Off to the Show...

Well, the weekend has not bee a great one. Lots of fighting amongst the two older girls, which is a rarity but, when it does happen, they do it extremely well. Never let it be said that my girls do things by halves - kinda like their mother really.

And the husband and I have not been at war as such but more that deadly, silent standoff where the anger is running deeply enough to just not even want to yell or scream. You know, the scary kind of silence you administer when you want him to really know you're not happy and he's sitting there most of the time scratching his head wondering why? Because, he. Just. Can't. Fathom what he could have possibly done even when it's as plain as the nose on his face? Yep. That's the type.

Anyway, we had show tickets. We bought them a couple of weeks back. The girls were so excited to be going. I was a little hesitant and decided we would hold off until the late afternoon. One, so it wasn't as hot and two, so we didn't have to try and entertain three little people for too long before the much anticipated fireworks display when in reality we could have been in and out in under an hour.

So, after the Wee One put in a poor performance of sleep for the day, we trundled off, me not knowing how the day would go. With a family of five - actually come to think of it, for us it was even as a family of three - a day out could go either way and it usually goes the bad way before we even get to the car. I have, on a number of occasions, called off an outing due to the sheer stress of walking out the door. It ends with everyone else being happy and me needing a week to get over whatever just happened that didn't even involve me originally. Such is the way with us. I guess when you put a few strong willed people in a room there's going to be fireworks more often than not huh?

So, after threatening to give our tickets to some lucky passers by at the actual show because the girls couldn't seem to be pleasant for the 15 minute car trip - yes. Only 15 minutes. Normally they are really good in the car. I have a theory that when Daddy is in the drivers seat it all begins because I seem to drive them around for the most part with little  arguing but as soon as there is 5 again, it starts - we walk through the gates and the girls forget about fighting and excitement reigns once again.

Getting back to the under the hour theory, this was our itinerary. We went to sideshow alley to make decisions on rides and games. The girls had a limit on the amount we were to spend. The two older girls and I went through the Sea House - which is like that whacky little house in Grease complete with the hampster wheel - where the first challenge was that spinning little wheel. After helping AJ through, Schmoo decided she'd skip it all together but, of course, being the good sport that I am, I thought why not give it a go. What. A. Mistake. I managed to get going okay but then the "helper" decided to put Schmoo in with me. So, with attention diverted to the task at hand it was only a natural progression that I would be the one to fall over and get stuck in said hampster wheel in direct view of all and sundry. At least I was wearing jeans and I got a few cheers for participation.

I have to say as far as fun houses go though, it was a pretty impressive one. Three stories and it took us the good part of 10-15 minutes to get through it all. Then to end Schmoo wanted to get back down via the slide. *Ahem* Really? Yes, but not without me. So, off we go again and it was tiny. And my feet kept getting stuck on the corners and we came out sideways. Screaming all the way!

So, that out of the way, there was a small ferris wheel that Schmoo chose to ride - she was bored after about three turns and the man was trying to be nice and leave her on but her face was so unimpressed - then a quick look at the animal nursery. The girls went "fishing" and got a prize each. Next up was fairy floss and a dagwood dog - ugh - and then we bought them a showbag. My girls are very grateful when it comes to things like this. They were happy with just one and a toy. Schmoo got her bubble blower and AJ her very first kite. Everyone happy? Off we went to watch some dancing and then headed over to the hill for the night entertainment.

As we were waiting for the sun to set the girls happily rolled down the hill and ran around the grounds while we laid out the picnic blanket and got some snacks out. Then off to grab some hot chips - yummy - and, of course, a glow stick. But not just any glow stick. No sirree.... Gone are the days where one buys those cheap little sticks that you crack and get so excited to be seeing the colour come to life before your eyes. The girls are still happy with them .... until they see everyone else with something far more impressive.

So, they got a spinning disco ball thing that the Wee One absolutely loved. She stole AJ's for the best part of the evening. That was definitely the highlight for her. The Wee One redeemed herself with a nap and we watched the motocross riders - it doesn't matter how many times I see it done, that backflip on a motorbike scares me to no end - and then........

Fireworks. Where Schmoo immediately buried her head into my chest and screamed "Take me home!" So, with the Wee One tucked up in Daddy's arms and Schmoo trying to get so far into the back of the pram that she almost tipped it over, AJ and I slowly backed away from the Show trying to watch the fireworks until the very end.

The verdict. It was a really great afternoon. I am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the day with my family. I know that sounds bad but we are a bit hit and miss with these planned outings, however, we are definitely getting better at it. Or maybe I'm just getting better at planning!

More Fun...

Yes, in the sun again no less. The only trace of Winter here is the cooler late night and very early morning breeze.

Other than that. It's officially Summer. We have even skipped Spring, going straight for the 31 degree days. I have it on, what I hope is good authority, that Winter will return again this week so I live in hope.

But, in the meantime, this is how we spent our Show holiday yesterday.

Take particular note of the pooch showing

a great deal of restrain with his nose so close to food.

The Wee One demonstrating her

stand alone skills

Fun In The Sun...

Friends of ours just spent a relaxing two weeks in Byron Bay soaking up the sun, doing Yoga and just enjoying some down time before the arrival of their first baby - so excited for them.

We decided we would catch up, after not seeing them for quite some time - M had come for a brief visit not long after the Wee One was born but we have not seen C for-ever and I really wanted to catch up with her and get at least one belly rub in before this baby arrives - so we headed down for a day of almost summer fun.

And the girls had a total blast. The trip down was a little tense with a baby that just wouldn't relax and go to sleep - which also happened again on the way home - and two little girls anxious to go to the beach but we survived, only to get down there to find that it was the windiest day they had experienced. But there was no stopping our little troopers from exploring on the beach and having a great time despite the wind lashing us from every which way.

The Wee One was quite happy to just sit on the beach and play with the girls' sand buckets and spades while her two older siblings went splashing through the ocean. Schmoo decided a run would be nice and Daddy had to go chase her to bring her back but, apart from that, it was a great morning.

We then headed back to the house and the girls fed a magpie and we sat and chatted and caught up before heading up to the cafe for lunch where the girls befriended two young ladies with puppies. As usual I made the polite suggestion that the girls should be sent back if they got annoying but as usual, the ladies replied that they were so cute and welcome to stay and chat for as long as they liked. Which they did!

We went back to the house after lunch and chatted some more and the girls were very sad to have to leave but were happy with the promise of a play in the park on the way home.

It was such a fabulous day and the AJ and I have decided we are going to write a list of all the things we want to do on weekends so, whenever we are just sitting around feeling like nothing's happening, we will cross one thing off our list.

Oh and we're adding in a camping trip for the school holidays. I can't wait!

*Disclaimer - The Wee One's head was smothered in sunscreen because her hat kept blowing off in the wind! She was very happy that she didn't have to leave it on too. LOL

Just to Follow Up...

Thank you for the comments. : )

I should add that she does sleep well ONCE she is asleep. LOL

And I think I may have figured out that it has a lot to do with me trying to beat the clock when it comes to weekdays. I'm forever trying to fit her sleeps in around school pickups because I HATE having to wake a sleeping baby so it is more than likely that I am most often trying in vain to get her to go down before she is tired.

Yesterday afternoon I had to go out to a party - thanks Mel for helping me spend my money. LOL - and then take Schmoo to one so my husband was left at home with just the Wee One. AJ decided she just had to come along with me. Anyway, he asked me what time I thought she would be ready for a nap and I told him it would probably be around 2 (we discussed trying to add an extra half hour to her wake up time).

At 4.13 I get a message saying "Put her down at 2 and just walked away. Straight to sleep and she's only just woken up. Lol Lol Lol" to which, of course, I replied "You suck!"

BUT this morning I have held her out for a bit longer than I normally would after a night out and an early morning wake up and she did it. I put her in her cot and she went to sleep. I admit to still standing there just in case until her eyes were shut but I didn't have to hold her or pat her. Just a few "shhh" and she was done.

I'm not counting my chickens as there's always something I know but for now I take any small victory I can and I think I just have to remember that, of an afternoon, she's going to have to just get sleep when she can because it won't be long before it all changes again anyway.

*blush* And now I'll slink away feeling slightly embarrassed at the fact that my biggest problem at the moment (well aside from a couple of doozies that I'm dealing with that are totally not baby related but, if I was to be honest, probably do add that added tension when things don't go as planned) is more about me than anything else.

Spill...

I'm going to put this down and hopefully receive some feedback/coping strategies for "my" issewes with the Wee One.

How does it really make you feel when your baby won't sleep or eat or do something that you feel they should be doing.

I know this is about projecting what I think she should be doing onto her and sometimes she has different ideas.

When it comes to food, if she won't eat, I'm fine with it. I am fortunate enough to have well fed babies so if they go a day or two with the bare minimum I know it's not going to affect them a great deal. I have a friend who gets really stressed though when their little boy won't eat. I tend to live by the motto that if they're hungry they'll eat and as long as she's having a few bottles a day then all is well - most of the time. I still fall into the trap of trying to make her eat occasionally and then remind myself how silly I am being and that I never require the same amount of food day to day - as long as they're hydrated, you know?

And when it comes to milestones I've never been much of a worrier. Granted all of my children have done things that little bit earlier except for Schmoo with her talking but, again, I instinctively knew there was nothing wrong and that AJ had been particularly above average when she started speaking at 6 months old. So, when my husband would ask "What's wrong with Schmoo? Why won't she speak?" I would reply "Because she's "normal" and will talk when she's ready".

BUT, my big issue is sleep. Oh. My. God. I don't know why but it brings out the very worst in me. It could quite possibly be the biggest parenting fault of mine and I don't know if it's because AJ was such a terrible sleeper - 6 hours of 24 broken as a newborn thank you very much and this went on for nearly a year. I was broken by the time she hit 8 weeks old. She woke up at birth. There was no sleepy newborn phase for her - or if it's because I'm jealous and crave as much sleep as a baby can have or because she is cranky and irritable so why not have a nap because you obviously need it or if it's merely a matter of wanting my own way and not getting it. But. I. Just. Don't. Cope.

Nearly every sleep time we battle it out. I was spoilt with Schmoo after AJ - and thank goodness. Because 2 crappy sleepers in a row would have near killed me or at least sent me slowly insane - and I could just put her in her cot and leave the room. Very rarely was there a "fight" about sleep. And Schmooey is still like this now. She has only just given up her day sleeps and at worst night time can occasionally be a drama. Right now she is going through a clingy phase and wants me to sleep with her every night. Her bed is so uncomfortable and I have told her this and for now I can get away with saying that I have work to do in my office but that's about the extent of it. She then falls asleep and often sleeps in way after the other two have woken up - always like they will never fit enough into their day and have to get moving. NOW - But that's the extent of it with my Schmoo. I always say that her and I could go away for a holiday together because she'd let me have sleep ins.

And the Wee One is no way near as bad as AJ ever was but no way near as good as Schmoo and, when I'm standing there with a hand on either side of her sheet to keep her still long enough to get her to relax and realise she needs sleep, I wonder where I went wrong this time around. Why it is that I have to be there until she falls asleep even when she is so tired and why, more to the point, my husband can feed her a bottle, tuck her in and leave the room without her making so much as a peep.

Yet with me, following exactly the same practice, no sooner is my hand off the bed and I'm at the door she is looking for me and clambering to climb and stand in her cot. Do I hesitate that little bit too long? Can she sense the fear in me?

Most days, I stand there patiently and wait for her to drift off enough that I know me moving a hand won't rouse her but then there are days where it frustrates me to no end - normally when I can hear Schmoo entertaining herself and feel guilty because I'm spending so long fighting with a baby while my poor 3 year old is fending for herself - and it takes all I have not to burst into tears, or worse get angry. With her. It's not her fault. I get it. She's a baby. I know that. She'll sleep when she's tired. Really? Will she? Because at the moment it comes with alot of tears and her fighting it at every chance she gets.

So, really. Honestly now. How does it really make you feel , what do you do and how do you keep yourself in that happy place?

Disclaimer: Please know that I am aware of how trivial this is and there are others out there struggling with far greater things but as I said to my friend today - who was apologising for venting about a teenage daughter when I was having baby issues - Eh! They're not huge problems and I know that I will wish for such problems in a few years from now when I have a teenager in my house but. Right now. This is my problem and it does affect me more than I care to admit.

Busy Bee...

Have been so busy lately. It's hard to steal a moment. With a baby that's taking 10 days to get a tooth - and don't worry. I've done the math. She's only got two so far so that's 18 more to go at 10 days per tooth. 180 days my friends. That's right. Half. A. Year!!!

And taking up some extra curricular activities such as netball - don't even get me started on that one. There's a post in itself with photos that I just haven't got around to putting up here yet but let me just reiterate my original thoughts on any exercise at all. Dangerous. Very bad for you. Don't believe all the hype!

Not to mention fitting in "real" work, quality time with the family, laundry - who knew that a third child would double your washing pile? I mean there's only one more of them and yet everything seems doubled. Actually scares me to think about a fourth child - and some sleep. Sometimes I'm exhausted just thinking about the stuff I need to fit into a day.

But nearly every day I think "I must write about this on my blog" and then the moment is lost and I don't think about it again until the next time something happens.

And there goes the phone.

I will be back with stories to tell.