Perspective...

If you were 5 and you woke up at 5am when you really weren't ready to be awake but you're the type of kid that just starts moving before your eyes are opened, you would end up like AJ did the other night at 7pm when she realised that she had never been given back her birthday cards that I took away from her when she was being naughty one day.

This was a fair few months ago now so why she happened to remember them that night is beyond me. BUT she did and she came out and the conversation went something like this amidst a lot of tears ...

AJ:  Dad, do you know if my birthday cards have been taken by the big truck?

Dad: Not sure.

AJ:  But I really need them, Dad. They are the ones from when I turned 5.

Dad: So? I don't have any of my birthday cards from when I was little.

AJ:  (sobbing) But I need them because if I don't get them back when I get older I won't remember when I was 5 (hysterical now) and I need to remember when I was 5.

I came out of the office to see what the fuss was about.

AJ:  Mum, can you please get my cards out of the bin?

Me:  Sure. (Trying hard not to laugh) Go back to bed and I'll see what I can do.

AJ:  So you don't think the truck took them away then?

Me:  No, I think we'll be able to get them back.

AJ:  *sniff* I love you Mum.

Me:  I love you too. Goodnight.

She now thinks I'm some kind of super mum with magic powers. Not too bad but the whole "I love you Mum" got me thinking how cranky she will be at me in years to come when she realises she was played! I'm sure it will be one of those memories due to the sheer dramatics of it that she will always remember.

Luckily we have put money aside for the loads of therapy the girls just might need if we continue to mess with their heads as only mums and dads can do.

Hard To Believe...

That anyone with any basic human decency could light (and relight) the fires that are causing such devastation in Victoria.

It makes my skin crawl to think that someone, somewhere is getting a kick out of this. Innocent lives being lost, mass devastation ... it is just horrifying!

And I'm only talking from the perspective of someone who is miles away worrying about good friends and watching the destruction through a TV screen. Imagine being there, living through this nightmare and knowing that someone is repsonible for what is happening to you, your family, your community.

Every day the nightmare gets worse. There are more victims, more losses, more stories of terror and near misses.

My heart breaks for the family and friends of loved ones lost and the sheer senselessness of it all.

Just a terrible tragedy that will be etched into the minds of so many for so long. : (

Three Months On ...

This time today three months ago we were getting ready to meet you!

I am so proud of myself for fighting so hard for you to be here and trusting my instincts that I needed you here.

I do not regret having you one little bit.

You are already starting to get vocal and I can't help but think that you're feeling you need to get in now or forever hold your peace. LOL

You LOVE your sisters. Your face lights up when your eyes settle on them.

I am so excited to see what the future holds for our familiy and the dynamic that you will bring to it. I can hardly wait to see the type of little girl that you become. Will you be daring like the middle one or a safety first kinda girl like the first born? I'm guessing the stubborn, determined streak will run through you just as it does your sisters. Maybe you'll be a little bit of both or maybe you'll be totally different again.

You are almost rolling. Please stop trying. You are growing up way too fast.

Thank you for choosing me. Us. To share the journey that will be yours.

Quotable Quotes...

Pay particular attention to

Schmoo's chosen footwear

for the day.

On arriving at Movie World, AJ was so excited she could hardly sit still.

AJ:  Are we there?

Me: Yep.

AJ:  Oh wow! I can't believe I'm here. At Movie World. This is my dream come true!

If only all of our dreams were so easily granted. *sigh*

Scooby Aaarrrgghhh!!!

If you were my 5 year old daughter and you went to Movie World and just had to, had to, had to go into the Scooby house - she didn't read that it was a "coaster" - and your dad took you in because he had no idea what to expect either, this is probably what you would look like upon exiting the ride.

The poor little thing was scared out of her wits. It was only after they had gone in that my friend told me how scary it was, at which point I said "Where's the exit? I so need a photo of her after this!". Bwahahahaha.

In the photo they took of her that displayed on the screen my poor little girl was almost in CJ's lap and clinging onto his arm for dear life.

CJ advised me later that he had actually calmed her down a bit before walking out, poor little thing.

I think she'll be asking more questions from hereon in.

12 Weeks...

Today marks 12 weeks of breastfeeding the Wee One.

I have to say I am a little proud of myself for reaching this, the second goal in our breastfeeding relationship.

I am also a little unsure of what happens next. We are entering unchartered waters for this family as this is the longest I have breastfed any of my children. I always felt guilty giving up with Schmoo at 10 weeks but work commitments and travel were just so unkind to that relationship. Not to mention the CT scan - the one they forgot to tell me affected my milk - that saw the end of the relationship altogether. Grrr!

So onto goal number 3. I could say to get to 3 months which is next week but that's being cheeky so I'm going to be brave and set my sights on 6 months.

Looking back 3 months has gone so quickly we almost missed it and the Wee One is growing up so quickly.

I can now say I am enjoying my early morning feeds with her. Just the two of us sharing the stillness of the early morning - except for that f#*king rooster that thinks 2am is a good time to start crowing - and then snuggling up together to catch some extra zzz's before the sun comes up. If I put her back in her cot the rooster seems to echo through her room again around 4 which wakes her up so she spends the morning with mummy and daddy. She is far more settled and I get that little bit of extra sleep which certainly doesn't hurt.

So, I am quietly confident I can do this and I feel I owe it, not only to myself and the Wee One, but to the people who have helped me get here. 

Wish me luck .....

I Love Easter Because ...

There is only one reason I love easter eggs being sold in stores so soon after Christmas.

It should be because I can start stockpiling for our annual treasure hunt or for my nephews and nieces but no, no, no. I must confess it is purely self-indulgent.

These are my weakness. 

When I was pregnant with AJ and Schmoo I hate to even hazard a guess at how many of these I consumed. Come to think of it, they've been in Coles for about 3 weeks now and I've already eaten 4 bags. Granted these days I have little helpers to get through a bag but still, I make sure I get the bulk.

The year I was pregnant with Schmoo I think would have been my biggest year. My grandparents were even searching for them and I was seriously stockpiling them.

It's now like a yearly ritual that I have trained them all in and each year they search for them without even being asked.

Thank goodness I don't shop at Coles every week. Only every second one. ; p