"Fishies!" was the Catch Cry of the Day

Today we went to the Melbourne Aquarium. It normally costs $33.50 for adult admission and kids under 3 are free. Which is more expensive than any of the Victorian Zoos mind you. But we got a voucher in the mail for a 'Buy one ticket, get another of equal value FREE', so it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

My Mum and Dad got a voucher too so they came, along with some of my siblings. Plus one of our favourite play pals, Noah and his mummy and daddy are moving away soon and Trish  really wanted to take him to the Aquarium before they move, so we made a day of it.

I was impressed by a couple of the exhibits. The place itself is a bit of a rabbit warren. It isn't really clear which way to go, up and down different levels. Doesn't have a great feel. And they shouldn't be advertising the Baby Hammerhead Sharks as a feature exhibit when they're in a tank hidden inside another tank. BUT the kids loved it. "Fishies" was often yelled in delight and they loved watching the penguins forlick in the water. Definitely worth the discounted price.

We were only there for about 3 hours. We had lunch there and while the price of food was the same as similar venues, there was barely 20 tables to eat at. It was also not very pram friendly. I think for value for money, flow and convenience the Aquarium fails pretty poorly. However the kids would definitely disagree with me!

Just as a side note, not the easiest place to get 'snapshot' photos so please excuse poor photo quality

Lemonade Scones

I have a confession to make.
I sometimes take shortcuts in the kitchen.
Well, when I say sometimes I actually mean, at every opportunity that I can.
Of course I still try to make things as nutritious as possible but if there's a shortcut to be had, I'm taking it.
(Plus I have a massive crush on Nigella Lawson and she's the shortcut queen)

In saying that today I made lemonade scones.

Easy, easy easy!

300ml Cream

300ml Lemonade

4 Cups Self-Raising Flour

Mix, Knead, Flatten, Cut, Bake!

There's a few secrets to getting them to come out light and fluffy though.
Do not over knead the mixture, you'll make it tough.
Put them close together on the baking tray as they'll help each other rise.

Serve warm with a swipe of butter, or cool with jam and cream

Another Post about Yoghurt

The other day I bought a 6 pack of toddler Petit Miam yoghurt (No, yoghurt is not the only thing my kids eat, it just seems to to be an interesting part of my life at the moment). They were on special so I grabbed a pack, checked the use by and  throw it in the trolley. It was only once I got home that I realised the yoghurt was a vegetable flavoured pack. Yep, vegetables in yoghurt.

To say I was a little uneasy about this would be an understatement. I was genuinely freaked out. The thought of putting vegetables in vanilla yoghurt just didn't sit well with me.

But the kids love it. Scoffed it down like they hadn't been feed in a week. So for those out there that struggle to get your toddler's to eat veg, maybe give this a try.
No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, no added sugar.

To My Darling Daughter

Where has the past year gone?
You have had quite a few things to deal with so far in your short little life but I still can't believe it's been a year. Through it all you've stayed the bright, laughing, affectionate girl you've always been.

Often giving me strength rather than the other way around.

When you were first born I could tell you were an old soul. I'd look into your eyes and you'd look back at me like you knew the secrets of the universe and you weren't telling. Like you knew me better than I knew myself and you do.
I have learnt so much from you, about life and about myself.

Your unexpected appearance in our lives has been testing at times, but you, my sweet little girl, are worth it all.

A Night with Mr Bubble

Last night Baker Bob and I went out. Together. Without the children.
However there was no romance or smooching or deep and meaningful conversations.
We went to see Michael Buble in concert at Rod Lavera. So I sent most of the time making doe eyes at the stage, not Baker Bob. Poor neglected Baker Bob.

By the end of the night we were spent. I can't remember the last time I was out of the house after 10pm. (Edited to add I just remembered when it was, we went to the same place in September last year to see Metallica!) And then the West Gate Bridge was down to one lane, so at 11:40 on a Tuesday night the bridge was at a stand still. Took us an hour to get over the bridge.
That aside we started the night with a drink. My first alcohol drink since Jan 2008. Not that I've been counting or anything. I chose a Blue Lagoon daiquiri and it was served in this ultra cool light up glass.

Baker Bob also splashed out and bought me a program. I love to get programs from concerts I go to.
It's my thing.

Anyway our seats were 3 rows from the back but it was still a great view, and we got some decent photos with my out-of-date fujifilm camera. Some highlights for me were his cover of 'Billy Jean' and the accompanying Michael Jackson dance moves, crowd favourite 'Everything' and his new single 'Hollywood'. He even finished his encore by singing without a microphone. That was quite unexpected. He really is a brilliant performer, and I'm even positive Metal-mad Baker Bob enjoyed it. (He even said as much but don't tell anyone.)

It was great to get out and spend the night with Michael Buble. Oh yeah and Baker Bob.

(Thanks Mum, Dad and Bry for babysitting!) Herald Sun Review - Michael Buble 22nd Feb 2011

Growing Up

I am so proud of Linc.
He ate a whole bowl of yoghurt and only made this mess.

I took photos to show Baker Bob how big our little boy is getting.

I came back from putting the camera away to find that he'd put the bowl on his head.

Ahhh, he's still our little boy!

Decisions made but not forgotten

When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature. 

~ Sigmund Freud

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Was I wrong to listen to medical advice?

Should I have insisted that I at least give natural birth a go, regardless of the fact that Mans, Twin A was Footling Breech?

Then later, should I have gone with my gut, against the advice of Drs and tried for a VBAC?

Was it worth the risk of Eva getting stuck in the birth canal. She was already wedged in my pelvis so tightly that they needed forceps to get her out through the incision.

When I dreamt of being pregnant, I imagined a calm birth. Possibly into water. The feel of a warm wet bum in my hand as the baby lay on my chest wailing at the intrusion of everyone else but us. Instead I got cold, sterile white rooms, numbness, vomitting, a feeling of floating above my body, separation from my babies and a scar.

I consoled myself at the time with the fact that I would rather wear the scars from their birth than the other way around, but I just can't shake the feeling that I should have done things differently.

Sentiment

Filled with romance..? Maybe not
Laced with an element of truth...? More than probable
Heartfelt...? Definitely

Plus it was free. Can't complain with that.

Manoo, Loulou and Divado at the Zoo

For Valentine's Day, instead of buying each other presents we decided to take the kids to the zoo.

The day consisted of a bit of this...

And some of this...

Then a bit more of this....

And some more of this...

Then we did some exploring, some playing and some sitting...

Then we all got cranky and tired, so decided to go home.

The kidlets napped in the car on the trip home. It was a big, fun day!
When we left home it was cool and looked like it was going to rain, which it did on the way there. I'd rugged the kids up and of course as we were walking into the zoo, the sun came out and started to cook us. I hadn't packed any hats or sunscreen (I'd filled the bag with snacks and drink instead), which I'm normally pedantic about so I spent a lot of the day worrying about the sun on the kids. But in the end it wasn't too bad. Mans came home with a slightly pink nose and Linc had slightly pink cheeks. I think we all had a great day. Even Baker Bob who got to here the lions roar.

The dreaded 'IT'

It has started. What exactly is 'IT' you might ask...
Yesterday we started toilet training.

It lasted all of 2 hours before I packed it in. Let me explain.
I am certain that Mans is ready. He has started indicating that he's about to do a wee and goes and hides when he's doing a poo. As just as certain I am that Mans is ready, I'm as confused with Linc. He is scared of the potty and the special toilet seat. But he does show that he knows whats going on in his nappy.
So I decided that we'd start with Mans and if Linc followed, great. Within 2 hours, despite the fact that I was often asking him whether he needed to go, he did a wee and a poo in his jocks. Then, while I was cleaning him up, Eva was hassling me trying to get in and play with the toilet. In a last ditch effort she dived and managed to land her hand right in his jocks.

Did I give up too easily? Maybe. But I felt overwhelmed. And stressed. I don't want them associating stress and frustration with going to the bathroom. I just don't seem to have enough eyes. Does anyone have any advice as to how best to tackle this? I was feeling really positive until the nappies came off and it just deteriorated from there.

I'm going to try again tomorrow and see whether things go better.

The Boys' Birthday Party - Take 2

When Eva was first admitted to hospital on Christmas day we were told that she'd be in hospital for a minimum of 2 weeks. Which meant she'd still be in hospital on the boys' birthday. So we postponed the party and once we knew with more certainty when she was going to be home we set a new date of the 29th of January.

The day was great fun. A lot more relaxed than their 1st birthday. Maybe because I wasn't heavily pregnant and having contractions. Maybe because it was at home. Maybe because our air conditioner works a helluva lot better than the crappy one at the petting zoo. We had friends come from interstate. But we also had people not come, including Ally and Kaleb who came down with a contagious rash. But overall I think everyone had fun. I sent treat bags home for Ally and Kaleb so they got to join in a little of the fun.

It was an Under the Sea themed birthday party. We have an above ground pool, plus I also set up a kiddie pool. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, and cake. Mans spent all day in the sandpit. The only thing he had to eat all day was his birthday cake. The lovely blue icing turned his poop iridescent green the next day.

It's not a party until there's iridescent poo!

Mad Dash

So a lot has happened over the past year. Not least of which has involved Eva.

A month and 5 days after my last post (Christmas Day), Eva was admitted to intensive care with pneumococcal meningitis.

Not two weeks beforehand I remember reading the pneumococcal meningitis information on the bottom of the immunisation card on my fridge while I waited for something to heat in the microwave and thinking" We'll I'll never have to worry about that, they've had all there immunisations" How uninformed was I?

The pneumococcal immunisation only immunises them for 9 of the 70 different types. Eva had a particularly 'mutant strand'. Resistant to most antibiotics. She was reported to infection control. I was told they will start working on an immunisation for that strand as it was so damaging. Over the course of her treatment she was given 7 different antibiotics to try and combat it. In the end we found 3, that combined, killed it off.

Considering how sick she was, she made a remarkable and quick recovery and has surprised all the specialists. Being told that she was less than 24 hours away from death when admitted, and that if we had boarded the Spirit of Tasmania that night like planned she would not have survived, is a devastating blow as a parent.

She doesn't seem to have to many lasting effects from it. While in hospital she had 4 IV lines put in as well as a pick line put in her neck under general anesthetic. She had numerous drugs, and continual obs taken. So needless to say she is now very clingy little girl. Particularly around new faces. There also maybe mild hearing loss, but we are going back for further testing in April. She'll have developmental checks for years to come but so far they are really impressed with where she is.

The doctors told me I must have caught the infection early. That it was my fast action that helped her bounce back so quickly. I don't believe them. She had a temperature for 2 days before waking up Christmas morning lethargic, limp and refusing to eat. I should have taken her sooner. I just put it down to teething. I am trying to deal with that guilt.

I put her speedy recover down to the fast thinking actions of the emergency ped Dr at the Austin Hospital (we were later transferred by ambulance to the Children's later). As soon as he saw her he put an IV line in and pumped antibiotics into her. He did a lumbar puncture (which she didn't even flinch for) and did numeral other tests to rule everything else out. Also maybe being able to breastfeed her once she was stable in intensive care helped to comfort her and help her get her strength back.

It's a lot to reflect on. She was in hospital for only a week, and continued her treatment at home through the pick line for another week after that. But it seems like she went through so much in that time, so many ordeals and uncertainties that it feels like years. I just don't know how to work through my feelings. Time maybe?

I also wander how I can make other people aware of the lack of coverage of the pneumococcal immunisation. I picked up pamphlets from the Children's regarding the immunisations and not once does it mention that your child is still open to infection. I don't know. Maybe I'm just dense. But it certainly took me by surprise.

She's bounced back. I think the whole experience will always be foremost in my mind.