Snapshots

summer is early

2010-09-14T08:45:00.002+02:00

summer has arrived early, at 07:20 when I left to drop Chloe at school it was 28*C and by 07:45 it was 30*C. get ready for a HOT, HOT day ppl!

it's the end of another day...

2010-09-13T21:19:00.002+02:00

it has been a long day, most likely due to lack of sleep and missing my husband, but it's time for some sleep and hopefully a better day tomorrow.

sweet potato update

2010-09-13T12:25:00.000+02:00

well, my sweet potato is growing well, and is now sprouting leaves.

i thought it was going to produce only roots at one stage, it has just been taking it's time in getting to the leaf stage of sprouting...

now i just have to figure out where i'm going to plant it when it is ready to be planted.....

shongweni dam

2010-09-06T11:47:00.001+02:00

yesterday, we decided that it would be an awesome idea to head up to
shongweni dam for the day (actually a lunch time picnic and the afternoon), and what an idea it landed up being! the place where we stopped was right by the canoe club (who knew there was one there?) and then after having lunch, chloe decided it was time for some exploring,
and ended up in the dried river bed, in the "sand pit", if only i had known, i'd have taken some sand pit toys with. then we took a drive to the dam wall, which produced some spectacular photo's. then we were off to the playground so chloe could play on the swings etc, which she loved, especially the trampolines. she is trying to do tricks now, like bouncing on her knees and sitting and then getting back up again, but not very successfully! she had such fun.

now just to get a group of friends together, and have her chomma's there
too and we will have an awesome time!

oh yes, this is one of the sun dresses that we are making for chloe, she absolutely adores this one and between the two she has in this style, i battle to keep up with the washing...

sun dresses

2010-09-02T13:05:00.000+02:00

it has come time to make some dresses for chloe for spring and summer. i have bought a pattern for a pretty one, which is nice an plain, which makes for an easy sew, and i can also use the same pattern for making vests for the little one too. I have also cut the pattern off another dress for her, which is also as simple as anything to make, and if i know chloe, she will want shorts to wear underneath the dresses too.

It will be time to head off to the shop just now to get some fabric to make the dresses with, and then after dropping off some pictures for tracy, i'll pop in at mom's to get started on the first round of dresses. yay!

i'll post some pictures of the finished dresses when they're done, modeled by chloe of course!

of sweet potatoes

2010-08-27T08:48:00.000+02:00

i've become a little obsessed with orange fleshed sweet potatoes. this means that i have been scouring the shops to find them, and i was over the moon on tuesday to find some at the store i was visiting. then after some research, i discovered you can grow them from the tuber, the same way we grew avo tree's in water suspended on tooth picks. so here is the beginning of my sweet potato journey. here is the said potato.

will the super star chart work with chloe?

2010-08-27T07:00:00.000+02:00

last night was the first installment of the star chart system, and
while chloe was really excited to be able to stick the stickers onto the
chart, the big black crosses didn't seem to worry her too much.
however, having said that, some of her behaviour was improved and i had
fewer fights with her when the chart was mentioned. i think it will
take a week or so to really gain it's full effect. i am glad that i
have started it though, with the main aim to get her night trained, so
she gets through a night without nappies, and not by luck either. i am
also hoping it will make some difference to the supper struggle... not
last night though. it certainly made getting her to settle to sleep
easier. perhaps when i get to the end of the first chart she will
understand the full meaning and see that there is reward at the end of
the chart and behave better... i'll keep you posted.

tinkerbell visits chloe

2010-08-26T20:25:00.001+02:00

the scene is set for the surprise that tinkerbell has left for chloe to say thank you for her bottles and dummies for the baby fairies. i can't wait to see chloe's face when she gets home. she finally agreed this morning to let tinkerbell take them for the baby fairies. she seemed happy about it.

-oOo-

ok, so, this morning helen, chloe's teacher, helped develop the excitement asking chloe about tinkerbell coming to visit, and by this afternoon she seemed eager to get home. she even said "so excitin" when we got to the front door, and seemed a little disappointed when she thought tinkerbell hadn't been, but then she saw the package on the lounge table, and wasn't sure if she could open it. not much coaxing was needed though! she wore her minni mouse fairy cap all evening, had juice out of her new sippy bottle and we were drinking "tea" from her new tea set all evening.

there was also the added bonus of the tinkerbell dummy which tink had promised, which tink had left on her pillow wrapped up like a sweet. chloe has been told that tink said it has to stay on her bed, and is only for sleep time, which seemed to go down fairly well. perhaps this has all gone too easy? we will see, but for the time being i am not going to stress about anything and just let it all take it's course.

toddler cooperation

2010-08-26T14:42:00.000+02:00

thank you to sandy for the idea and template for attempting to get more cooperation from our very feisty toddler. introducing chloe's star chart, which i hope to begin implementing today. all that is missing are the reward stickers, which i will get a little later today. i'm hoping that this will challenge her to behave better, and to be more cooperative... i'll let you know though...

spring is around the corner

2010-08-26T13:44:00.003+02:00

the things people email me, i have to laugh, and spring time seems to
present a barrage of emails like this one :)

~ 2010 ~ a new adventure

2010-01-06T13:16:00.001+02:00

If 2009 was a blur then I am hoping that 2010 will be an awesome adventure, and hopefully one which moves a little more sedately and certainly not so stressfully.

If I look back on last year, everything seemed to be a rush, and with a few wheels falling off, I managed to limp to the finish line, collapsing into bed at 9:30pm on New year’s eve. And don’t laugh, I know a good few people who did just about the same thing.

My photography started to take off nicely and I did a few weddings, including that of my dear brother Rob and his beautiful bride Wendy. I think of all the weddings I will ever photograph, that will be my all time favourite.

Going forward, I am going to really leap into the business of photography, grasping it with both hands and taking it on as a full time project. It will require some sacrifices from both Paul and I, which we have already started gearing up for, but in the grander scheme of things, I am positive that God will bless this passion of mine and it will be more than a “sacrifice”.

My little baby have blossomed into a toddler beautifully and every day with her is an adventure. She has become a real little girl, which includes being “scared” of mud, although with much coaxing, I managed to get her squish her toes in it. In less than a month’s time she will be 2 years old, which is a frightening thought, again, last year went by too fast.

I intend to be more active in updating this space more often this year, so watch this space J

Happy 2010 to everyone!

Grommets

2009-06-02T06:42:00.001+02:00

Ok, here we are. There was no choice in the matter. Chloe is a bit miz as she's hungry. Thank goodness the new environment is distracting her. I'll be glad when it's all over.

Babies and ear infections

2009-05-25T13:42:00.000+02:00

So, Chloe and I have been pretty sick for the last week and a bit, and now Paul is getting the same thing, which isn't great. Chloe has an ear infection in BOTH ears! And the second one got infected while she was on antibiotics. So anyway, I have made an appointment for her to see and ENT specialist to find out if she needs gromits, and hopefully get to the bottom of all the infections.

I am really stressing about it though. I am already at the operation stage and thinking about my poor little baby with needles in her arm and oxygen masks on her face, in that cold operating theatre, scared and no Mommy there to be with her. I guess though, if it will help her in the long run not to get so sick all the time, but as mother you always worry about your children.

I will post again as soon as I know more, and after the appointment on Wednesday.

Rower skiet Ermelo-sakeman, buit rou vleis, skootrekenaar

2009-05-04T15:09:00.000+02:00

Apr 30 2009 08:56:54:723PM - (SA)

Willem Pelser

’n Sakeman van Ermelo in Mpumalanga is Woensdagaand vir ’n klein sakkie rou vleis en ’n skootrekenaar voor sy familie doodgeskiet terwyl hy besig was om sy winkel te sluit.

Mnr. Ernest (Ernie) van Schalkwyk (66) het binne minute gesterf nadat hy omstreeks 20:00 met ’n .45-kaliber rewolwer geskiet is.

Kapt. Danny Schmulian van die Ermelo-speurtak het gister gesê ’n rower het Van Schalkwyk genader toe hy sy winkel gesluit het en geld gevra. Van Schalkwyk se vrou, dogter en blinde skoonseun was by hom.

Toe Van Schalkwyk sê hy het nie geld by hom nie, het die rower hom in sy regterarm geskiet sonder om ’n woord te sê.

Hy het die skootrekenaar en die sakkie rou vleis wat die skoonseun by hom gehad het, gegryp en gevlug.

Die polisie en ’n ambulans is ontbied, maar hulle kon niks vir Van Schalkwyk doen nie.

Schmulian het gesê die koeëlpunt is deur Van Schalkwyk se regterarm en het in sy rugstring vasgeslaan.

Die koeëlpunt het erge inwendige bloeding veroorsaak nadat dit ook sy een long se hoofslagaar getref het, het Schmulian gesê.

Volgens hom het die polisie eers vermoed Van Schalkwyk is weens ’n hartaanval dood omdat hy onlangs ’n hartomleidingsoperasie gehad het, maar ’n lykskouing gisteroggend het gewys hy het weens die koeëlwond gesterf.

Schmulian het gesê die polisie is besig met ’n grootskeepse soektog na die aanvaller, maar die ondersoek word belemmer omdat Van Schalkwyk se familie nog te getraumatiseer is om oor die voorval te praat of om ’n beskrywing van die moordenaar te gee.

Die polisie wou gister op versoek van die familie nie die name van Van Schalkwyk se familielede bekend maak nie.

Volgens kapt. Carla Prinsloo, polisiewoordvoerder op Ermelo, is die familie nog te ontsteld om met die media te praat.

Van Schalkwyk was die eienaar van die Netpark-kafee op die dorp. Hy en sy familie het Maandag sy 66ste verjaardag gevier.

Devastated

2009-05-04T08:25:00.000+02:00

Last week, Wednesday night at 10pm, I received a phone call to say that my uncle had been shot dead, outside his shop.
On Thursday morning, I learned all the details. It was an armed robbery, and the guy shot him in the chest, with my cousin's 3 year old son holding his hand. My uncle ran back into the shop with Jaydee and pressed the panic button. My aunt and cousin were both in the shop at the time of the incident.
The funeral will be on Wednesday this week, and I can't believe that in an instant, life can be so devastated and because of the greed of one human being, so many lives can be shattered. It is so bad, that my gran doesn't want to live any longer. She is one of the strongest women I know, and now her life isn't worth living any more.
My uncle was a hard worker, ran his own business, he was a butcher. Now, all I have are memories and regrettably not enough of them.

Definitly my child

2009-04-27T09:19:00.000+02:00

I decided that this morning I was going to have popcorn for breakfast, and gave a little to Chloe, now I've lost the whole bowl! At least she has good healthy taste.

Dance

2009-03-20T09:59:00.004+02:00

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
Both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
Or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
And attentiveness from one person
And gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance .
When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "U" and "I".
"God, "U" and "I" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
That I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
And mercies are upon you on this day and every day.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
And to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached
If God has done anything for you in your life,
Please share this message with someone else.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
So let's continue to pray for one another.

And I Hope You Dance!

Sunday morning...

2009-03-01T11:02:00.002+02:00

Well, it was our first official fellowship at St Agnes today. It was awesome to be at church as a family again and to feel relaxed and with my husband. It's different to Vineyard but it is good too. I miss my friends at Vineyard, but it was a necessary move.

Adding the final touches

2009-02-16T17:22:00.001+02:00

Paul's busy fitting the light, them he just needs to fit the extractor and then it's finished! He's done an amazing job. Well done Love!

Be Grateful For Your Blessings

2009-01-20T09:12:00.002+02:00

I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.
Ruth 1:21 NIV

When it comes to valuable life lessons, the book of Ruth tops the bestseller list. (Have you read it yet?)

When famine came to Bethlehem, Naomi, her husband and two sons moved to Moab where the economy was thriving. What they hoped would be a short stay turned into ten years. Their sons married two local girls, Ruth and Orpah. Then the unthinkable happened. Naomi's husband and sons died. As a result of her loss she became bitter. When she heard that times were good in Bethlehem she decided to go back home. After she arrived she said, "I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty" (Ruth 1:21 NKJV). What did she mean? She was saying that at home in Bethlehem, despite the famine, at least there she had her husband and sons, whereas in Moab, "the land of plenty," she'd lost them.

You never miss the water till the well runs dry! The truth is, you can be blessed and not know it. Only as you look back do you realise that what you have is much more important than all the things you don't have. When Naomi lost what she loved most, even a famine seemed insignificant by comparison. Have you been saying, "I'll be happy when…? No, happiness doesn't come from getting what you want, it comes from appreciating what God's given you. Instead of whining and complaining about your lot in life, stop and ask yourself, "What would I take in exchange for what I have?" If you don't know the answer, begin counting your blessings and thanking God for them.

Tuckered out

2009-01-13T06:47:00.001+02:00

A toddler and a puddle

2009-01-13T06:46:00.001+02:00

This is what happens when a toddler comes across a 1cm x 2cm puddle of water and given 10 minutes to explore it!

Gimme the camera!

2009-01-05T15:19:00.001+02:00

The current state of the kitchen

2009-01-02T15:02:00.001+02:00

Almost there

2009-01-01T21:00:00.001+02:00

This was earlier today. Paul was hanging the doors on the cupboards he hung today. I really can't wait for the kitchen to be finished. Although when thats done he will start with the painting the inside of the house. He saw some ivory white tiles which he thought would look awesome with the Cherry wood finish in the kitchen. I have to agree, although I haven't seen them, it sounds stunning.

Playtime

2008-12-31T07:50:00.001+02:00

Chloe has this amazing desire to always climb into things. Here she's in the lid to our cooler box with her blocks.

Progress report

2008-12-30T21:35:00.001+02:00

Paul is still ahead of shedule and expects to be a day ahead by the end of tomorrow. We went shopping for the handles to the cupboards which was good. Also got some butlery trays for the drawers and a spice rack which fits into the drawer. My folks brought us dinner br well which was a real blessing.

Chloe the bookworm

2008-12-29T22:43:00.001+02:00

I thought it was really cute. She pulled down 3 books and was paging through one. Hopefully it lasts!

Chloe and the paddle pool

2008-12-29T22:40:00.001+02:00

This was one of Chloe's Christmas presents. The weather seemed excellent for a paddle except Dad made the water ice cold so Chloe wasn't interested in paddling. Hopefully it won't last.

And the kitchen...

2008-12-29T22:23:00.001+02:00

My proud hubby and the kitchen in progress. He has been working so hard on this and I'm so proud of him. He's half a day ahead of schedule too!

Tooth no. 8...

2008-12-18T21:48:00.000+02:00

... Has arrived!

--
Sent from my mobile device

For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the
strength I need. Phil 4:13

If you're having trouble thinking out the box, then you're probably in
the wrong box.

http://www.kimswanphotography.co.za/

http://kim-happy-day.blogspot.com/

Fevers Part II

2008-12-09T21:40:00.001+02:00

Ok, so after a torrid night, I took Chloe to school. She was ok, except she kept getting a fever. Took her to the doc and he confirmed my suspicion of a sinus infection. So, our little noo-noo is on antibiotics. Hopefully she'll be well in a few days.

Fevers

2008-12-08T22:48:00.002+02:00

It's late and Chloe has a fever which I'm battling to get under control. I pray that it breaks and that she is well in the morning.

Swimming

2008-12-04T21:27:00.003+02:00

Today we went to Chloe's school to see her swimming pass out parade...
Paul video'd it, I snapped it, and she got this beautiful certificate for her efforts :o)

Rainy Sunday

2008-11-30T08:48:00.001+02:00

Well I'm sitting in the car, waiting to go into church. Chloe is
asleep. Struggling today again I think. It seems her teeth are sore.
She wouldn't let me brush her teeth. She's also been chewing
everything, including the cooled teething rings I gave her, which is
unusual. Lets pray the tooth comes through today. I get so disstressed
seeing her suffer.

--
Sent from my mobile device

For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the
strength I need. Phil 4:13

If you're having trouble thinking out the box, then you're probably in
the wrong box.

http://www.kimswanphotography.co.za/

http://kim-happy-day.blogspot.com/

Firsts....

2008-11-25T12:09:00.005+02:00

Well there have been a lot of things going on in little Miss Chloe's life.

On the 15th November she had her first taste of the sand at home. She loved it though!
She let me brush her teeth (properly) for the first time the other day.
She took her first 2 steps yesterday morning, (no repeat performances though).
She had her first haircut this morning... it was long in some places and short in others, so I thought I would even it out.
It will be her first Christmas this year. On Friday next week they will be having Father Christmas there at school handing out presents (which we send to school). I have already arranged that Mel takes some pictures with the camera I will send with to school.
Next week Thursday we will also be having the swimming parade, so Paul and I will get to see Chloe swim for the first time. Apparently the children do play up with the folks are there so we will have to see how that goes.

She also decided that it was necessary to empty the washing basket this morning... She has seen me doing it when I am going to do the washing, so she thought that she would assist :) Got to love it!

Paul is away again for another night, but will be back tomorrow. Last night was terrible as she was awake more than asleep, or at least that is how it felt, but I think that is because she is teething, I could see one trying to push through at the top this morning, but being in the grizzly mood she was she wouldn't let me look too closely. I will check again later if she is in a better mood.

We are going away soon, and I can't wait! It is only for 4 days but it will be really good to get away from home and to be able to go for walks in the "bush" and just relax some. I think Paul is also looking forward to it.

I'll post again soon xxx

9 months and counting

2008-11-04T08:57:00.003+02:00

Today our little Chlo-bug is as old as I was pregnant with her... what a thought. The time has flown, and it is amazing that she is such a little person already. I look at her and see how she has grown and think that she is growing up and she isn't really my little baby anymore... She will be walking soon and then there is no stopping her.

She loves her books, and this morning we sat for about 15 minutes paging back and forwards in her Bible Stories book. She was also dancing to ABBA this morning. Very cute I tell you.

On Sunday morning at church she was clapping her hands to the music as well. You get so excited with the developments, but at the same time it means that the time is flying by and she is getting older and one of these days she isn't going to need me... I'm sure that she is going to be Little Miss Independent. *sigh*

School Photo's

2008-11-03T13:34:00.002+02:00

Isn't she the cutest!!!!????

Fireworks again

2008-10-27T19:33:00.001+02:00

Today is the first night of Diwali here, or everywhere actually. And the people are "celebrating" with their fireworks again, and making a helluva racket. The animals in the neighbourhood are going banana's and I actually can't understand, if it is supposed to be the festival of lights why they have to make it a loud warzone sounding event. Sure they are pretty and stuff, but, hang, it's very antisocial... My friend Nisha said that they only light sparklers and don't make any bangs, because of their animals. Why can't everyone have the same viewpoint? I mean fireworks are actually banned in this country.

The trauma of Halloween

2008-10-27T19:29:00.001+02:00

Something which has been bugging me for a while now is the fact that they want to "celebrate" halloween at Chloe's school. I have a HUGE problem with that considering it is a very demonic practice. I mean it is probably one of the highlights in the satanic calendar. Anyway, it has been really stressing me out, and I have decided after chatting with Paul that I will not send Chloe to school on Friday. I asked her teacher who's charming idea it was and she said that they have been doing it for years and that there are actually a lot of the parents who dislike it. So I am glad that I am not the only one, but at the same time, I feel that they shouldn't actually celebrate it, and I am really concerned if they think that they are being PC, and satisfying parents who believe in it... who is my child going to school with then???

Thanks to my super dooper friend Sandy who said that she would look after Chloe on Friday morning so that I can get to work, and then I'll come home early to look after her again.

Flood disaster

2008-10-22T13:44:00.002+02:00

I also haven't posted about that....

Got home a while back to find water gushing out from under the front door...
Our domestic had left a tap wide open while the dept had turned the mains off and when they turned it back on the pressure was so high that in less than an hour the house was an inch deep in water. Thank goodness for wet and dry vacuum cleaners...

Thanks to Tim and Rob for helping with the cleanup operation, and to Pat and Liz for baby sitting a very unhappy little Chloe.

NAN HA, runny tummies and babies

2008-10-22T13:37:00.001+02:00

Ok, so I haven't posted in a LONG time. I know, sorry Sands, but here is your injection :)

I have an allergy baby... it's that simple. So we put Chlo-bug onto NAN HA, which is meant to be for allergy babies, and since then she has had the runs and well, to be honest it has made her more miserable than not, so from today she is going back onto Isomil. Changing MP nappies at 2am just doesn't do it for me!

I went to a lady called Megan who did allergy testing on Chloe and she came back with some interesting results. Banana's, Green Peas... who would have ever thought, but so be it. Anyway, keeping Chloe off a lot of stuff seems to be helping and Megan seems to think that she will outgrow most of them. My poor baby looks like a walking rash most of the time though.

Yesterday we put together the cot that one of the guys here at work gave us, and well, I thought Chloe was going to die from excitement. She was moaning while I was wiping it down and cleaning it, so I put her in it and she was so happy I thought she was going to burst. At least I know she likes the bed. This morning Paul asked if I liked the colour, it is a green colour, but not hideous, and he was more than happy to repaint it, but that means that Chloe won't be able to sleep in it for a few days.

It's amazing to watch how she has developed a little personality, and that she is responding to things now. The best part is when she sees me after a day at school and squeals with delight that I have come to get her. Yay, she loves me!

Minishova

2008-10-22T13:30:00.002+02:00

Well, after lots of stress, I did it, and it was a breeze. Loved it! Yay!!!!

A humbling experience

2008-09-23T12:58:00.002+02:00

Yesterday, actually the story starts on Sunday...

So, On Sunday I had a bee in my bonnet and decided to make some meals for the week in my slow cookers. Awesome, or so I thought.
By the time we got to taste them , they were a huge flop and Paul didn't like them at all...
So, I put the "leftovers" which was almost all the food into containers, as Octavia, our domestic worker, was coming on Monday.
Anyway, I left her a not to say, please take the food, as I didn't want to throw it away, and I felt a little upset that I had wasted the money, or so I thought. I got an SMS from her to say thank you for the food, and that we had really blessed them as they had no food to eat and would have gone hungry last night. How awesome is God and the way he works?

Chloe is....

2008-09-04T15:04:00.001+02:00

7 months old today!!!!

Chloe has just got...

2008-09-01T13:44:00.001+02:00

Her first invitation to a birthday party!!!!!

No spark in the Spark

2008-09-01T10:56:00.001+02:00

Well, after test driving a Spark with 29000km on the clock I have decided that there is NO way if possible that I would get one. It was flat, the clutch was dodgy and the gears were wishy-washy, and I felt like I was in a matchbox in terms of safety. At least that decision has been made....

The next tooth... and kisses

2008-09-01T10:54:00.002+02:00

Well, Chloe has now started with the next tooth, I spent the night on the couch with her last night, as she was so uncomfortable, and at least then I could just put some teething gel on her dummy and pop it in quickly before she got too worked up...

She is so cute at the moment, she has become very shy if I am in a group of strangers, and has started making kissing noises, it is gorgeous!

Crawling is still evading her, but she is getting very close now, and I was giving her some crawling lessons this weekend. Imagine how difficult it must be to try to coordinate four different limbs at once when you have only just really grasped hand-eye coordination. But, she is really making such an effort to get going.

To Spark or not to Spark

2008-08-26T10:08:00.001+02:00

Well, after the ordeal of having our car stolen we are going through the process of deciding what car we should get for me now, and so far the Spark LT seems to be getting to the top of the pile. I was thinking about it and it would be a good option, as I have always had a thing for small (matchbox) sized cars, and well here is the opportunity. I reckon if they weren't as old as they are I would love a Mini, but the original one not the new super duper ones.

At the moment I am also going through the ordeal of trying to get labels to print for the apparel in the stores and not having much joy, so the techies are looking into it on the JHB side, but that isn't making life any less stressful. However, I am not going to let these small things get in the way of my joy, happiness or most importantly my faith, and I just need to keep reminding myself of this.

Some good news is the technician here has fixed the puncture in my tyre on the Clio. He said that there was a nail in it, so he has plugged the hole and hopefully that will be the last of the problems there for a while, till we have the tyres replaced...

I guess that the theft of the car wasn't the best timing in the world, but at the same time I am sure that the Lord will make the best of this situation, and we just have to have faith that He will continue to look after us everyday. Praise God that we weren't in the car when it was stolen, or that Chloe wasn't taken in a hijacking. We have so much to be grateful for.

You know that sinking feeling...

2008-08-23T17:49:00.002+02:00

When yout walk outside to find you car is missing. Yes, you guessed
it. Our car was stolen. Bummer!

Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba

2008-08-20T09:16:00.000+02:00

This morning when I went through to Chloe's room she was on all fours, trying to practice crawling, talking a hind leg off a donkey (ba-ba-ba-ba-ba) and happy as anything. She is getting so interactive now. She still gets very frustrated when trying to crawl, and is starting to move backwards which it the beginnings of moving forwards.

I have also signed her up for swimming lessons at school. I researched the benefits before suggesting it to Paul so that I had a good case argument for it. Then I heard horror stories about an "evil swimming teacher" who dunked the children under the water and if they cried she dunked them even more. Anyway, after speaking to Mel (yay she's back) I felt much better. Robyn does the lessons and doesn't put their heads under the water. So now I have to find a really cute swimming outfit for her for September. I was also put at ease when Mel said that the pool is heated. I could just imagine Chloe hating swimming because the water is ice cold. So hopefully when she is a year old then she will know how to get to the side of a pool if she falls in accidentally. Research indicated that it was also good for cardiovascular development and also lung development, as well as co-ordination and helped the children get mobile faster, so if the research is right she will walk sooner because she is learning to swim.... No way to test the theory really.

Thanks Neen for taking the time out to read the updates on my blog. It's always fun to know that the ramblings aren't falling on the black hole known as the Internet and getting lost. Although, I could one day go back, collect all the old posts, print them, bind them and have "memoirs"! Bwahahah!

Offline

2008-08-20T09:08:00.000+02:00

Well, I'm at work, with no comms, no landline, no Internet, therefore no email. But, it's all for a good reason. They are moving our server cabinet from downstairs to upstairs in our office, so now in future if there is a problem with the routers or anything I can just walk to the next room, rather than walking half a kilometer to get downtairs to the server. I can't do anything, as all my systems require the internet for the VPN.

Still sick

2008-08-19T10:52:00.000+02:00

Well, Mel is still sick, so Chloe is with Alison again, but thank goodness Gloria is back. However, they managed to lose a part of one Chloe's bottles yesterday, which I am hoping they have found.

Shame, lil Chloe is getting so frustrated trying to crawl. She gets onto all fours, but can't do anything from there, although she does move forward as she "flops" forwards when going back onto her tummy. But, she's rolling around like anything.

Photo album update

2008-08-18T11:42:00.001+02:00

It looks stunning, I can't believe how well it worked! I sat for a few hours cutting out little pictures and words and cute stuff and selecting pictures to put into the album and it was so much fun, and relaxing. I so want to show it off, but feel like I'd just be showing off if I do :)

Chloe's First Tooth....

2008-08-18T08:45:00.001+02:00

Broke the skin on the morning of Friday 15 August 2008.

I have been wondering how long it would take before the second started making a move, and on Sunday 17 August it started, I can see it just below the surface. So we're in for another bumpy week.

This morning when I dropped Chloe at school, there was a different teacher there, and I wasn't completely excited about it, but apparently Mel has the tummy bug that almost all the babies had.

Photo Album

2008-08-14T11:23:00.002+02:00

I'm so excited...
I have decided that I will make a photo album of every month of Chloe's life till it is full (That gives me about 3 years worth I think). My brother and his girlfriend gave us an album for Chloe, and I had no idea what to do, I didn't just want a boring album.
Anyway, while lying in the bath (my place or epiphanies) I thought about the page per month option, with just 2 or 3 pictures of her from that month, and then some "scrapbooking" elements added, just to add to it and make it more interesting.
Now the trouble is, that I am so impatient waiting to go and get the pictures printed. I really want to get it started this weekend, I just hope that it comes out the way that I am hoping it does.

Teeth

2008-08-14T10:33:00.001+02:00

I can feel Chloe's tooth now! Hopefully it breaks the skin today and
the pain that she is in will stop... till the next one of course... My
poor baby is so miserable.

And the teething begins

2008-08-03T21:05:00.000+02:00

Today Chloe is 6 months old. Where has the time gone, the last 6 months
feel like they have raced by, and yet it feels like such a long time
since she was born. It's amazing, I remember the moment that she was
born, I remember holding her for the first time, and yet I have
forgotten what it felt like to feel the contractions, without the
epidural. This evening I was thinking about the time in hospital,
thinking about the last time that I had a solid night sleep, and now
thinking about the whole new ball game I have on my hands with solids
starting, and with the clinic book that I have saying that now that
Chloe is having 3 solid meals a day, she shouldn't have any more night
feeds. Now, you try to tell a 6 month old baby who still can't say more
than "baba", that she can't have any more feeds at night. Anyway, I am
taking her for a check up on Tuesday to make sure that the ear
infections that she has been getting have cleared up properly, so I will
check with the dear doctor to find out his take on the matter.
Personally I don't think that you can just do that. I think I will also
post a question on my favourite forum, and see what the other mothers
have to say about it. I must say that it is the first time I have ever
seen any literature like that. I checked the other books that I have
and none of them said anything of the sort.

Our poor little sausage is battling a lot... She has been crying a lot
today, and I know it is her gums as when I put the Teejel on it helps
for about 5 minutes and then it is sore again. I had to give her Panado
eventually, which only helped for a little while as well. Anyway, she
eventually went to sleep, but her gums are looking a little white, which
isn't normal, so I think that the teeth are moving closer to the
surface. It was fun to see her eating a boudoir biscuit, well gumming
it and getting it everywhere, and I must say that the inventor of them
was very clever, as they tend to disappear into almost nothing. I think
the pain was so bad for her today, that even her toys weren't an
enticement. This afternoon, I was having flashbacks to when she still
had colic, and I had to carry her around all afternoon, and when she is
8kg as opposed to 4kg's it can get a little tiring on the back. But,
some gel from my chiro has helped somewhat.

Well that is me...
xxx

6 months is looming

2008-08-01T08:35:00.001+02:00

It is with shock and amazement that I write this post. On Monday the 4th August, Chloe will be 6 months old!!! Where has the time flown? Which step 2 formula to use????

It has been an interesting few months with Chloe being at school, and seemingly sick since starting there, and yet it has been an amazing time in my life as well. I have as you know started a new job, and although I am still very much in the deep water of a huge backlog of work, I think that there is some light at the end of the tunnel, although I think that there is some work that is there, but not noticeable as Ruth has it with her, and I have to get it from her when I am done with the pile that I am busy with.

Chloe is developing in every way possible by the day, although int he last few days she hasn't been sleeping well. But, I have a plan, more food during the day and that should hopefully help with the night times. I had to reduce the amount of milk I sent to school the last few weeks as she wasn't eating anyway, because she wasn't well. But, Gloria said that she is eating well again and I decided that it would be a great idea (with a little help from an email I received on how to get baby sleeping better at night). She is eating solids already, and tonight was banana and cereal mixed together to give a nice mocha coloured porridge, which she ate well. So I think that was a hit. She also gobbles down her veggies at school and on the weekends she loved them too. Especially sweet potato and apple mixed together. I tasted it and it tasted pretty good. Anyway, I have also learnt that feeding Chloe is an art in timing. You have to time it just right otherwise you can forget her eating. Although, some enticement with a chicken drumstick bone does help get the spoon in the mouth with the food, it's just a race to see who gets to her mouth first, her or me.
The chicken bone story.... We were visiting Paul's father, and we had chicken for lunch and I decided to see what Chloe would do with the chicken bone, as she has been chewing everything in site, and well... it was an instant hit. She must have gummed the thing for about half an hour, and I managed to feed her at the same time, as before that she wasn't interested in any food.

Being a mom is an amazing experience, filled with laughs and tears. Just today I wanted to cry twice. This morning when dropping off Chloe, one of the other babies was crying because she wanted mommy and not to stay at school, and I was very emotional, remembering how I was worried that Chloe wouldn't survive even one day at school (she's thriving by the way), and then this afternoon, when I was fetching Chloe one of the mom's was fetching her son, and she had him stripped down to his nappy and he was running a terrible fever, and they suspected that he would be admitted to hospital, so she was rushing him off, after he had been running a temperature almost all day. The scary thing is that she had taken him to the GP this morning with a temperature and the Dr said that there was nothing wrong with him. The poor child didn't even want to be touched. Hopefully I find out how he is doing tomorrow.

Chloe has reached the 8kg mark and is still growing, and gaining weight as well. She isn't as chubby as she was before, as she is getting longer, but every now and then I look at her and think how small she still really is. Although when she is stretched out on the floor playing she is quite long.

Anyway, that is about all the news for now...
Kim xxx

Is it safe to use baby powder on my baby?

2008-07-23T09:17:00.001+02:00

Jennifer Shu, board-certified pediatrician in Atlanta, Georgia, and coauthor of Heading Home With Your Newborn

Pediatricians no longer recommend talc-based baby powders because they're dangerous if inhaled, but I see no danger in cornstarch-based powders if they're used sparingly and carefully.

Use a cornstarch baby powder in your baby's diaper area to help reduce moisture and friction, which can occur when a wet diaper rubs against your baby's skin. Today's diapers tend to be super-absorbent, so most babies won't need daily powder if you change them frequently.

You don't want your baby inhaling any kind of powder, so make sure that you don't get it near her face. Instead, pour a small amount into your hand away from your baby and then apply it when you see her diaper area starting to look a little irritated from chafing.

There are times when cornstarch powder isn't a good idea. If your baby's skin is raw from diaper rash, for example, it's probably best to keep powder off it and use a diaper ointment or cream instead. And if your baby shows any signs of a skin infection — like areas that are red and very warm to the touch or oozing — then don't put powder on it, either. Instead, have your baby's doctor take a look.

Jo Ann C. Rohyans, pediatrician and lecturer on pediatric health for Columbus Children's Hospital and the Columbus Health Department, Ohio

Baby powder may smell and feel good, but I don't recommend it — and the American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends against it. Powder can cause breathing problems and serious lung damage when inhaled, and it's not always easy to keep the powder out of the air where your baby might breathe it.

This is most worrisome with talc-based powders, which have small, easily inhaled particles. Cornstarch, which has larger, coarser particles, is not as easily inhaled as talc.

There's no evidence that baby powder helps to prevent or treat diaper rash, either. The best preventive strategy is to clean and pat dry your baby's bottom at each diaper change and then apply a thin layer of protective ointment or cream.

If you wish to use powder, choose the safer cornstarch-based product. Shake the powder into your hand, away from your baby, never directly on or near her. Keep the powder container well out of your baby's reach at all times, too. You don't want it to fall over and produce a cloud of powder for her to inhale. Occasionally, you can use a medicated powder in the neck folds or groin folds as long as you don't allow it to build up.

Finally, to avoid irritation, carefully wash away any powder that may have accumulated in your baby's skin folds whenever you change her diaper.

Wow! What a couple of weeks

2008-07-22T18:22:00.001+02:00

Ok, ok, ok, so I have kept you in suspense about developments in my job for a while (if there is anyone who reads my blog and has been waiting in anticipation to see what is up).

I started a new job with my boss at his other company c c G A L L E R Y. The spaced characters are to avoid possible spammers. The company is a motorcycle business, selling bikes, apparel and accessories, and also servicing the bikes. What a ride. I jumped in the deep end there,
and have had to swim, and learn new strokes very quickly. But, having said that, I have enjoyed every moment of it, and I am still enjoying it. I have the job, of ordering parts and stock, managing the network, and what ever else there is to do, including teaching everyone how to
use the new system that has just been implemented, which I am still learning.

Then, Chloe has been growing so fast. She is almost sitting up by herself, has started eating solids, and just so alert it is scary. I am waiting for her to start leopard crawling. She can roll from her back to her tummy, but not the other way around, and I am sure that she needs
to master that before she will be able to crawl. I'm not rushing things though, just trying to enjoy every moment with her and watching her grow and develop daily.

Now, after telling you about work and Chloe, try mixing the two. My subconscious mind did. The other night, I was stressing about the new system, and worrying about all the stuff I had to do at work, and inevitably dreamt about trying to add Chloe as a stock item to it, and opening job cards to feed her and everything. Talk about majorly stressful. I was getting more stressed because I wasn't sure what she would be classified as and none of the things I needed to load on the job card were loaded into the system. All I can say is that I was glad that she woke up and I needed to wake up to feed her.

Then, some not so great news...
My dear friend Sandy's husband nearly wrote himself off last Friday afternoon, while returning home on his motorbike, he had an accident, and was in theatre today. Sandy, has been a pillar for him, and has been amazingly strong. I have been praying for them, and knowing Franc was in theatre today, I prayed for her peace and that the Lord would hold her and comfort her, and she said she was feeling very calm and sounded like she had it together this morning. I think that she was battling again this afternoon though. Sands, you're an amazing woman, and God is your strength, remember that, and also please don't let Franc get another bike.
Please could you all keep them in your prayers and I will try to keep you updated as we go.

Well, that is the news for now.

xxx Kim

Finally a doctor who cares

2008-06-24T13:36:00.002+02:00

Yesterday, after speaking to my friend Ruth, I found a doctor who really cares about his patients and takes the time to listen to the problems, and get to the bottom of them, and explains the medications that he has prescribed and how they should work and how soon they will work and also what is wrong with you or your child. He's a homeopath here in Durban, so if you would like his details then email me and I will gladly give you the details.

I took Chloe to see him yesterday because she was coughing to the point of vomiting and her nose was running more profusely than before, and I was worried that the incredibly sore throat that I have, I had passed to my poor little cherub. I had been giving her a homeopathic remedy called Cataro which was working a treat, and "detoxing" her sinuses, hence the runny nose, but it was the cough that was worrying me, as well as the thrush that seems to be getting worse in her mouth. So, we arrive at his rooms, and the receptionist was amazingly friendly (I'm sure Chloe's cuteness does help with that) and we were seen on time, which is another pet hate I have for most medical practitioners, and he introduced himself, so that you know who you are dealing with, and then does a complete background information gathering session, followed by the actual "check up". Chloe loved him, and was all smiles except for when he was trying to have a look at her throat. She is very anti anything in her mouth at the moment, because of all the medicines that have been forced down her throat. Anyway, after fighting to look into her ears (she wanted to play with the in-ear-looking-thingy) he said that she has infection of the Pharynx (see picture) and a shotty nose, which may be aggrivated by the dairy formula that she drinks. So, to make a long story short, he gave me 2 sets of drops to give her and some other SUPER probiotics to help with the thrush. I have to rub the probiotics into her mouth which ends up with her crying and unhappy, so that is not the best part. But, the very cool part was that he said that she looks very well and healthy. The other amazing thing is that you can call him at any time to ask him something if there is something you are unsure about or, he asked me to phone him with an update on her progress today so that he knows what is happening. I am also just really happy that the school are so good at administering her meds as well so I know that she will get them when she needs to.

So, I have to monitor her again tonight and see how she does, and then let him know in the morning and then we will take things from there. I'm just glad that we are getting somewhere, and I can get to see him rather than fight with unpleasant receptionists who tell you there is a 3 day waiting period to see the doctor, and usually it's not the one that you want to see anyway.

Fragrant Baby Powder

2008-06-19T16:07:00.002+02:00

I found this recipe online, and thought it would be a good idea. Now the better idea is to add TeaTree Oil for nappy rashes. Now all I need to do is work out how much it would cost to make this and see if it makes more sense to let Elizabeth Annes (c) make it or make it myself. (Paul is really rubbing off on me)

- 225g cornstarch (Maizena here in South Africa)
- 3 drops lavender essential oil (again after some research, add some tea tree and lavender oil)

- Place cornstarch in a self-sealing plastic bag and add the essential oil drop by drop.
- Tightly close the bag and shake it to distribute the oil, breaking up any clumps through the bag.
- Let stand 4 days to distribute the essential oil. Use with every diaper change, or as needed.
- Potato starch or arrowroot powder can be used instead of cornstarch.

- Spice or salt shakers with large perforations in their lids make good powder containers.

Bonnet

2008-06-19T08:20:00.001+02:00

Yesterday, I was beside myself with excitement. I had an idea for making a bonnet for Chloe. I have been trying to crochet a beanie for a week now and just getting more and more frustrated with every round crocheted. But then, I was hit with an epiphany for making the bonnet, and it was SO easy. 2 squares sewn together along 2 sides and edged, with some ribbon to tie it on, and viola we have a bonnet. I was dying to wake her up to try it on, but managed to hold myself back, and tried it on this morning. In fact she wore it to school this morning. I do admit that it is a little too small, but it's easy enough to make bigger ones. Add more rounds to the granny square!

Now to teach Sandy how to make them :o)

If you can't beat them

2008-06-19T08:00:00.001+02:00

Bwhahahaha! I know the feeling, been there and done that!

Antibiotics and rashes

2008-06-18T15:10:00.001+02:00

On Friday last week I took Chloe to a GP because her eyes were oozing green goop and her sinuses were blocked, and the pharmacist I spoke to said she would need antibiotics. So I went to him, and he gave Chloe come antibiotics and eye ointment and also a decongestant. Now comes the fun part....

The decongestant shouldn't be administered to children under the age of 2 due to the Ephedrine HCL content. So, without knowing this I had been giving it to my noonoo and she was not wanting to eat or sleep from it. Anyway, thank goodness for the internet and research. I stopped that very quickly. Then the antibiotics that he gave her, are very strong and the day care mother said that she thinks that he was wrong in his dosage as there is another baby (10 months old) who was also on the same stuff and the gave her less than half the dosage this guy gave to Chloe. Thank goodness the course finished today. So now, Chloe has thrush on her bottom and in her mouth, she cried all of Monday night, and wouldn't eat for the better part of the weekend.

Thankfully with the prayer and support of friends we annointed Chloe (with oil) and prayed healing and blessing over her, and she slept much better last night. My mom also brought some meds up from the pharmacist I spoke about in my last post, and that has also started helping.

Hopefully this evening her bottom will look a lot less inflamed.

xxx

Losing faith in medical practitioners

2008-06-17T12:19:00.001+02:00

This weekend was a bit of a turning point for me...

I am losing faith in medical practitioners. I took Chloe to a GP because the pead's are never available to help, and she needed to get sorted out as soon as possible. So anyway, this guy prescribed medication for her, of which one shouldn't be given to children under 2 years old, because of the ephedrine in it. Thank goodness for the Internet. Anyway, then the pharmacist gladly gave the medication to me without batting an eyelid, knowing full well that the meds shouldn't be given to babies.

So what do I do? I can't get hold of the people who specialise in babies, and the people who you think should be able to help seem to not know what they are doing either, and then the people you expect to double check the doctor don't.

There is about only one person that I trust in the medical profession at the moment, and I can't always ask her everything, but she is an amazing pharmacist, and seems to be the only person who gives a hoot.

I think that it is an injustice to the people who really need professionals to be professional, and be there to help. I know that they also need a life, but at the same time, have staff who are pleasant and don't fob you off all the time as well.

Sorry to the readers here, but I have to get this off my chest. In my sleep deprived state I need to be able to voice the dissatisfaction. I phoned the pead's rooms this morning, and they always say, "phone back in half an hour" or "phone after 12" and it hacks me off. I phone back in the time stated and they tell me the same story again.

The other issue I have is, they say that you can take the child to the emergency room and they will get hold of the pead. They can't even get hold of him, so what is the poor person on the street supposed to do?

Argh!

The problems with complex life...

2008-06-17T10:15:00.001+02:00

Noisy neighbours!

Last night was terrible, Chloe has been sick, the poor noonoo had sinus infection, which she is on antibiotics for. The problem is, I have now discovered that she has thrush in her mouth and on her bottom, so she has been in pain all night. She was awake every half hour or so. So I am shattered, which hopefully will excuse me if I don't completely make sense.

Now, back to the neighbours.... we live in a row of 3 simplexes, where our beroom wall is our neighbours kitchen / lounge wall. Now, on any other night I wouldn't have been upset, but considering that Chloe was sleeping badly already, I was getting upset. I think they must have been re-arranging all their funriture last night, in the kitchen and lounge, making a HUGE racket, and then also standing outside Chloe's bedroom window talking loudly etc.Sometimes I get so angry with the incosiderate nature of people. They were backwards and forwards past our house for an hour, talking, running, one of the children were even riding a plastic "motorbike" up and down, and they make a HUGE noise. I was ready to go next door and give them gears, but I thought it would be a bad idea, considering that I was tired, and not thinking completely rationally... but, as I had said, things only went south from there.

So, I've been quiet...

2008-06-10T10:17:00.001+02:00

Ok, Ok, I know that I have been very lax in posting recently, but I haven't really had much news (and writers block).

As you can see there has been some overhauling of my blog... different look and feel... let me know what you think, although it could change again soon, have found some really cool skins.

Life has been pretty tiring, looking after Chloe, missing Paul and getting back into the swing of things with work.

Paul was in Zambia for the whole week last week, so I had a fairly quiet week, work, look after Chloe and sleep. I was in bed early every night last week. I just couldn't keep my eye's open. I must say that it was quiet and I was really happy to have him home again.

Things still haven't settled down with Chloe and she still has a blocked nose. Her sleep is constantly being interrupted by the nose, and I am hoping that the humidifier that I bought will help. I have also added Olbas oil to the humidifier which will apparently help clear her up, and so far there has been some improvement, but it is slow progress, and I am battling with all the wakings and never sure if she is hungry or just can't breathe. There are also massage techniques that I can learn that will help with that, but I haven't had the time, or the funds to learn those techniques.

There has been an exciting development in my life, but I will have to keep you in suspense till it is official, so sorry for those waiting now with bated breath to hear what it is. I will definitely keep you up to date with that development. Just for those wondering, no, I'm not pregnant again.

All the increases in the cost of living have really made things tight in the budget and I have been looking around for cheaper but good nappies. I was told about a factory shop which sells factory reject nappies (mostly cosmetic defects) and they didn't have any when I went there, so I gave that up as a bad joke. But, in the mission of finding a cheaper alternative to Pampers, I was at a supermarket and was doing some research and found another brand which is as good as Pampers, but about 50 cents a nappy cheaper, so I think I will be buying those in a short while. It's ridiculous how much they charge for the things. There is the alternative of having cloth nappies, but then you have the problem of nappy rash and bucket loads of nappies to wash every day. You have to weigh up the cost of the detergent and water as well when thinking of the towelling nappies. My mother said that she went through about 12 nappies a day with us and that is not an option. I can't see that happening anytime soon. Also the cost of formula has also gone up quite a bit, almost R20 a tin, which also bites quite hard.

I'm sad to say that I have become quite unused to Chloe at home, and the weekends are exhausting, looking after her, keeping her busy. By the end of the weekend I am happy that she is going back to school, but at the same time, by 9am on Monday morning I am missing her like crazy. Like a yo-yo I tell you.

Anyway, let me go, I really have run out of stuff to write now...

Explaining why I am the way I am...

2008-05-22T11:04:00.000+02:00

The first day back at work

2008-05-19T13:55:00.003+02:00

Well, so far the first day back at the office hasn't been too traumatic, except that I am missing Chloe like anything. I think that the thought that I can't just go and get her when I want to makes it all the more difficult to deal with. My boss is away today, so there hasn't been terribly much to do, except clear my inbox from 4 months worth of emails and also get my computer back to what it was after the network administrator decided that he needed to downgrade my Office due to a program not working… he coulda just reloaded it….

Chloe has been miserable, she goes from happy, laughing, smiling and gurgling to screaming and inconsolable in a flash. Word on the streets is that it's the typical symptom of teething. Something I didn't realise is that apart from having a sore mouth from getting the teeth, it makes the baby feel sick, and sore all over, headache and the like. I suppoase, thinking about it now, it's understandable. There is a lot that happens to their little bodies in order to get the teeth to come out, or so I hear.

I guess some advantage to her teething and being in school, is Mel knows what to do and how to help her a little, but I am not sure that she will do anything I haven't asked her to do, and I must admit I am at a loss half the time. That is the trouble with being a first time mom. There is so much that you don't know, and if someone hadn't told me about teething, then I would be clueless. That is also when forums come into their own, where you have a whole host of mom's to ask questions, and they will normally have some kind of answer.

Well, I have just been to find something to help Chloe, and there is a product called Bennetts Eazi-Breathe Kit, which I am hoping will help her to breathe at night. The poor child, if she has sinus problems the way I do, I don't blame her for being miserable; I have such a bad sinus headache at the moment.

Don't you hate it when you ask a shop attendant for something, by name and they look at all the other products on the planet except the one that you asked about, and then still ask questions 3 times because they weren't listening properly the first time. Sleep deprivation certainly makes the fuse just that much shorter. I guess it is easier to go where you know you will find what you are looking for.

An update on Chloe

2008-05-13T15:07:00.001+02:00

Chloe has been doing so well at school, and I can't believe the amazing development only one week has made. She is definitely a child who needs lots of stimulation. She went from not really being interested in toys to holding them and playing with them. The other development was a runny nose which gets so blocked at night that the poor baby can't breathe properly and wakes up all upset. I took her to the homeopath yesterday and she has given me some drops which should clear her nose up by Thursday. I knew it was inevitable that she would get something at some stage, but I think the worst part of her being sick is there is nothing that I can do to really help, she can't blow her nose (they only manage that from about 4 years of age, or so I have read), the saline that we spray in her nose, helps to some degree, but it isn't a lasting solution and well, the sleep deprivation doesn't help me much either. I will have to wait and see how she has been today. I know that she was sneezing out a whole bunch of snot, which is good, because then it is coming out but at the same time, it means that there is still a lot in there. I guess the drops must be working though, because she wasn't sneezing like this before, and the Doc did say that it would clear out her nose. I guess I didn't think that it would do so with sneezing.

Chloe has also had a sudden growth spurt. I know this because clothes which fit her last week no longer do. I was trying to put on a pair of leggings and they just wouldn't get to her waist, in fact only half way up her bottom, so she has put on some length. I would be interested to know how long she is now. I am sure I can wait another week, she has to go for her next set of jabs on Friday next week. It is a sad thing, knowing that she will be feeling miserable and sore afterwards. But, at least I know the vaccines are ones which work.

I received a note from school to say that there was a strain of Meningitis doing the rounds in Pietermaritzburg, and that we should get the babies vaccinated, and after 2 days of trying to contact my paed, he was away on business, he confirmed that I needn't fork out the money for the vaccine, as it doesn't work. Go figure. Sometimes you have to wonder why they make them when they don't know that they really work. A comment from the receptionist there was that they hadn't given that vaccine in ages. At least I know that I can trust him. This man is really passionate about babies and their health, so I think that I have an amazing paed.

Well that is all for now. Till the next post.

It's All Part Of His Plan

2008-05-13T14:52:00.002+02:00

I know this isn't something that I have written, but I thought that is is something that really spoke to me, and where I am at the moment, with life and decisions that need to be made... I pray that it will help with something that you are grappling with as well.

In everything God works for the good of those who love Him... because that was His plan.

Romans 8:28 NCV

When you're in a situation where you've got more questions than answers, it takes faith to accept that "in everything God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28 NCV). What you consider wasted experiences can become confidence-builders and priceless sources of insight - when you decide to learn from them! If you don't, they'll keep happening till you do. The Israelites went in circles for 40 years before they finally wised up. Don't let that happen to you.

When you get too comfortable God stirs things up. The mother eagle teaches her little ones to fly by making their nest so uncomfortable that they're forced out of it. Next they are pushed off a cliff edge. Can you imagine their thoughts: 'It's my mother doing this?' Who and where you are at this moment in time has been divinely appointed. God in His wisdom knows that you need the challenge of certain situations to mature and stretch you. The job you dread going to every day is developing your skills, endurance and sense of responsibility. Those people who rub you the wrong way are actually making you more like Jesus!

Paul says God "understands and knows what is best for us at all times" (Ephesians 1:8 TLB). So instead of asking Him to change things, thank Him for the experience and the lessons you're learning. And if you can't figure out what those lessons are, ask Him. James says, "If you need wisdom ask God" (James 1:5 CEV). When you do, you'll discover - it's all part of His plan!

xxx Kim

The end of another season

2008-05-13T14:52:00.000+02:00

Today marks the decision to sell my car... It is a sad day for me, and it was a difficult decision to make but it needed to be made, and sooner rather than later. The trouble is that the car must have been made at the end of a shift of a Friday afternoon when no one wanted to be at work anymore, and they did a rotten job on putting the little chor (slang word in South Africa for a small runabout) together. Since I bought the car there have been problems, starting with a faulty indicator switch which took the dealership 6 months to diagnose, and only solved the problem when I threw my toys out the cot and demanded that they replace the switch. It seemed to settle down then, but since then I have had problems with the central locking, the fuel injectors, water pumps, the electronics have lost the plot, and now I guess it is time to say good bye to what has to be my favourite car. This means that we will now become a one car family, and that means that there will be some inconvenience. There are the down sides to it, but there are some benefits. We can save the money that we make from selling the chor and earn interest so that there is a nice deposit for a new car next year, but I think that is the only one I can think of now. At least the other good thing is that if the car does finally give up the ghost, then at least I won't be in trouble with a baby and a broken car. But, it is still a heart breaking think that the little car that has till now faithfully taken me where I need to go, when I need to go will no longer really be part of my life. So, this is not a Happy Day kind of post.

I guess the thing is, it's the first car that I have bought with out the help of my parents and I have a lot of memories in the car, just trips taken, and I know that that shouldn't make the difference to whether you sell a car or not, and that I shouldn't be so attached to a material thing, but I still love the thing, and it has been a comfortable chariot with a great sound system, smooth ride and it certainly sorted through the creature comforts. But enough making myself more miserable... the up side is that at the end of the day, it is becoming an unreliable option and rather than have a car that ends up costing thousands, cut the losses and move on.

Chloe's First Day

2008-05-05T20:28:00.000+02:00

What a start to the day... Firstly Chloe slept from 6pm to 4 am, which is a new thing, and then I had to wake her to get her ready for school. Typical I thought, school starts and she sleeps in... :o) At least I know she is normal. Then I dressed her and got everything ready, trying to remember everything I had to pack for the day and as stock for nappy changes and the like. Bundled her into the snug, and then to the car, but it wouldn't open... then it wouldn't start. So, being optimistic, I tried roll starting it... what a laugh, the battery was so dead the engine didn't even turn over. So, unpack everything again and phone for help. An hour later the new battery arrived with the technician, on a motorbike... not what I was expecting, and then the car started perfectly. I packed the car again, and off we were. About half way to school Chloe started crying, which didn't help matters. I got to the baby room and there were only 2 babies still awake, and they said that it was nap time so at least I know they get some sleep. Melanie picked Chloe up and she stopped crying, as it was a new place and very interesting to have a look at. But, then after chatting a while, Chloe decided enough was enough and started to cry again... so Melanie put her to sleep, a relief. I think the biggest relief I had was that Chloe isn't the only child to be rocked to sleep. There was another cutie pie there and he wasn't interested in being put down for a second. They said that he had been home for a week and all the routine training they had been doing had been undone... note to self, try keep the same routine when at home.

Anyway, I left the school feeling alright, I didn't cry which I thought I would... and I felt kind of weird not having a child in the car, not having to worry about it being too hot in the car... or when she will need a feed.

Now the wait to go and fetch my little one. In the mean time, I have rearranged the study, and let Octavia clean the house in peace, and I went to visit my folks, and then shopping for a new pair of jeans, the other pair I have make me look like a clown they are so big for me... not sure when that happened, because they fitted just fine before I was pregnant. Yay for breastfeeding! I also had to try to find a lift to the Barnyard Theatre tomorrow night to save having two cars there, and I did manage to find one, so after putting Chloe to sleep I have to get to the supermarket where I will be collected and then have a bit of fun. Shame, poor Chloe, starts school, so no Mommy all day and on the second day she has no Mommy pretty much half the night as well. Hopefully she will be sleeping so she won't know the difference. I will finish this post tonight, and then let you know the rest of the story after I have been to fetch Chloe and get the feedback from Melanie on how her first day was.

Well, Chloe's first day was alright I think. Melanie said that she was good, and napped well, had all her milk and only cried when she was tired really. So I guess she will be alright. I still feel sad because it means that she is growing up and that she isn't such a little baby anymore, but I guess that is life. At least she seemed happy to see me, and when I was putting her to sleep this evening, she was dreaming and I imagine she had a busy day from the movements. I was a little worried that she seemed to get frights, but Melanie did say that she woke with frights from her naps, probably due to the new noise environment.

The end of a season

2008-05-04T19:56:00.000+02:00

Tonight I am feeling very sad, as tomorrow morning our little cherub starts at her school, and I know that I am going to take it very badly. I imagine she will take some time to settle down there, and get used to the people who are caring for her, but at the same time it is going to be very difficult for me to get used to the idea.

There are several reasons that I will be taking such strain...

- It means that she is growing up.

- I don't know that she will even miss me at this age.

- I feel a little jealous that there will be someone else who will be her "primary caregiver" and I will no longer fill that roll daily.

- I don't know how she will cope with the environment, and how she will cope with the people and all the other babies.

- She is definitely likely to get sick very soon after starting there.

- They will never care for her the way that I do (which could also be seen as an advantage by some).

It is going to be very difficult and I think that tomorrow is going to be a terribly hard day. I was washing the dishes just now, and thinking I have to sort out the new computer workstation (we have ditched the computer stand and turned the dining room table into the new desk, and now I have to get everything into a suitable place where it all works well and comfortably) and thinking that it will be difficult with Chloe, and then I remembered that I won't have her here with me, and I think that it will be very empty here without her. I am going to miss cuddling her, and loving her, watching her nap, and I think I'll even miss her crying.

I was speaking to a friend at church today, and she said that Chloe would be fine, and yes they will never look after her the way that I do, but they will take good care of her, and they will have a routine of things that they do with the babies, so she will get into the groove soon and then be fine. She did however say that it takes about 3 to 4 weeks for them to settle down, which is different to what they said at the school (2 weeks) but I will have to see. She said that I should tell them what I am expecting, and that they are offering a service which I am paying for so I have to make sure that I am happy, and be assertive about how they care for her. So, I will see what happens.

Poor Chloe was very grizzly today, and I think that she may be teething, or starting to, and seemed very unhappy with anything that we did to keep her busy, but I went to visit Pat and she put a blanket outside on the grass and we sat outside for a while and Chloe loved it. First we had her on her tummy for some leopard crawling practice and then we flipped her over (when she was too frustrated to carry on) and she chatted with us for ages, until she got hungry, and tired (bed time). I am hoping that the lady at the school will be able to shed some light, as I am sure that looking after 10 babies you would know when they are beginning to teeth. Shame, all these changes. I forgot to tell you all that Chloe has graduated to her camp cot in her own room, and she has been sleeping alright. I have also stopped getting up every time she wakes up. I get up if she starts to cry, which is normally around midnight. She does wake up in the middle of the early morning, but I leave her, and she goes back to sleep without me. It means that there is less disruption of my sleep and she tends to eat better in the morning when we get up. So many changes for this little girl, I hope that she can cope, and I pray that she is safe in the hands of the people I felt God wanted her in. I know that I felt certain that she was meant to be in the school I have put her in, and I hope that she really blossoms there and does well, I am sure the interaction with the other children will help her become more independent and confident rather than being a recluse at home (almost like her mother).

I'll keep you posted with developments.

An update

2008-04-20T21:48:00.001+02:00

Everyone must be wondering what has happened to the updates that came around so regularly, and since Chloe was born there has been nothing to speak of really. Well, that is because spare time has been very scarce, and motherhood has been a very tiring, daunting, and yet amazing experience.

Chloe has been growing quickly and is almost 6kg already, and at 11 weeks I think she is doing very well, according to the clinic sister. She is also beginning to get really cute, "talking", and smiling and generally making it harder to not fall in love with her. She is really developing a personality that matches her irresistible looks. She has managed to charm most people who have seen her, and even people walking past in the shopping centres can't resist a closer look. She does have her mothers dislike for the camera, and it is hard work to get even a little smile out of her when taking pictures, but I have managed one or two, but, I have yet to capture the full smile that I get in the mornings, usually in the middle of her feed and then it is all over. She won't eat after that, because she is too busy chatting and making my heart melt.

She will be going for her 10 week jab this week, and I'm hoping that it will be alright, as last week she was so miserable when I was at the clinic we decided against giving it to her. She didn't seem to react too badly to the first one at 6 weeks, which was a relief, and I am hoping that it will be the same this time around. She is also on formula, and I am no longer breast feeding, for my sanity and also because in about a month's time I will be back at work, and I can't imagine trying to express milk in the bathroom at the office and then having 40 odd people checking out the milk in the fridge there. Formula is just easier.

Other than that, all I can say is that NOTHING can ever prepare you for motherhood, and how all consuming it is, and how hard it is. All the stories and advice etc, aren't even a speck on the screen when you are in the situation, and to all the moms-to-be reading this, it's worth every second, but it is the toughest job you will ever have!

Not Just A Mom...

2008-03-28T09:02:00.000+02:00

You have to love this one :o)

JUST A MOM?

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk 's office,
was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.

She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

'What I mean is, ' explained the recorder, 'do you have a job or are you just a ...?'

'Of course I have a job,' snapped the woman.

'I'm a Mom.'

'We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it,' said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.

The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like, 'Official Interrogator' or 'Town Registrar.'

'What is your occupation?' she probed

What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out: 'I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.'

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title s lowly emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire

'Might I ask,' said the clerk with new interest, 'just what you do in your field?'

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, 'I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn't) In the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters).
Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it).
But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.'

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy!

And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than 'just another Mom.'

Motherhood!
What a glorious career!
Especially when there's a title on the door.

Does this make grandmothers 'Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations'
And great grandmothers 'Executive Senior Research Associates?'
I think so!!! ;
I also think it makes Aunts 'Associate Research Assistants.'

Easter vs Passover... very interesting

2008-03-26T20:55:00.000+02:00

This past weekend Paul and I visited a different church, and the preacher had been asked about the origin of Easter, and why the church didn't have an Easter service on Easter Friday etc. He went into great depth to describe why they don't as a church don't "celebrate" Easter, and I have layed it out below, with information I got from http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/origin-of-easter.htm as Paul had to to check that the information that had been given to us was in fact correct (my darling sceptic :o) ).

~~~~

Origin of Easter - A Christian Commemoration
The origin of Easter, a holiday associated with the observance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is actually based on an ancient pagan celebration. Christians recognize this day as commemorating the culminating event of their faith, but like so many other "Christian" holidays, Easter has become commercialized and mixed with non-christian traditions like the Easter Bunny, Easter parades and hunting for Easter eggs. How did this happen?

Origin of Easter - Its Pagan Roots
The origin of Easter dates back to ancient times, not long after the global Flood recorded in Genesis 6-9 of the Bible. Nimrod, a grandson of Noah, had turned from following his grandfather's God and had become a tyrannical ruler. According to the biblical record, as king, Nimrod created Babel, Ninevah, Asshur, Calla and other cities, all known for lifestyles that promoted unspeakable evil and perversion. When Nimrod died, his wife, Queen Semiramis, deified him as the Sun-god, or Life Giver. Later he would become known as Baal, and those who followed the religion Semiramis created in his name would be called Baal worshippers. They became associated with idolatry, demon worship, human sacrifice and other practices regarded as evil.

The origin of Easter involves the birth of Semiramis' illegitimate son, Tammuz. Somehow, Semiramis convinced the people that Tammuz was actually Nimrod reborn. Since people had been looking for the promised savior since the beginning of mankind (see Genesis 3:15), they were persuaded by Semiramis to believe that Tammuz was that savior, even that he had been supernaturally conceived. Before long, in addition to worshipping Tammuz (or Nimrod reborn), the people also worshipped Semiramis herself as the goddess of fertility. In other cultures, she has been called Ishtar, Ashtur and yes, Easter.

The origin of Easter goes back to the springtime ritual instituted by Semiramis following the death of Tammuz, who, according to tradition, was killed by a wild boar. Legend has it that through the power of his mother's tears, Tammuz was "resurrected" in the form of the new vegetation that appeared on the earth.

According to the Bible, it was in the city of Babel that the people created a tower in order to defy God. Up until that time, all the people on the earth spoke one language. The building of the tower led God, as recorded in Genesis 11:7, to confuse their tongues to keep them from being further unified in their false beliefs. As the people moved into other lands, many of them took their pagan practices with them.

Contemporary traditions such as the Easter Bunny and the Easter egg can also be traced back to the practices established by Semiramis. Because of their prolific nature, rabbits have long been associated with fertility and its goddess, Ishtar. Ancient Babylonians believed in a fable about an egg that fell into the Euphrates River from heaven and from which Queen Astarte (another name for Ishtar or Semiramis) was "hatched."

Origin of Easter - Resurrection Day for Christians
For Christians, the origin of Easter is simply the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ about 2,000 years ago. According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus Christ, the true Messiah promised in the Old Testament, was crucified and resurrected at the time of the Jewish Passover. Since that awesome event took place, those who believe Christ is their Messiah have honored that day and often celebrated it with the traditional Passover. As the Gospel of Christ spread throughout non-jewish nations, among people who did not have a history of celebrating the Passover, the pagan rites of Easter gradually became assimilated into what the Christian church called "Resurrection Day." Compromising the commandments of God with the comfort of the world is as old as the nation of Israel itself. Actually, American history teaches us that Easter was dismissed as a pagan holiday by the nation's founding Puritans and did not begin to be widely observed until just after the Civil War. Those interested in a Christian view of American history and the gradual compromise of America's Biblical foundations may wish to read books such as The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel.

Family Visit

2008-03-20T11:42:00.000+02:00

This week my family from the UK came to visit, and it was awesome to see them again, after so many years. The last time we saw each other was... I can't remember the year, about 15 years ago I am sure.

I have attached the family picture - the fun one. It's been fun to see them, and they really are an amazing family. Only one of my cousins came out this time, and Sheryl was very helpful with Chloe, as well as Uncle Jaap and Aunty Sheila. They wanted to surprise my mother at the coffee shop and they did, my mother didn't even recognise them originally, and then when the penny dropped I imagine it was a moment of comic relief. I know that Mom enjoyed their visit completely. Some of the stories that were coming out from when they were young were interesting as well.

We had a braai with them last night and it was fun, Uncle Jaap did the cooking, and we all just relaxed (except for me, trying to get Chloe to settle down) and visited.

Today they have left to go to St Lucia for a few days, and then they will pop up to Ermelo to visit my gran, and other aunt and uncle, and then it's back to the UK. I'd like to think that they really enjoyed thier trip here and that the holiday wasn't so much of a whirlwind that they didn't get a chance to relax.

I love you Aunty Sheil and Uncle Jaap.

Of cats and monkeys

2008-03-08T10:56:00.000+02:00

Well, this week seemed to be a week of throughfare for animals in my house. The first time a huge male Vervet Monkey, hopped past me, as if I wasn't there, and proceeded to walk through the lounge as if he owned the place. Well, I lost my temper, and all sense of fear of long, sharp, possibly diseased teeth, and chased the creature through the house. The worst part was that my chasing did nothing to scare the animal. The sheers I was carrying (I was gardening at the time of the trespassing) were lobbed at him, which only slightly increased the arrogant speed that he was moving. Amazing how protective one becomes when you're little angel is in a room, and there is the potential of attack on her. It was only after the fact that I realised what I had done. The most annoying part was that the animal tried another two times to come back inside, like he owns the place. Paul's blow pipe (aka monkey deterrent) seemed to get rid of him. I didn't use it, but they know what it is, as he uses it to shoot them with blunt "darts", which makes them think twice about coming around our spot.

~~~

There are a whole lot of cats in our complex. Now, our neighbours have a beautiful cat called Mitsy. (Pictured above) According to Mitsy apart from their garden being her territory, our garden is part of her greater territory. However, the cat from Unit 18 feels that it is his duty to antagonise Mitsy and encroach on her territory. Mitsy is a gentle cat (till the claws and teeth come out, when she is suffering from some form of cat PMS, in which case she can deliver quite some pain) and doesn't like to fight. But, on the fateful day, she chased Cat 18 (so named due to its home) right through my lounge. Now, again I'm not usually one who will get involved in fights, especially when there are some very sharp claws involved, but, they were getting a bit close to my baby. Anyway, my just standing up, made Mitsy stay one one side of the lounge, and then back out slowly, while Cat 18 stared at her through our back door, as if saying "I dare you!", so to solve that problem and calm my dear Mitsy down, I closed the back door, instantly ending the rivalry. Thank goodness, I have never seen Mitsy so riled up. I have chased Cat 18 away a number of times. Just this morning it was in Pat's garden tormenting Emma, her cat. The problem I have with all the cat fighting, is that when they are howling at each other, it sounds very much like a baby crying, and unless I am right by Chloe, there are moments when I think that she is crying so I bolt through to her, and it's the stupid cats!

~~~

Then, just to vent! The children from our neighbours (next door, not below us) have it in their minds that I like having them staring at me, and trying to come into my house, while I am trying to settle Chloe down, during her grizzly time of the day. They think that it is a big game. The other day, I thought, I'll close the door so they get the message that I don't want them around, so they start banging on the door. I was very annoyed. Paul was here as well, and he was also getting irritated, and was going to sort them out when they decided that the game was over and moved off. Some days I don't know what to do, you're stressed out because your child is crying and there is no consoling her, and then you have a 2 year old and a 9month old trying to invade your territory, and make a game of it. Every time you look at them, they run away laughing, thinking that it is a big game. Argh!

More Snippets

2008-02-28T08:52:00.000+02:00

Again, the blog update is more snippets than one long story, but I guess it's better than being bored with a long story about nothing! Much has happened since my last post, although being so busy with Chloe, it has been too blurred to remember half of it... So here goes.

Aviary Update

Paul has finished the aviary, but not without injury. He got blood poisoning from the mesh that he was using to build it. He must have stabbed himself with it about 20 times, but one particular wound went septic, and he got mild blood poisoning, so it was off to the doctor for him. It is still looking a little sore, and infected, but the antibiotics are helping sort it out.

I released the budgies into the aviary yesterday, and they still haven't quite figured out that they have vast amounts of place to fly, and they seem not to know what to do with their wings. Although, Greenie and Mammy Blue have discovered the art of flying around more and are using the freedom. Cyan is less mobile though, as his wings are still clipped, and he is looking a little under the weather. I am keeping a close eye on him though to make sure that he is alright.

This morning the whole troupe of monkeys came through our yard, and decided to test whether they are able to get into the aviary, especially since there are yummy birds waiting to be eaten. (Argh) Paul and I have decided that we are going to get some fake snakes and are hoping it will deter them from coming anywhere near the birds again. One monkey was jumping on the aviary to see if it could get through. Really cheeky!

Chloe Update

As I type, my little cherub is squirming where she lies sleeping, although I am not so sure she is still sleeping. Chloe is growing fast, and when I weighed her yesterday she was 4.3kg. I can't believe it, although my arms have been telling me that she is getting heavier. Her last length measurement was 51cm, and that was last week Tuesday, but I am sure that she has grown longer as well. After fighting with her and breastfeeding, I have with the genius of my husband, to express milk all the time now and then bottle feed her rather. She seems to be taking to that much better, and she is getting more food / milk which is great. She feeds less often, sleeps better, and generally is in a better frame of mind. I was right though, she woke up, so now I'm typing with one hand, and Chloe in the other arm.

It is so good that Paul is behind the expressing milk option. Being able to feed her with a bottle is much more relaxing for the both of us. I have added another pic as well for you.

The 70^th Birthday photo shoot

Saturday 23^rd February was an exciting evening for me. I was able to photograph a 70^th birthday party at uShaka, in the aquarium and it was stunning. They really went all out to make it look great there, and I think that they enjoyed the party.

It was the first time since Chloe was born that I was not with her for more than 5 minutes, and it was quite a daunting thing to leave her, but my mother and Paul were stars and apparently Chloe was an angel. Slept, ate and made her nappies dirty, making Dad change them twice. I must admit most of the evening I didn't miss her, as I was too busy to think about it, but when my milk started to come through and I was getting sore because of it, I figured that I was missing her lots. My plan was to express some milk during the evening, so that there wouldn't be any engorgement, but that opportunity never presented itself, so I was pretty sore, and the milk that came out when I did eventually get a chance was more like water than milk, so I ditched that.

"Kim Swan Pet Photographer"

So, now you are probably wondering what this is all about. Well, you have heard of Ace Ventura Pet Detective, well I was asked to take some pictures of a friends little dogs, who are some of the most hyper active creatures I have come across. It took about an hour of sitting outside with them, and Berrie, for them to calm down enough to get some beautiful pictures. Needless to say of the 30+ pictures that I took 4 were worthy of printing (in my opinion) and I can't wait to give them to her. I had them printed with the photo's from uShaka, so I got to see them in print for the first time again. I must say that printing photo's is very satisfying. The computer screen does very little justice to the pictures, but when they are printed they are amazing.

Well, that is about all the news I have for the time being. I will post again soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.kimswanphotography.co.za/

Hot days and screaming babies

2008-02-18T10:34:00.000+02:00

OK, today's entry is going to be more a collection of snippets than a long story. Right now I have about 20 minutes to get something going before it is time to get Chloe up from her beauty sleep for a feed and then hopefully I can get going with the shopping I need to do... However this morning the washing machine decided that it would break down, and now I have to wait for Craig to come and have a look at the machine, but the initial over the phone prognosis was pretty bad. Possibly that the drum on the machine has snapped... not a great time for this to happen really. But, what can I do.

Overheard: "My episiotomy stitches tore after the second day and they said that they don't restitch them any more." Eish!

6:30 am hair cutting sessions
This morning while Chloe was still sleeping from her very early in the morning (the birds were singing outside though), Paul and I cut his hair. I say we did it, as he did the initial chop it all off with the clippers and then I had to tidy it up with scissors, so by the end of it he looked pretty good, and his hair was certainly a lot neater than it was before we started. But, have you ever heard of trimming your hair before work as part of your ablutions... Except of course if you are my brother who shaves his head weekly at least!

The aviary
Well, at the moment we are waiting for the mesh for the aviary to arrive from Cape Town. I am hoping that it will get here today, as Paul paid for it n Tuesday last week and was expecting it on Friday already. I think if I had the guys number I would have followed up already to say where is the tracking number I want to know where the parcel is. But, I have left it alone, as I don't think that he would like me to interfere at the moment and he is stressed out enough at work today.

Hot days and screaming babies (in the car)
On Saturday we decided to get out the house for the afternoon and went to visit Inanda Dam, which was pleasant enough. The shady spots were nice and cool and when we got there the wind wasn't blowing very hard, but it got progressively worse (in my books, Paul said there was no wind, but then he was looking at it from a wind surfing perspective). I am not a big fan of wind though, it blows my hair into my face, and irritates me, and I think that Chloe was picking up on these dislike vibes, as well as just being in a completely new environment, and started getting niggly, which only added to my stress levels, and my already splitting headache. It was a pleasant enough outing in the beginning, but by the time we decided to pack up and leave, we had a screaming baby which no one could console. Thank goodness I managed to soothe her at home though, and she had her bath and I fed her comfortably and then sat with her in the cool bedroom in the near dark with "Majors for Minors" playing softly in the background.

Then on Sunday we took the plunge and took her to church for the first time, which ended up in pretty much the same way, except I had managed to express some milk before we had left so I was able to feed her in the car when we were outside the shops while Paul ran in. The milk was a life saver, but wasn't enough to satisfy her so when we got home I had to excuse myself from our visitors and feed her... but that didn't stop the niggles till she fell asleep a little later. She had been so hot in the car, I know, she lost a lot of fluid through perspiration.

They weren't kidding when they said that the first 2 weeks are hell....
Need I say more, I have never suffered from sleep deprivation, bladder infection, temperatures reaching 40.5 C, rapid weight loss, extreme perspiration, uncontrollable hormones which have you in a ball of tears at the drop of a hat, and complete feelings of being out of control and not knowing what is wrong with the precious bundle that is screaming her lungs out because she has a need.

Chloe is 2 weeks old today!!!!!!

I have just had the easiest feed and nappy change ever! OK, so she was sleeping, but I never said that it had to be while she was awake!

The Cygnet became a Swan...

2008-02-08T16:08:00.001+02:00

Nothing could ever have prepared me for the birth of our daughter Chloe, or the sheer bombardment of emotions that go along with becoming a mother. From the time that I found out that we were going to become parents I was excited, you all know, and if you read my blog you will see the excitement all the way through. However the most traumatic time of her journey into this world started on Sunday night while we were watching TV. Paul decided that to avoid any trouble I was not allowed to go to be till late, just in case labour was setting in (I had been feeling crampy and sore most of the evening), and well, the contractions started, and I knew that this was for real, and all of a sudden I really was scared about what I had to do. I was scared of the imminent pain, as well as the thought that I might not be able to finish what we started. Paul took me to the hospital at around 2am and I was already feeling strong contractions and the midwife on duty said that I was only 2.5cm dilated. However, by around 4am I was in so much pain I couldn't focus on anything, and Paul knew there was no way that I would make it through the rest of the labour without an epidural. There was no way that I was planning to be a martyr at this stage of the game. Dr C came to check up on me around 6am and said that he estimated another 3 hours before I would be ready to begin stage 2... pushing out the baby... needless to say he would out by an hour, as after about 8 contractions, and some very hard pushing, Chloe was born at 08:25. She weighed 3.42kg and was 47cm long (which has had comments of how short she is, but she hasn't exactly got giants for parents).

Paul asked me to describe the feeling when she was born, and it's difficult to describe, the actual feeling of a baby passing from inside your body to the outside. But, I don't think that I will be willing to describe the feeling on my blog. All I can say is it was an amazing experience, and intensely satisfying one, and incredibly emotional. It was surreal initially, all of a sudden having this tin little angel in your arms, while the doctor and midwife are rushing around you sorting out the carnage from the exit, and also making sure that both Chloe and I were safe and healthy. But, the more I am left alone with my thoughts the more emotional I find myself getting, and I keep getting time warped to her future thinking about things that will happen eventually.

The stay in hospital was amazing, the staff were brilliant, and always helpful, and I was always amazed at how the nursery sisters could hear a baby and then appear as if from no where and calm the child, knowing that the mother was stressing something serious as they have no clue as to what the problem is. It was also good to be able to "rest" in hospital and have the staff and nursery there when you needed them and to be able to get some good sleep.

Our first night home was quite traumatic with Chloe not sleeping much at all, and I had no idea why, but last night Paul made sure that she did go to sleep and I only fed her every 2 hours, which made a world of difference, to my sanity and that of my husband. Since then we have been able to settle a little, but I know that it will take a little while to get into a routine, considering that there hasn't really been a routine for the little on ever, and we haven't had to have a strict routine.

I'm sure that there will be more instalments, and if you don't get many updates on email, you know where to find my blog. There will be updates there.

--
For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. Phil 4:13

If you're having trouble thinking out the box, then you're probably in the wrong box.

http://www.kimswanphotography.co.za/

http://kim-happy-day.blogspot.com/

Update

2008-01-31T13:14:00.001+02:00

Hopefully today was the last official pre-natal visit to the doc.

Baby has put on another 300g, and Dr estimates that it is about 3.5kg now, whereas the machine estimated about 3.9kg. I'd like to believe the good Dr.

In his professional opinion, I should go into "unassisted" labour in the next few days, and he was quite confident that the baby would turn into position during early labour and that all would go smoothly.

He also sent me in for a CTG scan, just to monitor Baby's heartbeat, not for any concerns, and Paul seems to think it is so they have a bench mark to work from during labour.

I do promise that once I am out of the labour ward and in Maternity ward, to write all of you. Paul said that he would bring in his laptop so that I would be able to write. Especially between feeds and sleeps :o) Till then!

Only a few more days before maternity leave

2008-01-16T09:06:00.001+02:00

I think that every morning the people I work with breathe a sigh of relief when I walk through the door. One guy who has been on leave said that I really look pregnant now, and he was amazed at the sudden popping out of my tum, which was refreshing from the usual "your getting so big!" comment.

I wish that the non-pregnant people who often say that would realise the impact that comment has on the person being told. Imagine, you already feel like a whale, you're hot, your tummy is heavy, swollen feet and hands, sore back, and someone comes along and says "wow you are huge" now, would that make you feel like the "glowing, pregnant lady" that everyone thinks you are, or would it make you feel a little worse and just add a ton to the whale feeling?

I must admit that the last few nights have not been happy sleeping ones. Both Paul and I have been restless, but for different reasons. I think the imminent birth of our child is playing on my mind, as well as the major discomfort, and Paul has too many things running through his mind. For once though it hasn't been work so much, but rather photography. He is very excited about the lenses that he has ordered for me, and the fact that I have landed a gig in February (which is stressing him out as he will have to baby sit Cygnet) and I am waiting to find out if I get the gig in April as well. So he is thinking too much about those things, and not sleeping well, and I am sure that the fact that I am not sleeping well affects him too. What a pair. I just figure that it is preparation for the months to come :o) God is good in his wisdom!

Cygnet seems to have dropped more, and is squirming, making my tummy look like it is dancing. However, it has dropped as well, so there is a lot of pressure on my pubic bone, and I'd imagine that the child will make it's appearance before the EDD.

I will try keeping my blog up to date with news, but I can't promise anything, because I have no idea what life will be like after the birth of our child.

Coming in to land

2008-01-08T10:42:00.001+02:00

Today was one of the last scans we will have considering that soon we won't need a scan to look at our precious child. Dr C was still very impressed with progress and said that everything is on track. I did ask him whether he thought we would be having the baby earlier than the projected 31 January, to which he answered "We don't have preterm babies in this practice". Which I think was a tidy sidestep, and I still think that this child is more than ready to meet it's parents. During the scan he also pointed out that there is some calcification on the placenta, so the ladies here at the office are taking bets as to how soon Cygnet will make it's grand entrance into the world.

The nursery is pretty much finished, and there are one or two things that I still need to sort out, but I am sure that there will be some time during Paul's two week break to be at home with Cygnet and I. It is all getting very exciting now. I can feel that the baby has dropped, breathing is easier these days, but there is a lot of pressure being placed on my bladder, especially when Cygnet decides that it is time to do Alps training for the Tour de France. But, it's fun all the same. It's precious when I get poked in my side, and I can feel the sharpness of a pointy elbow, or when I rub my tummy and Cygnet "rubs" back.

I washed all the baby clothes last night, and when hanging the little things up to dry I was getting so excited. I just wanted to be able to put them onto this little baby. I think that the little vests were the cutest, so tiny. To think that soon I will have someone to wear them. Oh yes, the estimated fetal weight at the moment is close to 3.4kg! Wanda, I think that I am getting close to Max's 3.6kg?

Well, stay tuned for the next installment. The next scheduled scan is for the 22nd... but who knows, I could be seeing Dr C a bit earlier than that :o)

I couldn't resist!

2008-01-04T09:59:00.000+02:00

The picture says it all today.

I woke with a headache this morning, which has subsided some, but not completely, and I could be at home today, cleaning, because I know that is what would happen, purely because of the whole nesting thing that happens to pregnant ladies at some point on their pregnancy, although according to a lot of articles I have read, it usually means that labour is imminent.

While browsing the net, I came across a site with some "advice" for the dad-to-be which made me giggle a bit. This is what they had to say...

It's a bit beyond the scope of this guide to create a parenting "how-to" for newborns. However Dad, there are a few basics you need to know.

- Yes, you WILL be nervous about picking up a human being that is slightly larger than a football knowing that it is YOUR child.
- You will NOT be asphyxiated when you change Baby's poopy diaper.
- Baby's vomit is not toxic waste, and you will NOT die of poisoning when Baby spits up an entire feeding on your new shirt.

Seriously, it is nerve-wracking to hold a squirming baby, especially when their little necks are so floppy. The more you hold and handle your baby, the more comfortable you'll become. You should be able to do whatever Mom does for the baby, except of course, breastfeed. You'll develop a deeper bond with Baby and s/he with you by being involved.

Who wouldn't have a giggle at that, even the dad-to-be :o)

At least today is Friday, which means that I get a chance to "relax" for the weekend. Tomorrow will the be the day for shopping for the small things that need to go into the "bag" which everyone is telling me I need to get packed. By the sounds of it you need about 3 bags... the Labour Bag, the Hospital bag and the Baby bag. I don't think I have that many bags at all, so sorry for everyone, it's all going into one bag... which means that I will have to get a move on and clean out the chest of drawers, just to make sure that they are clean, wash all the clothes that I have for the baby, because that is what my "instinct" is telling me has to be done, and then get it all ready. Bring on the weekend!

A New Year… 2008

2008-01-02T12:24:00.000+02:00

It’s been a while since I last posted, and a bit has happened. We went to East London for Christmas, and I met a lot of extended family that I didn’t know I had, believe me there were LOTS of people, most of them from Australia. The time away was fun, and we got to stay on a horse farm, with a pig farm on one side and a chicken farm on the other, so depending on wind direction the smells were… interesting. The travelling in the car on hot African summer days was interesting, with the heat getting to both Cygnet and I, but we both survived, and the return trip was less “stressful” than the trip down. The area we were staying in on the coast is called the Wild Coast, and believe me it is stunning. The beaches are smooth and when the tide is out you have to walk for ages before you get to dip your toes into the sea, and it seemed that every time we were at the beach the tide was out, so I got to do a lot of walking, nothing strenuous though. The most beautiful of beaches we visited was the Kei River Mouth beach, where the Great Kei river meets the sea. The beach was stunning, and there was so much beach, and the river was so wide that water sports like wind surfing and kite surfing would be perfect. There was a girl on the water in her kayak as well, so that would be another “thing to do”. It was also not packed with holiday makers as it was quite out the way, and it was just really relaxing. The sun was very hot though, and I managed to get through the whole holiday without getting sun burnt which was awesome, especially considering how much time was spent in the sun.

I must admit that it was good to be home again though, knowing that it is getting close to the time of the birth of our baby, and the bumpy trip must have helped get the little on to drop. Although today I don’t think it has stopped squirming for more than about 5 minutes. And I have been sitting quietly most of the day. I must admit though, it is good to be in the air conditioning at the office, it has been very hot and humid, which has made for an uncomfortable past few days. Although, having said that, it hasn’t been unbearable. I think that there are a lot of women out there who have suffered more in the heat than I have.

Yesterday we went to collect the chest of drawers that my brother has kindly given us, and it is getting very exciting now, knowing that there is a “changing” table for the baby now, and knowing that soon I will be changing a very little person’s nappies on the top of it, with a whole bunch of very cute clothes in the drawers and a whole new life taking place. Somehow having the drawers there seemed to bring it more into the light. I’m so excited!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-21T10:05:00.001+02:00

Possibly the last post for the year

2007-12-20T16:16:00.001+02:00

It is with a heavy heart that I have to let you all know that SnowPatrol died on Monday 17 December 2007. The little sausage was just not strong enough to cope without its parents, and they were not interested in him. In all fairness, I was told that they would attack the baby if there was something wrong with it, and there was definitely something not right with him. The poor little chap had very little co-ords and couldn’t eat very well by himself. I was very upset to find him lying in the bottom of the cage, even though every time I looked into the cage I was expecting him to be dead. So, I have buried him, and the even sadder news is the same parents rejected the other baby Cyan as well. However Cyan is a lot stronger and seems to have it’s wits about it, and can eat very well on its own. Cyan is becoming tamer by the day, and loves to get out the cage for a good fly around the house. I also let it bath yesterday as it had managed to get baby porridge all over it’s body and it had a ball, although once drenched it was no longer interested in the water. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of Cyan here at the moment, but I will be sure to take some and then post them as well. My friend Sandy, will be looking after Cyan for the week that we will be away over Christmas, and has promised that she would let him out for a fly once a day. I just hope that the time spent far away from psycho parents will help ween it so that every time it is out the cage it doesn’t try going back to them. I was heart broken last night when it few to the other cage where the parents are and they looked at it like it was a bug or something, and it was crying to get to them. So I’m hoping the week away will help with the separation problem.

Today also marks the 34th week of my pregnancy, which means around 6 weeks to go, and believe me, I am hoping that they go quickly and yet slowly all at the same time. I am looking forward to snuggling the precious little baby inside me, but at the same time, dreading not having it with me every second of the day, even when it kicks me in the ribs and makes me want to cry out from the pain. It is a very active child already, and my tummy does some very interesting things these days, and you have to wonder what people think when my tummy is squirming all over, and I am “oblivious” to it. It is fun to watch though. Some days I wish I had one of those X-ray screens like they have in the cartoons, so I could see what the child is doing, because some of the things that I feel would take a complete contortionist to achieve, although I’d imagine Cygnet is quite the contortionist at the moment, being all curled up inside the womb.
Well, tomorrow is my last day at the office for this year, and then it is off to East London for a week for Christmas. It is going to be a long drive and hopefully not too uncomfortable. We’re having supper with my folks this evening to celebrate Christmas, since we won’t be here, so I’m hoping it will be fun. Then when we get back, I will have to fetch my car from the mechanic. Turns out the brakes were completely finished, metal on metal! And no one had any stock of the replacement disks, so I have left the car with him so that he can fix it while we are away. It will be nice to have new brakes again though. I was just very upset that in the 95000 odd kilometres that I have driven the car the brakes and disks have been a problem 3 times already. Not very good mileage out of them. Lets hope the new ones that he put on last longer.
Well that is me… I will keep notes of interesting things to post and let you have the updates when we get back.

Have a blessed Christmas and I hope the Spirit of God fills every moment of it.

SnowPatrol... An update

2007-12-13T15:28:00.001+02:00

My poor little SnowPatrol.

It emerged from the box, all ready to take on the world, and ended up almost being scalped by it's parents.

I had to resort to emergency cage swaps, and now it's in a hamster cage which I borrowed from my follow pregnant fairy Sandy. And thank goodness she is an angel because she is baby sitting SnowPatrol today, as I was worried that it wouldn't eat and that it would be terribly traumatised from being separated from family so soon, which was a silly assumption, considering the abuse the poor baby endured. I seriously need to consider getting Paul to make the avery that he has said he would, I just need to say the word. maybe in the bigger space there would be less baby pecking.

I have also added a link to Sandy's Ramblings, where you can get to "know" the pregnant fairy friend Sandy through her "Rambling Journal" (that is quoted from her site :o) ).

I'll keep you posted on the SnowPatrol sage.

7 weeks and counting...

2007-12-12T10:37:00.001+02:00

Well, it's another month closer to the birth of our baby, and our scan today was fun. Dr says that the baby is in a good position and doesn't expect it to turn again, as the head is already facing downward, getting ready for the final descent. He is happy that the placenta is still in a good position as well, and that we are on track to a healthy delivery.

Measurements were a little scary. We were told at antenatal classes that normally the baby's crown is the same shape etc as the fathers head, which made me nervous already, as Paul doesn't have the smallest head. So when Dr measured the head, it was about 2 weeks ahead of size (YIKES!). The rest of the body is well in line with "average" measurements, but about 4-5 days ahead of "average". Baby now weighs around 2.2kg. I have to wonder what I am feeding the child... as I am not eating outrageously.

It's scary to think that soon I will be able to hold the little sausage, and there is NO turning back! Yay!

--
For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. Phil 4:13

If you're having trouble thinking out the box, then you're probably in the wrong box.

http://www.kimswanphotography.co.za/

http://kim-happy-day.blogspot.com/

Snow Patrol

2007-12-10T11:31:00.001+02:00

OK, so you are probably wondering why the strange heading... well, it's the name that has stuck for the older of Mr and Mr's Blue's babies.

Snow Patrol has been becoming more and more adventurous and has begun sticking most of it's body out the nest box, trying to reach the food. This morning was quite funny to watch as well, as the parents are obviously trying to get it to "take the leap' as it were, and enticing it by eating and not feeding it. However, the other baby is still being looked after. I have heard flapping in the box, which, I'd imagine would be Snow Patrol getting ready for that huge 10cm jump from the hole in the box to the bottom of the cage. I giggle when I think about it. But, the babies are both gorgeous. They look so soft and cuddly. I just have to think of a name for the younger of the two, but I am sure that something will come up, when it too starts the journey to the other side of the box wall. I must admit that it is more adventurous than it's older sibling. I have seen it sticking it's head out the box a few times already to see what the world outside looks like. Imagine them when I put the cage outside for the first time when they are both out the box! And the first time they get a shower, when I put the garden sprinkler on the cages. The adult birds go nuts when I do that. They love the water and try get as wet as possible. It's fun to watch.

Christmas seems to have suddenly arrived. It has been a few months away and now it's imminent. That is a scary thought. It's almost as imminent as the arrival of a Cygnet into the world. can you believe that on Thursday there are 7 weeks left till the "official, calculated" due date. I'm getting excited again as we go for the next scan on Wednesday. We get to find out how big the baby is getting and how much it weighs, and I'm going to ask how long it is. It's getting exciting now. I think that I am feeling a bit better about the whole birth thing, or I'm living in denial, but I'm feeling optimistic about the "event" and I'm so looking forward to meeting this little sausage whom I have loved since the day I knew it was there!

The Meaning of ASAP

2007-11-29T14:11:00.001+02:00

Ever wonder about the abbreviation A.S.A.P.? Generally we think of it in terms of even more hurry and stress in our lives. Maybe if we think of this abbreviation in a different manner, we will begin to find a new way to deal with those rough days along the way.

There's work to do, deadlines to meet;
You've got no time to spare,
But as you hurry and scurry-
ASAP - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER;

In the midst of family chaos,
"Quality time" is rare.
Do your best; let God do the rest-
ASAP - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER.

It may seem like your worries
Are more than you can bear.
Slow down and take a breather-
ASAP - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

God knows how stressful life is;
He wants to ease our cares,
And He'll respond to all your needs : always say a prayer

Mel & Willem's wedding

2007-11-27T07:56:00.001+02:00

On Saturday 24 November, Mel and Willem were married by our pastor Brett, on what was a perfect day. OK, so it rained some, but it was cool (especially since this time of year can get quite hot), and the cloud cover made for some stunning photographs I am sure. Paul was asked to be the videographer for the day, which meant that we spent the whole time there. It was a special day, and it made me think about our wedding day a lot. In fact, it was very much like our day as well. Cloud cover, cool weather, and generally a happy day. Mel, looked beautiful, and we had fun with both the video camera and the still camera.

I have posted the pictures, so enjoy them, and also if you would like to see more of my work, then pop over to http://www.kimswanphotography.co.za and check out the galleries.

Sunset at the North Pole

2007-11-22T18:16:00.000+02:00

A scene you will probably never get to see, so take a moment and Enjoy God at work at the North Pole.

This is the sunset at the North Pole with the moon at its closest Point.

And, you also see the sun below the moon.
An amazing photo and not one easily duplicated. You may want to pass It on to others.

The Chinese have a saying that goes something like this:
"When someone shares with you something of value, you have an Obligation to share it with others!"

Sunset At The North Pole

Squealers and other news

2007-11-22T18:03:00.000+02:00

Amazing news! Mr and Mrs Blue now have another little hatchling squealing in the nest box. Two days ago Paul said to me that there was another bird in the box and I said I hadn't heard anything and he said that it was a new baby or Mrs Blue had lost it and was squealing like a baby. Then yesterday I heard a noise, and thought it was just the normal baby, till of course I heard the normal baby, very noisy little one that. So there you have it... two babies. Mrs Blue just had to try and out do me!

Tuesday's antenatal class was interesting, we had a midwife, Annie, telling us about different forms of pain relief for a drug free birth, some of which seemed very interesting, and nice, if you could think of something being nice in between contractions which could cripple, and probably will. She did have some hints for the husbands though, don't massage your wife during a contraction, you could lose body parts. I must say that it was a lot less distressing listening to her talking than to Gill, our normal midwife, who keeps telling us about episiotomies, and vividly reminding us of how the skin will stretch as the baby's head crowns. I shudder thinking about it now.

Today, I am 30 weeks into this pregnancy, and I am starting to get somewhat nervous. It is only 10 weeks until full term. Today this month we will be in East London, and then it will be Christmas, and then it will be the end of January and I will be going into labour. Imagine that. 2 months really, with a little more than a week over and above that. My mother asked yesterday what we still need for the baby, and I said I have no idea, and told her what we already have, and that was about all I could do. We still don't want to go overboard with nappies and the like, because you could get a brand and then the poor child has an allergic reaction to it, and then you have to go and try exchange them for another brand, and also I have no idea how big this baby is going to be, for all I know it won't even fit into newborn sized nappies.

We had our end of year function today, and went to a restaurant called Fabulous, which has a Moroccan theme, and it was quite a lot of fun. We had to take our shoes off before entering the restaurant, wash our hands with rose water and sit on bean bags around tables and they had platters in the middle of the tables for us to pick from etc. It was nice because you didn't have a set meal which would stuff you, and being pregnant, you try not to get too stuffed. I was a little disappointed though, I was really expecting more from the food, more flavoursome I imagine. You always think it will be, seeing it on TV on the cooking programs, and they use so much to enhance the flavours, and then you get the food. Maybe it was just because of the meals that we were having and I should give the place another chance. Apparently the upstairs has normal tables you can sit at on chairs, and you select your meal off a menu. But, apart from feeling very uncomfortable sitting on a bean bag, with a pregnant tummy, it was fun. They even have hubbly-bubblies for the patrons to puff on, which I avoided. They were lighting them up, as I was leaving, and I took Omesh with me, the other pregnant fairy in our office.

Last night also had it's fair share of thrills and spills. I was almost awake as I was starting to have a bad case of heart burn, it literally felt like someone was dropping acid in my throat with an eye-dropper, quite a sensation, and I heard a loud bang, which my brain managed to tell me, through all the fog, was a gun shot. I got up, to go to the loo and get something to drink, and saw that it was about 2am. That was quite hectic though. It sounded very close and not very fun when you are a pregnant fairy home alone, with your husband at least a 2 hour flight and some drive time away from you. But, there was only one bang and then there were a few dogs barking, but nothing after that, so I went back to sleep and didn't wake again till the morning.

Well, that is about it all for now. Till next time.

28 week scan

2007-11-14T06:18:00.001+02:00

Whew! What an experience! Cygnet was most unimpressed with the Doc for doing the scan, especially since he was pressing onto my tum. It was fascinating to see what was actually going on inside me when I feel the little kicks, and also the not so little kicks. Cygnet is very healthy, all 1.4kg of it, and Doc is happy about that as well. Looks like we could have a big lil one on the way. But then, you never know… maybe it'll plateau for a while. According to the scan, Cygnet is about 2 weeks ahead of the game in size, which can't be a bad thing. Other than when I have to give birth to it.

This time is so precious though, and although I can't wait to meet this little baby, I am also sad that this time is nearly over. Ok, yes I still have more than 2 months to go, but in the bigger picture, that isn't really a long time.

The Antenatal classes have also begun, and the first one was a little daunting already. I think Paul got more out of the class than I did, I just got a little scared about eh delivery, or a little more than I was already. I know that there are all the relaxation techniques that are there to help ease the pain, but so far all the friends I have chatted to said they have very little effect while you are actually in the middle of the contraction. But, I am sure that there are things that I will learn that will be of benefit. We have our next class this evening, so we will have to see what it holds.

Fireworks and Budgies

2007-11-10T19:59:00.000+02:00

Diwali has certainly provided some excellent opportunity for firework photography. Paul took pictures and I must say they came out well. The fireworks would be even better without the bangs though. I don't enjoy all the noise. You will see there is one of the fireworks, and also one of lightening that Paul took a while ago, that I thought would be nice to share.

Exciting news is that there is the small squeal of a baby budgie coming from the next box in Mr and Mrs Blue's cage. Very exciting because I was starting to lose hope that there would ever be a Blue Jnr. But, they have proved me wrong, and I am looking forward to meeting the lil one.

I have also added a picture that I took of the Durban cityscape at night, from the Wilson's wharf parking lot, which was fun to take, and I think the best picture I have taken all year. I must say that out of the many pictures that get snapped there are select few that really tend to excite.

We have also done some home improvements, with a new light fitting in the bedroom, since a ceiling fan is kind of redundant when you have an air-conditioner. The light fitting is a stainless steel fitting with directional down-lighters. I was blown away this evening when I went through to see what the lights looked like now that it is dark. WOW! I can't believe the difference. Paul also put up a 500W Halogen light in the garage so that he can work in there and see what he is doing. I think that it has made him quite happy.

I was also thrilled as my sewing machine went in for a service, and I am blown away by the difference, it is like I have a new machine. Sewing is a pleasure now, and I have finished the black skirt that I have been trying to finish for about 2 weeks. And it looks stunning I must say. Now that the machine is in such good working order I want to try new things, like some of the fancy stitches that the machine can do, and also Pat asked if the machine had a roll over hem foot (no idea what she was talking about) so I showed her all the feet that the machine has and I do apparently have one. Now just to figure out what they all do. There's even a darning foot! So now, while Paul is in the garage I can also be busy making stuff! Yay.