photos for the local newspaper

We had nominated one of our beautiful nurses from the Royal Children's for a Pride of Australia medal - last October (after we had spent the day together with Jodie doing an endocrine test on little one - for 4 hours of bloods and toe pricks).

In the last few weeks we had some photos of taken for our local newspaper and I couldn't be prouder of our boy and Jodie.

The photo looked great and I am praying and hoping that her nomination will be one of the top three in the State as then she will go through to Australia wide nominations.  She really deserves to be recognised for her work and also to be a representation of our amazing nurses at the Royal... fingers crossed.

Here is a link (hopefully) to the article: Pride of Australia nomination for our nurse Jodie

P.S. Photos courtesy of soon to be 6 year old son!

a very pretty distraction

images from Cote De Texax blog... thank you for making my week

Escaping from my ho-hum week of suburban wife/motherhood, I have been escaping in to the 'It's Complicated' house.  This would be my dream home.  I would even forgo a Cape Cod dream house or my Formosa Road dream house for THIS house!

Trying to live in the moment and be mindful of my time and days, although it has been hard this week.  School holidays start on Saturday and I am dreaming of the squally winter coastline of Northern New South Wales just a little too much.

Three weeks to go...

Getting very cranky with the arm splints.  Nearly three weeks done - three to go!  The countdown is on.

First fete... just getting used to this whole school thing!

First fete prep ever.  I can't believe that my Mum and Dad this every year for what feels like forever! Plus the netball/swimming/triathlon support, help, baking and set up/pack up.  How do I ever even begin to repay my parents?

Very daunting and my only contribution is baking and preserve making (first time for both).  As long as it does not have my name on, surely I can not be held responsible for food poising/botulism?

1. Nightfury (or commonly called Toothless) was taken on an amazing adventure courtesy of little one's arm splints velcro.
2. Middle one.
3. Gelison our new adopted Orangutan courtesy of my beautiful Aunt.
4. Starting work on finding little one the best infant team of Allied Health in the 'outside' world.  They may be the most amazing physio, speechy or OT but I need them to suit little one and that is the tricky part.

Friday photos

Big boy has been completely exhausted, middle one seems to be settling in to our routine (and going to music lessons on his own) and little one is nearly pain free but annoyed with his arm splints.

Cleft palate repair day

Little one had his cleft palate repaired (all of his soft palate and a little bit of the hard) last Thursday.  It feels like a milestone for us as this was the first thing discovered and then it will be our last big operation.  Our boy was gone for five hours while they worked on him and we went for a drive to get a few things done for the business.  My anxiety was bad the further we drove from the hospital but in general I thought I coped very well.  We only had two nights in PICU and were able to come home on the Saturday morning.

He is amazing to watch with his little arm splints on and they are not as bad as what we were expecting.  He can still use his arms and move around like normal.

His pain was bad yesterday afternoon and we sat on the couch together snuggling and watching TV.

His pain tolerance is amazing.  He smiles, gets on with things and know sounds like a baby lion cub.

We are one step closer to completely no more admissions.

It's been too long...

I am making a comeback... it has been too long between drinks.

We have been home since 6 January 2013 (only with one hospital admission for surgery within that time).  It is amazing, 'normal feeling' and lovely to finally have my three babies at home with us.  I now have three washing piles, three washing baskets and three beds to make.

Little one is coming along beautifully and has a funky vpap machine (variable positive airway pressure... similar to cpap/bipap) that I think I am contributing much of his growth too... not that I am going to admit it to our respiratory doctors just yet, as I was very adamant that I didn't want him to have it.  He is amazing and celebrated his second birthday last week - out of hospital this year!

So in love with our babes! And its so nice to be consistently at home in our own beds.

The day after Boxing Day

I am back and I am still tired. We have been busy enjoying life this past month with a trip to the beach, Christmas celebrations, a camping trip for my three big boys and having visits from one of my London sisters.

Now we are back in for a 10 day stay for IV treatment (I am learning that this is called a 'tune up' in no uncertain words.

One of my New Years resolution is to post more often. Some days go so fast I don't have time to think and I want to keep track of everything. I want my life to pause some days so I can keep my boys this age forever. They are so lovely and smell so beautiful after their evening baths that they are truly the most divine things ever.

They rock my world, make me laugh hysterically, make me want to pull my hair out and press my rewind button because I swear some days I say the same thing constantly... It annoys me, I can't imagine how they must feel!

Stay tuned, we are going to be in for a massive 2013 filled with good stable health, wealth that is coming our way, simplicity of being together and peace at being home with our family under the one roof!

 

Birthday love to my travelling sister

Wishing you all the love, happiness and joy on your old lady birthday.

Welcome to the dirty thirties! It's great fun... Just wait and see.

Your strength, patience and determination is beyond amazing and you have achieved everything you have because you are so incredibly committed to building your life by your own choices.

You are an inspiration.

Enjoy Garth, looking after the little itty and be kind to your liver.

XXxxx

 

I am grateful for Wednesdays

 

 

Our first tomato harvest (that's my definition of a harvest... Not my man's though... Country born and bred, his definition of harvest is very very different).

Not too bad for first timers. Now we just need to work out what to do next? Rip everything out and start again? Let the soil recover? Or keep everything the same until it browns and withers?

XXxxx

 

Inspiration when I needed it...

The right place at the right time and I found exactly what I needed to hear to lift my spirit.

I found A-M's blog our second day in to transplant and I have been stalking it ever since. I have never commented or mentioned it before but it is my most favourite blog ever and one of the inspirations in starting my own.

Her writing is honest, insightful and her thoughts are so human, ,motherly and normal. I want to send her one of our little one's thank you cards (But I don't want to really seem stalker-ish) because her blog got me through many restless nights and was a very welcome distraction first thing in the morning after normally very long nights of morphine and mucositis.

I used to check a million times over at about 5ish in the morning to see if there was a new post... I used to try and beat or be on the same timing as her posting... Odd but nothing else to do in a positive pressure air locked isolation transplant room!

Since I have revealed my most favourite blogger, I intend to link to her site more often. She is amazing and a joy to stalk her blog every day.

XXxxx

Slowing down

 

 

I found the Slow Your Home blog last night in my search for advice and motivation to make myself of aware of time and gratitude.

Feeling a bit better today in my mood, though I am going to try to do things a little differently each day... Change my normal patterns and see how things go.

XXxxx

The rain and a rut

 

The rain came over the weekend and so did my mood. I feel like I am stuck in a rut, doing the same thing over and over again and taking everyone along with my foulness. I need a change, or a challenge or something exciting to happen (not sure what sort of exciting but it always sounds so exotic and interesting).

I know I am dealing with enough to fill my days and my time, but I want to do something different and to stay awake at night with a purpose and an outlet. And maybe to feel like I have achieved something... I know I am achieving something in raising three boys to be the best people they can be, but maybe some sort of achievement that's about me?

I don't know, my head is over thinking things and I know it needs to stop.

I think maybe today I will take a step back, take my time to do things and realise that I have all the time in the world to be with my boys and with myself. I am normally Ms Grateful and I think I am forgetting that with this mood. I am going to be slow today and hope to be more mindful. Then I'm hoping this mood will pass (which I know it will).

XXxxx

Thursdays

Best ever cheesecake.

Best ever (first ever) hydrangea.

Best ever buggy built by middle baby.

Best ever sort of day even though it was very tough on my head to focus on what is important. Nearly three weeks back in and I am homesick for home and our version of normal.

Sundays

We are very bored this afternoon... But the great news is we are expecting company! My girlfriends are bringing wine and cheese. The weekends can be the hardest when I know the big boys are hanging out together, so the girls are a very welcome distraction.

I wont see the big ones until Tuesday, so I am trying not to think about time. It is such a cliche, I want to enjoy every second but then all on one thought, I just want the next 10 days over so we can go home again. At least we go home home, many of the family's stay at accommodation houses near the hospital and can be nearly 2 years without being home home for any extended period of time.

I miss my big boys, all three of them but am trying to be grateful that at least we have an end date of home time rather than never knowing when home day was which was what we dealt with for 10 months. There is really truly no place like home (your own bed, bathroom and backyard... Oh and having all of my little family under the one roof).

X

Fridays

What a beautiful way to start the day after a very very long night is the arrival of a beautiful boy for our beautiful friends.

Little one had an odd night but we are soon going back to our oncology ward so that will mean a sleep for him and a shower for me.

Wednesdays that go on forever

You never know how strong you are,

Until being strong is your only choice.

Bob Marley

Mondays

The big boys being spoilt by their gorgeous aunt...

Little one's afternoon viewing with his beloved Jimmy Giggle and Hoot.

Sleeping until 8am

Not sure where this one came from. But Tiny Buddha is always a source of joy for me x