this stress is different! Anyway, by next Friday I will have entered the unknown zone and will be able to report back ;) Did I mention that my next unit starts next week too LOL.....

Business has been busy, it was this time last year leading up to Christmas. There is always more that I would like to have done, but then again there is always next year. I am finding a new motivation for it all as we are having a back end makeover...it is needed and I am looking forward to seeing the results.

I want to finish off this boring post with a plug for my friend Tea!!!

http://www.babblebaby.com.au/magazine/work-20/2008/11/the-accidental-entrepreneur.html

A new handbag for me......

2008-11-22T20:08:00.002+10:30

It was my birthday the other day and my mum gave me some money. I decided to get a pair of shoes and a new handbag. The shoes were easy because I knew what I wanted....it was a great surprise when they scanned for much less than the original price...gotta love all these sales with the world financial crisis, well it is one good thing to come out of it, right? **opps**

So I decided to buy a new handbag with the remaining money, the same afternoon that I bought the shoes I dragged all four girls around the shopping centre to no avail....actually we lost Poppy's beloved dummy chain with the two dummies attached, which I talked about in an earlier post hehe.

Today I decided to venture out once again, I had some ideas of what I wanted, I prefer red and brown bags, preferably with no 'brand' showing...for example, 'Jag' urgh! I found a perfect bag, but it had this 'Jag' badge on it! I actually found this one in the first shop Jess and I went into. Of course there were plenty of perfect bags but they had a price tag of $500 plus....unfortunately that was price was not in my budget this time ;) Even though Nick has a business bag worth more nah, nah, nah :)

So Jess and I wondered from shop to shop, looking, looking **sigh**. I promised Jess a 'treat' at the end of our trip, so that was making the adventure more bearable. I actually like to take one of the older girls shopping with me, as I feel naked going on my own. So we walked around Civic, inside and outside in the freezing cold (can someone please remind me that we are a week off summer).....

I think we wondered around for about three hours and I had given up! We were on our way to get something for Jess from Michel's Patisserie, but decided to pop into Target on our way there. We walked down to the bag section and would you believe, there was the most perfect red medium sized bag sitting right there in front of me. The original price was $40, which is pretty cheap, but it had been marked down to $12!!!! I still have money left, I might buy a book LOL.......

Who would have thought!

Perhaps next year Nick can buy me the $500 bag ;)

A new way to carry a handbag!

2008-11-19T10:19:00.002+10:30

I had to laugh just before when Poppy came out to the kitchen, she was carrying her handbag in an unusual kind of way. I couldn't help but take a photo of her.......So the dummy chain is OT, but I don't care :) It's a funny thing when you get to your fourth child, you tend to not give a hoot about these types of things or what anyone else thinks! I have wasted so much time in the last five and a half years of motherhood worrying about sleep, food and all that jazz. I was walking through the shops yesterday with Poppy in the trolley, a headband on and the dummy chain with two dummies...I can only imagine what others probably thought haha........It has been so much easier with Poppy....I think we have a happy medium and everyone is happy. She is a clingy little thing who does not like me out of her sight for long periods and loves to have cuddles with Nick and I. She is starting to learn what 'No' means LOL..the sooner the better I say, as she gets into everything. I can't remember any of the others being this curious.

Good times ahead I think :)

Blog in need of some urgent TLC!!!!!

2008-11-02T21:03:00.003+10:30

I have had friends making comments to me on my lack of posts.....my answer is, that I have discovered the new world of Facebook and started a university degree. So for the last few months I have not given the blog a second thought. I have decided to keep this blog going, only it will change a little. I am going to write more about my life and this journey through study. I must say, since the last time I was in here posting my views of the world have change somewhat...amazing that it can happen in the space of a few months. My world of thoughts are changing daily and evolving at a mad pace.

The girls are all doing well, Sophie and Jess are reading well, and enjoying school. Maisie is her usual self, although, some attitude has developed of late. My husband calls her 'gorgeous', and has done for some time, only now little Miss 2 with all the attitude insists that her name is 'gorgeous' and we all call her that!!!!! Poppy is into everything, and has started to take her first little steps.

Life is good, and we are all healthy.

I will sign off with a quote I found last night, whilst I was studying. It kind of sums me up perfectly at the moment. I can relate to it with writing my essays and avoiding the day to day things I do around here.

"The writer wandered to the water cooler, washed his hands, looked up the weather report, made some unnecessary phone calls, looked at his tongue in the mirror for symptoms of fatal disease and, when he had at last exhausted methods of killing time, went to his typewriter."
Russell Baker

Bug Free...I'm Free.....

2008-07-28T09:53:00.002+09:30

For the first time in over 4 weeks I am sitting here on my own, with no-one to interrupt me! Poppy is sleeping like a doll (pity she doesn't sleep like this at night ROFL). I was able to send everyone off this morning to where they're meant to be.

I had some fantastic photo opportunities over the weekend, but my batteries are flat and I haven't been arsed to put them on the charger (you know me). So a marvellous photo opportunity presented itself as follows: Yesterday Maisie was playing with a tiny chair from the doll house, I look out at her and she was trying to sit on it as if it was a real chair. If you can picture a large cartoon like elephant trying to sit on a human chair, that in fact will give you a correct image of what I saw. This girl is just hilarious without trying. If she's just being Maisie, you're bound to have a laugh at her, and she will laugh back of course.

Aunty Manda popped over on Saturday for a visit which was nice. She gave the girls some hair accessories, which, they haven't put down all weekend. It worked out well because they were rehearing for a concert they were to put on during our Sunday BBQ with friends Kim, Dave and their 3 kids. Unfortunately they had to pull out as they're all sick. Instead they held the concert for N and I later in the afternoon, N recorded them!

Just another thought, on Friday night as I put Jess to bed she told me that she wants to live in a house with stairs. It brought back memories of myself as a child, I always dreamed of having a house with heaps of stairs, 2 storey's at least. She reminds me of myself all the time, it's scary.

Talk soon,
Belinda

Sophie at home today.....

2008-07-21T13:33:00.002+09:30

As I mentioned in last night's post, Sophie is home today with infected eyes. They are getting better, I would say she will be right to go back tomorrow. Mine on the other hand got worse overnight and are just bloodshot today. I think if they don't improve I might go to the Dr. I really wanted to go tot he shops today to get some coffee...but I look like I'm on drugs. I can't believe I have got this far with no caffeine!

I took a couple of pics earlier. One is of Sophie playing with her paper dolls, and one of her eyes, which don't look too bad. I should take one of my eyes. The other is of the theatre I'm making, I have taken it next to Sophie's theatre.I still have a little way to go with it, I would like to put some more gloss coats on it and make the proper curtains. The backdrop looks a little dodgy as you can see where I have glued LOL. Oh and the top where the curtains will go is not straight ROFL.... I cut the box with a knife :)

Blurgh week.....

2008-07-20T20:24:00.002+09:30

The title says it all!!!! Boo hoo.......

Last weekend the boys went home and my parents arrived for 1 night. I wish they would stay longer and visit us more often, but they are these funny old home bodies. The reason for their visit was to attend my best friends party. She recently announced her engagement to a wonderful guy, and after many years of hard work passed her PHD (psychology) YAY. We are also proud of her legend brother who recently arrived home from riding a bike across Africa. C is an amazing guy, I was happy to spend some time at the party having a chat about it all.

The rest of the week has been a little yuk, it started last Monday when Poppy woke with puffy eyes. This developed into conjunctivitis the following day, Maisie also woke with it on the Tuesday. Which meant no CC for her all week. I think by Friday I was tearing my hair out a little as they were all at each other fighting, I also woke with dreaded weepings eyes.

Then today poor Sophie woke with it and was unable to attend her cousins birthday :(.....The girls start back at school this week, but I think they will both be home at some point (Sophie tomorrow).

On a positive note I am in the process of making Jess a puppet theatre. She was wanting to use Sophie's all the time and of course Sophie was wanting to use it too. Nick bought some shoes last week so we had the box sitting there wanting to be used. I have a very good collection of vintage and newer fabrics, which I have used! Once completed I will take some pictures and do a proper post, I think it's worthy of that.

And afternoon of fun and laughter!

2008-07-03T20:45:00.003+09:30

My 2 nephews Kelvin and Tim have come up from Melbourne to stay with me for 2 weeks. I adore these beautiful boys. Fortunately they have a strong mother (Tanya) and her partner Andrew, whose influence is growing them into beautiful young men. They are such great company, and help me a lot. Tim eats so much food and never stops talking. Perhaps he will become a used car salesman as he tries to pull the odd con over LOL(and has succeeded once).....overall they are just fabulous well rounded boys.

They are the best of friends which is just wonderful! Their days have been filled with kicking the football around our backyard, playing with Nick's remote car's in the garage, and watching shows on Foxtel. Oh and of course, a few visits to the shopping centres to spend their pocket money.

This afternoon we headed down to the oval across from where we live, I seem to take the camera with me everywhere these days :) I am pretty happy with some of the shots.

Uncle Andrew Rocks!!!!

2008-07-03T13:40:00.002+09:30

More photos have been filtering through from last weekend. When we were waiting to head out to dinner on Saturday night we took some pics. Andrew was tipping the kids upside down LOL. I had Poppy sitting on my lap and she started to throw herself back, wanting a turn. She had a ball when uncle Andrew let her join in. So here are a few pics my sister took on her camera. I have included a nice one of mum holding baby Eden.

The Memorial.

2008-06-29T14:48:00.003+09:30

My grandmother's request was to have her funeral and cremation up in Brisbane with the family, then have her ashes brought down here to Canberra and buried with her husband. It was such a lovely day, mum bought a bubble making machine and I bought some bright balloons for all the children to release.

Thank you Amanda for coming to share this special afternoon, I really appreciated the effort...I look forward to your party in 2 weeks time.

Here are some pics to share of our special time. I have some sneaky ones of you Amanda in the background and Nat looking like a yum mum LOL.

Poppy Does Vintage...

2008-06-29T13:13:00.003+09:30

My mother kept a few of my baby clothes which I love. I have had fun dressing my dolls (girls) in them over the years. This particular orange pokadot dress would have been perfect for Maisie, only I discovered it too late on one of my many trips up to her place. Poppy wears it regularly I have had comments from various people each time. As the weather is cold here she has been wearing a simple jumpsuit underneath. Unfortunately I did not have the dress sitting that well on her, these photos really do it no justice....but she's a stunning model all the same :)

Another Day Another Cake....

2008-06-18T12:53:00.006+09:30

I must confess, with all my good intentions on the weekend, I failed to live up to expectations...I didn't make that yummy looking chocolate cake from an earlier post. My sister reads this blog regularly, rang yesterday to check if I had made it LOL. I have the 12 eggs ready to go, I just need to be in the mood, it looks like it requires some love and effort to make.

It's just Poppy and I here today, so I have been busy rearranging this office. Nick set it up originally, now that he is never in here and I'm running the business on my own, I thought it needed the girl touch. The view to the girls room, which is straight of this is better. I also got rid of a set of shelves, which makes the room so much more open.

So to reward my hard efforts I got out a little recipe book that was put together by my work a few years ago. It's a little beauty!

I am yet to try this (it's in the oven as I type). I will take some pics when it is complete, I'm making a nice dinner for Nick and I tonight (chicken Kiev) so this will go down a treat for dessert!

Toffee-Butter-Honey Cake
2 Cups self raising flour
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup of milk (I used more)

Topping
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup margarine
125g honey
2 tablespoons water
125g coconut

Place flour, salt, sugar, eggs, margarine and milk in mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes. Spread into a greased 28 x 18cm tin. Bake at 190 for 30 - 35 minutes.

Topping
Boil together sugar, margarine, honey and water until lightly coloured, add coconut. Spread over warm cake and place back in oven for 5 mins. Serve warm, cut into slices. You might like to make one more of the topping than the recipe says to - it is yummy!

Why that you to the person I work with who contributed this fine recipe. I think I will reheat the cake tonight in the microwave and make the sauce then.

Disco Night.

2008-06-13T20:48:00.003+09:30

Tonight the girls had their school disco, parents and families were invited too. Nick decided to stay home with the little girls as Poppy is unwell. It was a nice evening, they served up pizza (no Pizza Arte) but it was OK LOL. There is one mother who I really enjoy talking to so we sat down together at the beginning. We didn't stay till the end as Jess was really tired, it has been a long week, and I don't think she overly enjoys these types of things. I don't think we'll ever have to worry about Jess sneaking out at night.

Here are a couple more pics, the one of the girls and I would have been an excellent shot if it was in focus, or the shutter speed was right *insert wacko face* I look like I have a few heads in the last one. I am really unhappy with the camera atm, well more with myself for fiddling with it! I will get the instructions out on the weekend and have a go at getting it right, yes I know I'm bloody hopeless!!!!!! The one of Jess with her face painted was taken at the actual dance. I was a little shy to get the camera out while there as I am unsure of the photo etiquette, I would hate to get told off for taking pics, it seems society is very sensitive with this these days, which is a shame.

Eve's Chocolate Cake....and a pizza brag.

2008-06-13T12:15:00.003+09:30

I love to cook things from scratch, ever since we started eating organic food I seem to have found a new love of the kitchen and fresh food. A couple of weeks ago I made pizzas (base included), I was so excited with myself that I opened a good bottle of red, rang my mum and sat down and enjoyed LOL. I just remembered I took some pics so I will include them here :=)

So backt o the title....I am always searching for recipes, so when we were in the waiting room on Tuesday I found this great looking Chocolate Cake recipe. I copied it to make myself and share with everyone. I am going to have a crack at it over the weekend, more than likely Sunday as that is my homely cooking day. I will take some pics when it's done.

Eve's Chocolate Cake:

360g bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

50g soft unsalted butter

12 eggs, separated

30g Castor sugar plus 20g extra

Pinch of salt

Cocoa or shaved chocolate (yuuuum)

Whipped Cream, to serve (of course)!

Pre-heat oven to 150C. Grease a 26 cm springform tin and line with baking paper. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water and stir in butter. Beat egg yolks in a medium bowl with 30g Castor sugar until thick and pale. Stir into chocolate until smooth. Beat egg whites until frothy, add salt and beat until firm peaks form. Add extra sugar and beat until firm. Beat one quarter of the whites into the chocolate mixture then fold the mixture into the remaining whites and stir until smooth. Place one quarter of the mixture in a bowl, cover and refrigerate. Spoon the remaining mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 mins, then press a finger in the centre, an indentation should remain. Unmould the cake onto a serving plate and cool. Spread the chilled topping. Dust with cocoa powder or top with shaved chocolate and serve with whipped cream.

Serves 4.

Sounds divine! The picture in the mag was stunning.......

The brace is back and we have our first tooth!

2008-06-12T20:14:00.002+09:30

We spent the long weekend up at my parents on the Central Coast. It was the first time in months that Nick has had time off, we didn't even get any calls which was wonderful. We went up to attend the Christenings for my niece Ruby and Nephew Harry. Ruby is the same age as Maisie but they hadn't gotten around to having her done. The church was stunning, I believe one of the oldest Catholic churches in Australia.

We had the party back at my parents because their home is huge! It was a really wonderful day, Nick and I both crashed out after lunch, we had both eaten far too much and we had plenty of helpers to watch the girls.

I went down to Newtown on Monday and met up with some EB friends, Nadia, Pen and Christine. I decided to go child free as my mum offered to look after all 4, it was a lazy day, eating and drinking coffee and hot chocolates. Nadia and I went for a browse around Newtown after, she is local and knows all the good shops. I had to fill in time as Nick was in the city with some of our friends.

Tuesday we went to Westmead Children's Hospital for Poppy's follow-up appointment with her hips. She has been brace free for almost 3 months now. I was expecting to go in and have the xray, be given the all clear and come on home. Unfortunately that was not to be, the Dr is still not happy with her left hip, so he wants her to wear the DBB for the next six months overnight. It could have been worse, it could have been full time wear, or worse still, an operation. That's not to say I wasn't a little disappointed. We had a rough night with her the first night, yesterday I discovered burn marks/blister behind her knee where she had obviously rubbed it on the brace the night before. She slept beautifully last night but has been a little unsettled tonight. I discovered her first tooth tonight (bottom font left) as I was putting her to bed, so I think that has been a factor in her unsettled behaviour.

I have taken a couple of pics of the new (custom made) brace (DBB). It's no where near as annoying as the pavlik and goes over her clothes, which is a bonus!

I have put an extra pic in because Tanya wanted to see her new Noddy PJs!!!

It's Art Man....

2008-06-01T18:05:00.005+09:30

Well that's what I'm telling myself. I am the most incompetent (word of the day) photographer ever!!!!! I have this flash camera that I use to take product photos, yeah it gets me by for those, I sometimes get a nice shot of the girls pmsl. I really must do some lessons and actually learn to use it, same goes for photoshop LOL LOL LOL. The lighting was all wrong for these photos I took today, so I decided to play around with photoshop.......To me they look pretty cool, but I don't have the best eyes rofl!!!!!!

So here you go...ART!!!!!

A Pretend Ball!

2008-05-31T18:33:00.003+09:30

The girls were given some party dresses for Christmas from their grandma d'oh, d'oh. She bought them in America as she was there over Thanksgiving. We don't take the girls out for dinner, but often have special dinners at home. A couple of weeks ago Nick and I visited a wonderful Italian restaurant down the road at Kingston, we talked about taking them all to nice places in a few years. I think if we took them to a place like now we would look like freaks!!!

Nick is away a lot for work these days, when he is in town he is working long hours (god love him), the girls miss him dearly, so I try to cook special meals and deserts. Tonight I thought it might be nice to pretend we were attending a ball and get dressed up. Before I served up dinner we quickly popped out the back for some photos. I must have accidentally moved a setting on my camera because it's not taking the best photos. I managed to put a few together out of the the hundreds I took.

If anyone reads this who is a photographer please feel free to make some suggestions. My camera is a Cannon 400D...it might be the shutter speed. When I take a pic it makes a different noise and doesn't take the shot straight away, kind of stalls for a couple of seconds?

Today she grew her wings and flew away.....

2008-05-30T13:09:00.012+09:30

I have always been very close to my dear nanny (Sarah). She was a wonderful magical grandmother who I have very early memories of my beautiful connection with her.

I remember lying on her couch with my head in her lap with her soft warm hands gently rubbing my head. I really loved those quiet special moments we shared, I often find myself doing this to my little girls as it made me feel so special.

She took me to my first movie which was ET. Actually she took a few of us (grandchildren), I remember asking her time and time again 'When will it start' as the ads seem to take forever. She never once raised her voice or got cranky with any of us. She had a unique ability to show kindness to all humans and animals, including her 2 dogs Casper and Cesar, I remember she used to put knitted jumpers on them in winter, one of the dogs was very large LOL.

She was such a gentle patient person who warmed many hearts. One of them was my grandfather Francis who passed away when my mum was only 14. He was terminally ill when he met my grandmother, she had planned to become a nun (as she was brought up by nuns). They fell in love despite the reality of his future. She told me that he said 'Sarah I never want you to be lonely when I die, so we should have as many children as we can'. They had 6 living children and lost 2 sets of twins.

My grandmother was always surrounded by children so they got their wish. She never had much money but always made the most of her homes. I was very sad when she moved from Canberra to Brisbane. Her little 1 bedroom government unit in Brisbane was beautiful and she looked after it with pride. She enjoyed simple things like having her hair permed for special occasions, and the small collection of what she considered 'very good' dresses. She always looked lovely and made the most of her simple belongings. Not ever did any of us hear her complain. Sometimes I get caught up in getting ahead and thinking about money too much :( When I think about my grandmother and how she lived life quickly brings me back down to earth, it reminds me of what I really stand for and who I am. It's people in my life like nanny who have contributed to the person I am today.

She loved life but looked forward to joining her beloved soul mate Francis, she certainly wasn't afraid of death. Well that day has come, in the early hours of this morning I dreamt about her, my girls and I were visiting her in hospital. It was a dream in slow motion because I woke a few times between.

The phone rang at 630am; I knew the news as my husband answered the phone.

Today is the most stunning Canberra day :) I couldn't help but take some pictures this morning before I dropped Sophie and Jess at school. I clearly remember the weather on the days I gave birth to my girls, I was lucky that all three days were the most stunning days imaginable, today is just the same, perfect for my nanny to grow her wings and fly free......I think the hot air balloon and aeroplane smoke is just perfect.

Rest In Peace dear nanny, and enjoy that dance with Francis........

ETA - Thank you to dear Nikki from EB who has helped me through this in the last week. I will never forget your kindness.

Happy Mother's Day....

2008-05-11T20:50:00.002+09:30

To me LOL...

On Friday the girls had a little concert at school. They had been practising all week, I think I was a little over 'You Raise Me Up' . It was lovely, they had a slide show with beautiful pictures. They all made me a card each and baked some cookies at school on Friday, which we happily ate for afternoon tea.

Today was a quiet day at home with the girls. Nick made us pancakes before he went to work, they were really nice. I am not overly fussed on Mother's day, I think as parents we both deserve a pat on the back this year. We are not perfect but dearly love our little girls. I took some photos of them this afternoon, I think it's the second time I have taken a picture of them all together.

The Little Lady Sits!

2008-05-09T13:25:00.003+09:30

As most of you know, Poppy is a little delayed in her development due to being in the brace all those months. She has finally started to put weight on her legs and will stand holding my hands and today I sat her down and she actually sat for a little while, enough time for me to quickly snap some pics between her flopping over. I will have keep practising this with her.

We made the most of this magnificent Canberra day and spent some time in the backyard this morning before lunch. Maisie would stay out there all day if I let her! I am going to start pestering Nick again to look at some out door play things for them, like a trampoline. We have a set of swings but they are currently at his sister's place.

I also want to mention the gorgeous longies both girls are wearing. They were sent up from my good friend Ziz in Melbourne. You are too kind and a very special friend indeed.

Practising Photographer lol......

2008-03-29T16:13:00.004+10:30

Well I am no photographer but I do love taking pics of the girls. I sometimes have a fluke with a nice shot, but there are hundreds to the few nice ones. I am also playing around with photoshop, not that I really know what I'm doing, but I'm happy if it looks good to my eyes!

Actually looking at the first one of Sophie is funny because she looks like she still has all her teeth. She is gummy wanting her two front teeth for Christmas this year LOL.....

Happy 2nd Birthday Maisie

2008-03-28T10:50:00.002+10:30

On Tuesday the 25th March Maisie turned 2. I can't believe how fast these last two years have gone :) We got off to a rough start with her not sleeping so well, but she settled down eventually and was a very easy baby. She is a real character who warms the hearts of everyone she meets. She is the type of child who will give little old ladies big grins and laps up the attention that follows. She is adored by her carers at CC and has obtained the nickname 'Cabbage Patch Doll'. She is affectionately referred to as 'George' by her dad and sisters.

To me she is 'Maisie' and 'Margaret' when she's in trouble, which is not too often. She has a love for the outdoors and is pretty much on the go from when she arises around 7am till she crashes around 7pm.

She has developed her own little language and chatters away all day throwing a few words we understand in here and there. In saying that she is starting to really develop her language skills. Her older sisters are learning to read and write and she has started to pick up some of the sight words. I have great confidence that she will read with ease before she starts school. She has shown us to be a very bright intelligent girl. I think she gets this strength from her intelligent dad. She walked up to me yesterday with a pancake in her hand and handed it to me saying very clearly 'I don't like this mum'.

We took some pictures on her birthday with her yellow teddy cake but unfortunately they didn't work, so I took her outside today and took some pictures of her playing. There were so many good ones and I have selected a couple to share.

Little Lady Has Her First Cold.

2008-03-27T13:22:00.002+10:30

Poor little Poppy has kept us up for the last two nights (Nick has been up to her mostly) with this horrible little cold she has developed. I have no idea where it came from as the other girls have not had one. While she was having lunch today I took some photos of her as she just looked so sad and sorry for herself :=(

Computer Whizz in the Making

2008-01-11T19:28:00.000+10:30

So I was out in the kitchen the other day cooking up a storm. Now on any normal day my little friend Maisie joins me, but on this day she stayed in her room. You know when a child is very quiet and you kind off sense something is up, well my instincts were right on this occasion. I wondered through the office on my way to her room and guess what I found! Miss Maisie Matilda at my desk taking over! I might have to watch this one.....lucky for me I always have the camera handy so I just couldn't resist, check out the look on her face, she's as proud as punch! Yep that's our Maisie for you..........

Slack, slack, slack.....

2008-01-03T09:18:00.000+10:30

I am so sorry that this blog has not been updated in ages, I have been caught up with things like Christmas, business and squeezing family life into that. So much has happened since I last posted that I don't think it would be worth going into any great details, most people who read this blog know what our crazy lives have been like LOL.

Anyway I thought I would fill everyone in on a rather important issue we have been dealing with. When Poppy was born the paediatrician picked up 'Clicky' hips, I didn't think of it as anything too serious because he said he would be more concerned if they were 'clunky'. We have a family history of hip dysplasia so he took it serious enough to refer he for a scan when she was 6 weeks. My sister was born with very badly dislocated hips and worn a brace for 12 months, she has always had problems with her hips and walks a little awkward (sorry Tanya). She has recently seen a specialist and has been told she will need a hip replacement. My mum's sisters first born Joel also had hip dysplasia. From what I have been told he had a couple of operations and wore a brace and plaster for a long time. His treatment was in the 80s and my sister's was in the 70s. So with all of this under my belt I still didn't think Poppy was too bad, I mean who does with their own child.

So off we went to the scan on a Saturday morning, I really thought they would say it was fine and have a nice life, so I was taken back when the Dr doing the scan told me her left hip was abnormal and she would need to wear a brace for 6 - 8 weeks. The right hip was borderline! So off we went to the paediatrician appointment and I was still positive it was not too bad, the paediatrician was positive too. Once we had finsished we went down to the physio in the same hospital and had a brace fitted.

It took some adjustments and unsettled times for the both of us to get used to it. Wearing the brace means no baths and fortnightly visits to our wonderful physio Julie for adjustments. She is a kind lady who takes the time to give Poppy a little massage at each visit and she even let me give her a bath at our last visit. When Poppy went into the brace she was still a newborn so I just couldn't stop staring at her long legs when she was out of it. During this time I joined an online buddy group for parents with Hip Kids and found their support great, I really thought my time would be short with them so I didn't read past stories in too much detail. I really haven't looked beyond the 8 weeks because I really thought she would be out of it.

Christmas was a nice time with my family staying up at my parents on the Central Coast of NSW. The weather was hot and she was uncomfortable at times. I would spend time with her at the window overlooking my parents pool watching all the other kids swim, wishing I could take her in. I am not one to get in a pool much these days but I would have done anything at that time to get in with her. I didn't dwell on things, I have always remained positive and knew it was only a short time before it would come off. I was counting down the days to her scan.

I must admit yesterday I was a little nervous and excited all day leading up to it. I had visions in my head of getting the all clear and heading off to the paediatrician on Friday to have the brace removed. I had planned to have the most wonderful shower with her when we got home and just have big long cuddle. I was REALLY looking forward to getting her cute bottom back in cloth nappies. I was looking forward to being able to sit her on my lap to burp her and get her standing with support from me under her arms. I was also looking forward to her rolling as a lot of other babies her age are doing.

Off we went and the lady doing the scan was just lovely. She did the right hip pretty quick and then spent some time on the left. She left the room to see the Dr and they took ages. I had to feed Poppy as she was becoming restless and crying.When they returned the Dr scanned again and I looked. I knew it was bad news, he said the left hip looked 'abnormal'. He was unable to give me much more detail than that because he didn't have the last scan to compare it to and he would do that when he was preparing the report for our paediatrician. The hip was not ready to come out of the brace. I was a little shocked and feel stupid for not preparing for this, given our family history I should have known better.

We see the paediatrician tomorrow and I have booked a physio appointment in the morning to have the brace adjusted again. From what she said at our last visit we will now be referred to an orthopaedic surgeon for further treatment. From our previous conversations in the first instance the specialist will leave the brace on for a few more weeks to see if it makes any difference. As for beyond that the reality is surgery. Perhaps I shouldn't have read as much as I did last night, but I did because I felt so silly for not getting real about this situation we are in. Yes I know she will get better and there are so many babies and children worse off with conditions that are not even treatable.

So for that I am thankful and still remaining positive!

Here are some pictures of our gorgeous girl.

Our Girl Maisie (aka George)

2007-11-02T12:28:00.000+10:30

It has been a long 6 months for our girl Maisie. She has been pretty sick all winter. In the last week I have taken her off all her medications and a new girl has emerged. It's hard to put into words how she has changed. She just seems much happier and not as highly strung as she was when on it. She is not getting as upset and is getting better at playing on her own.

She has been so cheerful and happy. She waddles around the house like a playful baby bear. She is learning new words every day. She enjoys reading books and drawing pictures. She is cheeky and very intelligent. She has always been happy to go down for an afternoon nap and happily goes to bed at night. She really gives us no trouble at all. In the past week we have really noticed all these beautiful qualities that have always been there just more so lately.

Nick and I have been discussing her behavioural changes in the last week at great lengths and we have decided to do everything we can to keep her off medication. Today we are having our weekly shopping delivered. Nick ordered it online and it's all organic. I have been hearing so many stories lately of how much better our health can be by going organic. My sister is in the health field and has been organic for some time now. When she stayed here we were impressed by the meals she made.

Today's Horoscopes

2007-10-27T07:30:00.000+09:30

I was just sitting down to my usual relaxing Saturday breakfast reading the paper. Now I wouldn't usually read the horoscopes but something drew me to it today *hehehe*.

SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21): The money is simply pouring in during the next
few days, bringing a huge smile to those Scorpion lips! Some of you will be
purchasing a long awaited luxury item.

Now that is too funny. 'Bringing a smile to those Scorpion lips' *mwahhhhhhhhh* rofl. I don't take these things too seriously but Nick did mention this morning that he would like to go out and buy the children a trampoline. Stayed tuned because we might just have one by the end of the day rofl........

She can grow up now.....

2007-10-19T19:56:00.000+09:30

Newborns are only newborns for such a short period. I wanted to capture that moment with Poppy because I know she will be my last and we have been in a better position to do something like this. I kind of felt guilty that I hadn't taken many pictures of the pregnancy. We have been extremely busy with our business and life in general. So much so that the whole pregnancy felt like a blur. There were a few times during the pregnancy when I had some down moments because I felt guilty for not having appreciated it as much as I could have. When I look back at it now I don't know where the time went.

All of these things made me determined to have something special done for Poppy once she made her entrance into the world. Now for those who know me would know that of course I left it to the last minute to organise. I had picked out the photographer a few weeks before I was due but never got around to ringing her. In fact I think Poppy was about a week old before I finally got around to it. They say to have these types of photos done in the first two weeks to capture the newborn look. They are still floppy and sleepy. Lisa who I wanted to use was very busy but managed to squeeze us in when Poppy was just short of three weeks old.

I was really excited about having this done and when I met Lisa I knew I was in for a fun morning. In her blog entry she describes it all very well. I plan to take all four girls there in a few months time. I am yet to see all the images but I am certain they will be beautiful. Lisa sent me a sneak peek look at three of the images in an entry on her blog. I am absolutely wrapped with them. I can't stop opening her entry to just sit and stare at them. I am in love.

Now that this moment has been captured forever she can grow up........................................

Some pics of the girls.....

2007-10-13T10:06:00.000+09:30

Just thought I would share a couple of photos I took of the girls this morning. I am finding now that Poppy is almost 3 weeks old she is more awake and alert. I can't believe it has been three weeks since she was born. She is a good little girl. She feeds and sleeps pretty well. Has a couple of unsettled times which is very normal.

The girls all seem to love her. Maisie is happy to have a cuddle and get on with what she is doing. Sophie would hold her all day long if she could. And like Maisie; Jess is happy to have a little cuddle and move on.

I am looking forward to her longer stretches of awake time after a feed so we can get out and do more things. I am a little house bound at the moment.

The day we met our tiny baby girl.....

2007-10-02T19:19:00.000+09:30

She's here finally and I would love to share our very special day and the events leading up to it.

I went to see the fill in Ob the week before I was due. She said the head was very low and it could be any time now. I had been having regular episodes of very strong lower back pains which required a heat pack. Which is a sign of early labour. I started to worry a little because my mum was not due to arrive until the Saturday before my due date. After a phone call with mum she decided to catch a bus down the following day. I finally relaxed and really started to enjoy what was to be my last week of pregnancy.

As it always happens as soon as help arrived all my symptoms disappeared. I felt totally normal again. We spent the week getting so many things done around here like the girls room. Mum sewed curtains. We rearranged the furniture and the girls freckles quilts finally arrived. My mum got out in our garden and made it beautiful. Nick spent time catching up with business things and I spring cleaned the house.

Nick and I sneaked in a few wonderful child free outings during this week. We went to the movies, breakfast and one night the pancake parlour.

The Friday before my due date I had my last Ob appointment. As time was ticking with my mum's stay I decided to ask for an induction if my body was ready after an examination. My Ob happily obliged as she knew what I was capable of with my previous natural labours. She did a S&S in the hope I might go into labour. She took my blood pressure and it was very high. I was sent for bloods and urine tests and they all came back clear. I went into the delivery suite over the weekend and it had gone back to normal.

If nothing happened over the weekend I was booked in for an induction on Tuesday 25 September my due date.

My sister and her two boys arrived on the Friday afternoon so the house was a buzz of excitement with us all eager to meet the baby. I thought things might be happening that night when I had a bloody show and heaps of mucus. I went to bed early and nothing happened. I continued to loose the mucus plug all weekend.

We spent the weekend shopping, relaxing and going to floriade. It was a fun time which I will hold onto forever. My dad arrived on the Monday and we all went out for a lovely dinner.

Tuesday came and I was up early to prepare to go into hospital at 7am. I was putting some make up on after my shower when I heard the phone ring. I knew it would be the hospital. They were full so I would have to wait till lunch time. Nick and I casually dropped Maisie off at child care and went into the city on the way home to check mail and have another casual breakfast. We received another phone call from the hospital at around 10am to come in as soon as we could. We raced home very excited and packed the car and off we went.

I went into this labour with a simple plan. Hold off on drugs for as long as I could and try to get through each contraction by focusing on something in the room. I had a wonderful labour with Maisie using this technique. Another thing that I planned to use to help me through the contractions was thoughts of my late BIL Brian who died of cancer 4 years ago. I thought of him often when in labour with Maisie and it helped to ease the pain of contractions by focusing on his pain which was much worse than mine.

My Ob came in and broke my waters which didn't hurt at all. Because it was late in the day we decided to start me on the drip straight away. My midwife Julie said it would take about half an hour before I felt anything. She was right it was exactly half an hour later that I felt the first beautiful contraction. Something I had been waiting to feel for weeks now. I embraced each contraction and visualised my baby moving further down and my cervix opening more with each one. With each contraction I was one step closer to bring this little person into the world. I sat on a chair and found my object in the room to focus on. This was a dark grain line on a piece of wood on the wall opposite me.

I remember feeling the outline of her body being pushed down with each contraction. It was the same feeling you get when you take off in an aeroplane and you have that moment of pressure. Truly an amazing feeling to naturally experience with labour contractions. With all this going on and the contractions getting stronger and faster I imagined paddling down a stream. I was in full meditation at this point enjoying each contraction. Embracing each contraction.

It suddenly hit me like it had with Maisie. I knew it straight away and called Nick for the first time since my contractions started. I looked him in the eye because I knew the crazy woman was about to emerge. He knew it was time. I said it was time and I was about to get the urge to push. He raced out and told my midwife. She got me up on the bed as fast as she could. They all knew how fast the transition period goes for me from my previous labour with Maisie.

As she rushed out and rang my Ob I breathed through the urged to push saying in my head in sinc with breathing 'don't push now, don't push now'. I continued this until she came back into the room. She examined me and I was only 6cm. I was upset and she said my cervix was a soft as butter. If I wanted to push I could. So with my next contraction I pushed. This all happened very fast my Ob was now in the room and both of them had no time to even put on gloves. I pushed her out with no intervention. She came out with a gush of water and landed between my legs. It was the most natural wonderful experience.

Now the fun part. The contractions stopped and the crazy Belinda disappeared. And she was placed on my chest 1 hour and 20 mins after my first contraction. There is no other ultimate in life than meeting your child for the first time. This feeling of ecstasy is addictive and like no other.

She was just beautiful. So different to how we imagined she would look. She was tiny and looked nothing like her older sisters. She cried and cried in that first half an hour of life. The midwife left us with her on our own to explore her and give her the first feed. I have never had that with the other girls so it was a moment Nick and I will never forget.

One week on as I sit here reflecting on her birth I have a smile on my face. I loved every minute of it and have had an easy relaxing week getting to know her. I am lucky that my body came out of it unscathed. And I feel like I am back to normal. Each day my tummy is getting smaller and my milk supply is getting better.

We are so lucky and blessed to have another baby who we named Poppy Frances........

An afternoon at the park...

2007-09-08T17:31:00.000+09:30

Last weekend we met up with Nick's family for a picnic lunch to celebrate father's day. Here are some pics from the day.

Cupcakes for morning tea......

2007-08-26T11:10:00.000+09:30

Last night I attended my dear friend April's 30th birthday party. She has the most amazing red curly hair like Maisie only hers is long. She wore the most beautiful green dress that complimented her hair.

She has always been very good to my girls showing them with gifts and spoiling them rotten when she see's them. Nick and I hold April in high regards. So much so that we have asked her to be the godmother of this baby due to arrive in 4 weeks time. She has happily accepted.

When I was leaving the party she made me bring home these beautiful cupcakes for the girls that she made herself. She went to great details l with the coloured icing and cute paper lined boxes.

Today is a beautiful spring day in Canberra so I took the opportunity to have a little cupcake picnic in the backyard. Enjoy the pictures.......

Some more pictures for Aunty Tanya....

2007-08-17T20:37:00.000+09:30

A gift from Stella

2007-08-13T13:43:00.000+09:30

I have a phobia of driving on highways so Nick had to take us up to my parents last weekend. It was a good opportunity to try out the new car. It was dropped off to him at work on the Friday lunch and we left that evening. The following day on his way home he took up the opportunity to meet up with our publicist Stella in Newtown. We have only ever spoken via email or over the phone, so it was nice for him to put a face to a name.

She had a lovely little gift for me. I have never thought of myself as a 'yummy mummy' but the cup is just so cute I will use it from now on. I thought it was a lovely little gesture. I now can't wait to meet her one day soon.

A few pictures

2007-08-13T13:29:00.000+09:30

I just wanted to share a couple of pictures I have taken recently. I have been very busy getting the house organised for the upcoming arrival of our baby. I am trying to create a happy room because the baby will be on its own; while the three big sisters have a party in the room next door. I will take some of the girls room soon. I am waiting for some quilts to arrive in the mail. And I am busy making Maisie a beautiful new quilt for her cot. When that is all done I will show it off.

I am in love with this house as is Nick and the girls. We spent a week up at my parents and had a very nice time but they were all happy to return to their home. The twins take great delight in playing games like teachers and hospital up on the top bunk away from Maisie. They really missed this up at grandma's. The first thing they did when we got home was escape up to the top bunk.

The couple of Maisie show off her shorties that Ziz, Norman and Zane sent up for her birthday. This is the most beautiful cover she owns. It has some lovely dragonflies on the back. I had been promising poor Ziz for months to take some pictures so here they are. Thank you Ziz.

A peek inside my womb.....

2007-07-20T11:24:00.000+09:30

Two weeks ago we had a 4D/3D ultrasound. This was a unique experience that opened the window to our little one's warm cosy home. The baby spent the whole hour in the same position. Facing out towards the placenta and laying sideways. I tired to drink some hot chocolate but this baby was snug as a bug.

In the pictures you can see him/her with its feet up to it's mouth. And there are some shots of its arms up near its face. This little person as so much room in there but obviously seeks comfort in using less space. My tummy is not very big and I feel this baby is going to be smaller than Maisie and what the twins may have been if they were full term. I might be wrong but within myself I am predicting a baby of about 3.5KG which is a small baby for us. I can say that this baby has the same nose as Maisie and the signature chubby cheeks like Jessie and Maisie.

As everyone knows, Nick and I know the sex of this baby and it has a name. I am now counting down the weeks till I can properly introduce this little one to you all.

I am starting to prepare myself mentally for labour and beyond. I am really looking forward to sharing this journey in the coming weeks.

Belinda

The first dance....

2007-07-05T20:11:00.000+09:30

Last Friday as a family we attended the girls first dance. It was a fundraiser at their preschool. They had to get sponsors for the night. The local pizza shop donated pizzas and all the parents brought a plate of food.

It was such a good idea to raise money and have a fun family night out. Surprisingly Maisie had the most fun out of all of us. She is a real little groover and caught the attention of many admiring parents.

We danced the nut bush, chicken dance, hockey pockey and even had a game of limbo rock. How funny it is that generations of children get a kick out of the same party dances and games.

Sadly I only have a couple of photos as our camera ran out of charge just after we arrived.

Can you guess the gender......

2007-05-09T21:13:00.000+09:30

Sorry for delay....

2007-05-09T20:16:00.000+09:30

I have had a few people reminding me to report back on here. I am so sorry for not returning sooner.

The scan went really well. Everything looks perfect. I told the lady doing the scan was lovely and scanned in for a gender check straight away. The gender became obvious within seconds. Unfortunately I am not allowed to tell anyone. After long discussion's Nick and I decided to keep it to ourselves and announce it when it's born. We are thrilled that we have another health baby. I can't believe how lucky we are being able to do all this again.

The picture of my belly was taken last week. We have since bought a new camera so expect the quality of photos to get better in the future.

I am now 20 weeks. I can't believe how fast things are going. I think each pregnancy goes faster.

While I am posting I will include some pictures taken of the girls a couple of weeks ago on Anzac day. We walked down to the War Memorial for the march.

I am going to dedicate the next post to our baby. I think the first pictures deserve a post on its own.

1 More Sleep....

2007-04-29T19:01:00.000+09:30

1 more sleep till I know if I need to change the colour of this blog. We are going for our 19 week scan and hope to find out the sex of this baby. I am not worried what it is. We are pretty certain it will be a girl. But if it's a boy I can't keep the blog pink. It will be strange not being able to refer to my children as 'the girls' anymore.

I am sitting here tonight feeling very excited about the unknown. I will be very disappointed if they can't see. I will have to wait until I am around 30 weeks when http://www.bundlesbaby.com.au/bundles/bundles_index.htm are giving me a complimentary 3D/4D ultrasound. I can't wait to show of some happy snaps on here tomorrow night.

As I always say 'Stay tuned'.

A wonderful birthday party.....

2007-04-07T19:45:00.000+09:30

The girls had their 4th birthday party today. This is the first party since their 1st. I have felt a little guilty about that. I had good intentions last year but it was just too much with a newborn baby.

This year I went all out and have had two busy weekends in a row. Last weekend we had a combined christening/birthday for Maisie with our immediate family. And today we had a party at a local play centre for the twins. We invited friends from Reid preschool, Wattle and family friends. All the children played well together and had a great time.

The doll cake is made by me with the help of my two nephews Kelvin and Tim. And the lion was made by my mum. I am not clever enough to do something that good. Kelvin and Tim helped mum make it. Apparently Uncle David helped by liking the icing bowl.

Anyway I thought I might share a few pictures from the lovely day.......

There are a couple of the cakes. Jess is in the one with lion. Sophie with the doll. Nick is holding Maisie in one and I have included one of my dear nephews Kelvin and Tim.

We love you Miss Hannigan......

2007-03-23T18:44:00.000+10:30

Funny thing just happened and I just had to share. For anyone not familiar with the classic children's musical 'Annie' this will probably not be very funny.

I came down stairs to find blocks and toys everywhere. I roused on the girls using the old teachers voice as we do.

Here goes the conversation between Jess and myself.

Me: 'What is this mess? Clean it up now!'

Jess: (turns and looks at me with a sad serious expression on her face) 'We love you Miss Hannigan'

The look on her face and tone of her voice set me off immediately. I broke out into laughter. She was still very serious as the character Annie would be. I quickly stopped my laughter and this was replaced with sheer horror. As I remembered just what this woman was like.

Here is a character description of her:

"Miss Hannigan is a lonely old woman with only her orphanage, full of little girls who she truly hates. She punishes the girls cruelly and always tries to make them miserable. "

I might have to re think my parenting techniques if I'm being compared to Miss Hannigan. I''m not that bad am I? Please tell me I'm not.......

Oh and I think I should enrol Jess into acting classes. She has an amazing talent.....

He's here and needs a name.....

2007-03-15T16:14:00.000+10:30

Finally Nick is not the only man in the house..............

I have been wanting to get a little model for some time. Maisie and I went out shopping on Thursday. There is a beautiful baby and maternity shop in the city that I like to look at. When walking past the window he caught my eye.

Luckily for me one of our suppliers works there and was on that day. She let me adopt him. He is originally from Europe and has been living in the shop modelling this and that.

How do we know it's a boy? Well he is let me say very realistic. He has fitted in to our family life very well so far. Maisie just laughs at him and Sophie tries to steal him and hide him in her room.

We don't do boy names in this house. And this little guy needs a name. Suggestions are more than welcome......

I am so sorry for lack of posts..........

2007-02-23T19:24:00.000+10:30

I am very sorry to all my devoted blog readers. I have been very unwell these past few weeks. Self inflicted I might add. I am around 9 weeks pregnant with very bad morning day and night sickness combined with a couple of urinary tract infections. I am one of these very unlucky ones.........

Thankfully my beautiful mum is coming down tomorrow and will be taking the girls and I up to stay with her and my dad for the week. I did the exact same thing when I was pregnant with Maisie.

On a good note our site is up and running. The amazing Tea has come up with something very special. Nick and I are so happy. I am so glad we crossed paths..... But that is another story......

www.mpvw.com.au

I will be back very soon with some great updates on our 3 beautiful girls.................

Don't worry about the croup! Look at the swollen cheeks....

2007-02-01T21:22:00.000+10:30

Last night was rather eventful in our house in downtown Canberra. Maisie has had a little cough for a couple of days, just when she wakes in the morning. Once she's up it clears. She has had no temps and no other symptoms. I put her to bed last night and as usual she made no fuss. At around 3am she woke and was rather distressed. I went straight into her room to find her struggling for breath.

It took her straight up to the hospital. A young Irish Dr came and saw us immediately. His first words were 'OMG her cheeks are very swollen. Are they normally this big?'. He was really concerned. I said 'Yes they are. This is very normal. Big cheeks run in the family'. Ha ha. Don't worry anything else just the enormous cheeks. Like her elder sister Jess she has inherited the most beautiful squeezable cheeks. And we love them.....

Jessie would you like a new baby?........

2007-01-28T15:13:00.000+10:30

This morning I was in the bathroom and Jess came in. I said to her "Jess would you like mum to have a baby". Jess says "Yes mum. I would like a brown one please". She then goes on to say "And I will be the grandma ma". Righto............... Out of the mouths of babes eh..........

Maisie's favourite things........

2007-01-26T09:51:00.000+10:30

As Maisie is only 10 months old her possessions are limited. However since starting Child Care she has become particularly attached to her comfort bunnies named 'Marshmallow' and 'Bobbin'.

I have been putting Marshmallow in the bed with her since she was 5 weeks old. And Bobbin was a present from Santa which automatically went into the cot for sleep times. I knew she loved going to bed with these toys; but had little knowledge of how attached to them she had become. I think it's nice for a child to have a particular toy or item which gives them comfort and confidence to face the real world. The lovely ladies who look after Maisie give them to her if she get's upset; she instantly calms.

A few of Sophie's favourite things.......

2007-01-26T08:59:00.000+10:30

Sophie a hoarder of junk like my mother. She has many favourite items. Some of which are rather quirky. I have taken some pics of a couple of them as there are too many for one post.

I will start with the wardrobe. I have bought Sophie many nice things and hand made some very nice things. But good old Sophie will always go back to the same few items she loves to wear. I was the same as a child. A complete dag. Included in these favourite things are: three brown skirts, a pink dress with an embroidered miss Polly, a butterfly t-shirt and her 'sparkly jeans'. She also loves her pink Clarke's sandals. She wears these with knee high socks pulled up. I wonder if she will remember these items when she reads this diary in 20 years time.

A few of her favourite toys are: Rosie the doll (grandma picked up at a fete), brown doggy (which belonged to me as a child), squeaky doll (another bought at a fete and has a bad arm that squeaks) and a fairy doll mum bought her for using the toilet. All but one of these toys are second hand. Why is it that children love pre-loved toys so much. I have bought her some beautiful toys but she always goes back to these.

She also has a little note book for drawing in.

Sophie has several fairy dress up outfits which she loves to dress up in.

Sophie's favourite movie is BMX Bandits. I have no idea why. She calls it the 'Bike Movie'. I am pretty sure it was one Nick picked up cheap and played it one day. For anyone who doesn't know it was a classic kids movie from the 80s. One of the main character is played by Nicole Kidman. I think most children from the 80s pretended they were a BMX bandit at one point. I know I did.

It will be interesting to see how her habits progress as she grows. I love the fact she can take an old biscuit box and make it into something using her imagination. I will never need to spend much money on her. She is more than happy to make do with things around the home. Or bought at fete's by her grandmothers.

This Week's Book......

2007-01-15T12:50:00.000+10:30

This week were are reading the classic fairy tale Cinderella. I loved this book as a child. I have never read this to the girls so it will be interesting to see if they know the story. I am sure they have been exposed to many fairy tales at preschool.

Nick and I have set time aside each night for Sophie and Jess to do some homework. We hope this will get them in good habits before they start school next year. They will be younger for their year so we want to give them as much help as we can. I do believe they will be more than ready to start school. The time each night is spent reading and writing and playing a special education game Nick bought the other day. It's a little like twister and helps them with getting to know lefts and rights.

I plan to have a 'book of the week' starting each Monday.

I have taken some pictures of the book for you all to enjoy. Unfortunately the pictures do the book no justice. The book itself is Circa 1947. I am a keen collector of vintage children's books.

Maisie's lost doll.....

2007-01-14T10:13:00.000+10:30

Well we didn't even realise it was lost until this morning. Nick walked down to get some milk and noticed a doll sitting on our neighbours mailbox that looked very much like Maisie's first doll. That being a beautiful Corolle.

Yesterday Nick took her down to the city in the pram. The doll who has no name as yet always goes in the pram with her. I am guessing she threw it out somewhere around here. A kind person has picked it up and sat it near where it was lost.

Ahhhhhhh nice to see there are still lovely people in this world. The doll is worth $60 so I am happy I didn't have to replace it.

A Post for the Birthday Girl Suzanne....

2007-01-12T09:08:00.000+10:30

I have been really busy and slack at the same time for about two weeks now. I received a lovely PM from a friend on EB Suzanne (Duimelot). I met Suzanne hanging out in my favourite section 'Product Reviews'. We seem to have the same taste in things like 'Oilily' clothing and accessories and 'Bugaboo' prams rofl. I am a total Oilily tragic. Nick can back me up on that one. I just love anything Oilily. I love the colours and quirkiness. All of my EB friends know that I like to hang out in the product review section too *blush*. And they know of you too Suzanne.

Anyway my point of this post is to let Suzanne and for anyone else who is interested have and update on what Maisie (otherwise known as the slug) is up to. Suzanne's daughter Luna is the same age as Maisie. She was due on the 25 March 2006 and I was due on the 26 March 2006.

Maisie is going through this separation anxiety thing at the moment. If I dare leave a room she gets very annoyed and follows me crying. This is making things around here hard and draining as you can imagine. I know it's just a little phase and I love her to bits. My Bear Hug Baby sling is coming in very handy. I have mastered the art of vacuuming and watering the garden all while Maisie happily sits in the sling on my hip. I have also converted the Bug so she is facing us (gotta love that feature)

Maisie started crawling around November. She is so fast now and is into everything. The twins never ventured much but Maisie is a different story. She has been cruising around the furniture for a couple of months and is very strong with pulling herself up.

She says mum, dad and bub. And I think said 'bye' the other day to Nick. She has mastered the art of clapping and waving.

Nick had 2 weeks off over Christmas and really bonded with her. At 8am each morning her would pop her in the pram and take her down to the city for a coffee or to pick something up from the shops. She adores him. When ever he enters a room she lights up and throws her arms around.

That's another thing she is doing. When she gets into trouble she waves both her arms up and down. Very funny. She thinks it's a game lol.

She still dribbles heaps. I think if we collected all her dribble she could break the drought. Hence why she has the nickname 'slug'. She leaves a slug trail where ever she goes.

Like Luna she is a very easy baby. Nick and I are forever saying that. She goes with us where ever we go and never complains.

That is all I can think of at the moment.

I hope you had a great birthday. It was my 30th in November last year and I kept it very low key. I hate getting old. I was in denial all day.

Here is a link I thought you might like for your enjoyment and everyone else (thank you Amanda)

http://www.myretrobaby.com/content/Home/1

Love Belinda

Some more pictures....

2007-01-12T08:52:00.000+10:30

I thought I would start this blog and bombard everyone with pictures. This posts consists of some more from Christmas and a few of Maisie with her cousin Ruby. Ruby is the daughter of my brother James and his lovely wife Natalie. She was born in June 2006. Like Will she gives her parents grief with her sleeping habits.

I am also including one from New Years Eve. We had our good friends Kim and Dave over for dinner and we were outnumbered by kids. The picture is from left to right Maddison, Chloe, Sophie and Jess. Kim and I walked down into the city to get away from the kid overload. We got back in time for the countdown and watched the fireworks from the font of our place. Nick and Dave took the girls up to the balcony to watch the earlier ones while Kim and I were out. it was a quiet New Years Eve. In our younger days Kim and I partied hard. Now we are mothers things are different.

Nick and I are thinking of booking a Harbour View room in Sydney in a few years time. We will take the girls up with us.

Some of Maisie's friends....

2007-01-11T15:07:00.000+10:30

Over the last 12 months I have met some of the most amazing women on my favourite mumma website Essential Baby. I thought I might (with their permission) put up a couple of pics of these beautiful kids who are around the same age as Maisie. Who knows one of the boys could be my future son in law. And with mother's like they have I wouldn't complain.

The first is 'the man' Zane. Born in October2005. Zane has been a great little guy for his mum and dad. Zizzy did resort to some funny methods with him at one point but that is water under a bridge now. Zizzy, Zane's mum has been my rock over the last six months. We recently met up in Melbourne.

Second is the 'Punk' Will. He was born in January 2006. He gives his mum a little grief with his sleeping habits but I'm sure he'll grow out of it. And then start again when he reaches 18. Will's mum Mel has been wonderful company for me. We have had some very funny conversations. We both share a love of cloth nappies.

Lastly is Miss Ava. Who was born in March 2006. She is the most adorable easy going baby. Her mum Amanda is someone who I consider a really great friend. She has a great sense of humour and I enjoy our chats. We have been great support for each other having babies so close in age.

I have many more online friends and I will chase them up for pics to post here in Sophie, Jessie and Maisie's meeting place.

Christmas Day 2006 at Aunties House

2007-01-11T14:25:00.000+10:30

Third time lucky..

2007-01-11T14:23:00.000+10:30

This is my third attempt at posting in this blog. For some reason or another I have lost it when I am about to publish it.

It is 38 here today and I couldn't be bothered typing everything out again. I might just post a few pictures of my beautiful girls and their cousin Ian from Christmas.