How the time flies by!

I haven't written about you for EVER! In fact last October was my last blog entry and that is appalling. How the time flies by with an (almost) two year old! The words are pouring out at the moment. You make us laugh all the time with 'Koo Wee' and your adorable rendition of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'.

You're currently running around the house chasing poor Ernie who is so very tolerant of your attention! You love to sit up behind my on the computer desk and breath down my neck. You call 'Mummy?' through the house until I answer but have nothing to add to the enquiry - just checking where I'm at...

You love to watch In the Night Garden still and Giggle and Hoot is one of your favourite shows. Personally mummy loves Dirt Girl world but you're not all that interested! Your really into Bob the Builder at the moment and every time I hold the remote you ask for 'Bob'. It's so adorable!

You can pretty much repeat anything now and it sounds almost clear. I think you understand far more than I give you credit for but I'm learning fast! You certainly know what the 'naughty corner' means and often visit it throughout the day (generally for picking on the cat or throwing food from your chair).

P at 14 months

I think I'm going to have to open this post with something I say all the time..."Penny, you are AMAZING!" It's been awhile since my last post and so much has happened over the past few months. P is running around everywhere now and showing off in front of everyone. She was the first to walk in our mother's group and seems to be the most 'energetic' constantly keeping me on my toes as she gets into mischief every minute of the day!

P is now about 14.5 months old and is just a delight. Her little personality is always shining through and at the moment her favourite word is "wow". She still says daddy, mum, ta, bye, yucky and hi. No "mummy" yet... She loves to have little conversations and chortle away like the magpies outside. She also says "two" when counting '1,2,3' and "GO" when daddy say 'ready, set go!'

P has just recovered from a cold which also bought with it her first dose of conjunctivitis which wasn't very nice. She has been going to 'play school' on a Wednesday for three weeks now and it gives me a chance to catch up on sewing orders and help R if needed down at the factory. She seems to have settled in well though which is good. There were tears yesterday for the first time as I dropped her off and it was so sad to leave. Apparently she started playing with her little friend as soon as I had left though so that's good.

P has one nap a day lately generally for about 2.5 hours over lunch. She loves to have her bath before bed and still gets a bottle to send her off to sleep. I have been getting up for a bottle anywhere between 12-4am over the past few weeks but it's because she's been so unwell. I know it's a "no no" but it's a hell of a lot easier to just get up and do it rather than P get so distressed she doesn't go back to sleep (and FYI she has slept through the past 2 nights).

Climbing is a BIG thing at the moment too. She has mastered the art of climbing up onto our bed and sliding off. It has also resulted in the removal of ALL of the dining room chairs from the kitchen. She kept climbing up and onto the table and my worst nightmare would be for her to fall onto the slate tiles. So after spending weeks trying to reprimand her, use my 'upset' mummy face and voice, even a quick smack on the hand, it seemed the only solution was to get rid of the temptation.

P has just figured out how to move forward on her little motorbike/s and loves to help daddy build my craft room out the back. She sits there and empties the nail container and makes a grand old mess. She also loves to sweep! P has her own little broom and will sweep the patio as I hang the washing out. 

Penny Turns One

Where to start??? I have been a bit slack at keeping this up-to-date lately. P is zooming ahead in all areas - even walking!!! She is so amazing and has daddy and me gazing down on her with pride every day. P started walking a couple of weeks ago but she is truly off and running now. In fact, just over the course of the week of relatives staying with us she has become more confident in her walking (must be all that showing off!).

Her first birthday was wonderful. We invited all our friends and family and had a BBQ lunch after church last Sunday (18 July). Poor little P wasn't quite herself and had been vomiting for 24 hours beforehand but managed to be the life of the party and a true little hostess. We invited her little friend from mother's group too and she had a ball playing away with her new toys.

Nanny, Boppa, Grandma, Great Grandma, Aunty Lauren and Uncle Glen all traveled interstate to celebrate with us. Uncle Glen and Aunty Lauren and P's Godparents and gave her a very special book of Bible stories to hear through her childhood.

What a precious bundle of joy you are
Cute from head to toe
You melt our hearts with your sweetness
Everywhere you go
You're a very special gift
Descended from heaven above
The most perfect little angel
Sent for your family to love.

Little P monster has learnt how to bite!

Yes, that day has arrived. P bit me twice yesterday. Both times in the same spot on my shoulder as I lifted her out of the car! The first time I instantly reacted with a smack on the back (it really hurt me and caught me by surprise how naturally I smacked her) - didn't hurt her though, but the second time she received a very stern 'NO'!

Talk about developing a strong willed character at 10 months of age! I'm starting to see a little temper rise if P doesn't get her own way and it's so adorable I almost laugh! She'll hang her little head and start sobbing (which is clearly put on) and when I don't respond she just goes about her business!

We have moved house this weekend, just around the corner but still a big job. Uncle Glenny came down from Sydney which was a massive help. The new house is great, it's so much more roomier than O'Gradys and I feel excited as I walk into each room. P seems to have adapted quicker that the rest of us (me, hubby and cat) and loves to crawl around exploring and sitting on top of unopened boxes.

We're still not hearing any sign of "dad" yet but P's range of sounds is getting larger. Lots of "mum" and "bub".

Yesterday she would only sit in the child seat of the shopping trolley for a whole of 5 minutes then tried to escape. After trying to fight with her to remain seated I ended up pulling her out and standing her in the front of the trolley (which I think her Boppa taught her how to do in Cairns) and she was standing up there like a goddess on the front of a ship sailing out to sea! Squealing with delight at everyone walking past and earning admiration from the entire Carrum Downs elderly community.

Our holiday in Cairns to celebrate dad's 60th was great. It was so much fun seeing P play with her cousins and how much she interacted with them differently to the babies down here. She is really drawn to older kids and learns things so quickly! Alexis who is our neighbours 15 month old was visiting and opened a cupboard P had never noticed before. Now P opens the same cupboard every time she goes past - how observant she is!

We've noticed P can now stand on her own (sometimes leaning up against things) and not hold on to anything. No signs of walking just yet but her balance is increasing and she is growing more and more confident every day. And she's fast! One minute she's in one room and if you even blink she's at the other end of the house pulling my sewing machine apart and unwinding thread from bobbins! I'm loving every minute. She is amazing :)

Daddy's little girl...

P is almost 9 months old now and I don't know how life was before we had her. It's true when people say children bring more meaning and joy to your lives. I found this adorable poem and couldn't resist posting it - P really is daddy's little girl!

"She's just a darling little girl, as precious as a lamb,
She rules our home in many way that not another can.
She's in and out, and here and there, throughout our busy day,
And many times I stop my work because she wants to play.

She often has a special hug, the sweetest baby kiss,
And when just she and I are there I rate this treasured bliss.
But when her dad arrives at night, you'll find her in a whirl,
She hasn't time for Mother then, because she's Daddy's girl.

It's joy to see her laughing eyes, her happy baby smile,
'Tis then I know that all is well and life is worth the while,
So lovingly he'll pinch her nose or try to steal a curl
Just anything he does is right because she's Daddy's girl.

I often marvel at the charms that only dads possess,
Although I know within my heart she doesn't love me less.
We tuck her into bed at night, our one and only pearl
And 'cause I love her daddy too, I'm proud she's Daddy's girl."

8 months going on 1!

The past few weeks have seen some amazing milestones for little P. At our church camp in late Feb we saw P pull herself up to a standing position for the first time, followed by gaining the confidence to sit up straight without losing her balance. Just a fortnight ago another 2 teeth came through, both top front making a grand old total of 6! Now we are all blessed with amazing toothy grins and it's just adorable!

The two top teeth have probably caused the most discomfort yet. Poor P was waking up several time in the middle of the night for me to walk in and find her just sitting in her cot hanging her head and sobbing. It was such a horrible time for us all - but thankfully they didn't mess around and came through quickly.

SO now we've mastered the challenge of sitting, crawling AND standing up against the furniture. P now thinks she's the ants pants being able to hold one with one hand, bend down and pick up a toy and bring it up to the coffee table. Today P even climbed from the lounge up the top and was on the verge of toppling over with no fear as to what would happen (I was there the whole time so don't panic!)

The biggest difficulty now is that P just doesn't want to sleep - at all! It's like she knows she's missing out on something if the house isn't dead quiet and pitch black. And even then it's touch and go! We've started going down to the factory during the week and P has her naps in the port-a-cot upstairs but half the time she just sits there waiting for someone to come and check on her, and if you don't just 'sneak a peek' she's standing there at the door with a grin from ear to ear waiting for you!

One of the cutest things is that it's still SO hard to get a giggle out of P. Daddy manages a little laugh when he throws her around and goes to the extreme but we've discovered P has a liking to small animals! I had a stall at the Pearcedale Craft Market a couple of weekends ago and Robbie took her to the animal farm. It was priceless! P was almost wetting herself with delight at the funny looking chicken and the little yap yap dog and even the pony! We'll have to buy her a little puppy when she's a bit older. Now everywhere we go we're on the lookout for animals to introduce P to!

Being a mum is such a delight. I'm sure I thank God at least 10 times a day for every moment I get to spend with P. Even when she is crying she looks to me for comfort. It honestly melts your heart. Two beautiful girlfriends of mine have recently discovered they are pregnant and words cannot describe how their lives will change - and I really don't think any of it is negative, just full-on but in a good way that is all-consuming with love. And congratulations to our friends Ron & Laura who welcomed a son Rhys and Jo and Wardy with a beautiful daughter Rachel! They are little blessing forever and a day.

BTW - P has also developed daddy's restless leg... the girl cannot sit still. Even lying on the ground playing with her books the left leg is constantly on the move! Tap tap tap.... I'll have to seriously not let it drive me crazy like Robbie's do and just smile at God's sense of humour!

Up Up and Away!

Yesterday I walked into P's nursery and there she was standing up holding onto the cot railing... pround as punch with a smile spread from ear to ear! The last few weeks have marked a few milestones for my little sweetheart. We have started to have meat along with our veggies now and loving all solid meals. Generally P has a bottle anywhere between 5.30-8am then plays for about 1 1/2 hours then has a nap. Morning tea we have our first solid meal of the day which is normally rice cereal, custard with mashed banana or baby yoghurt. Another play and nap follows another bottle for lunch then after P's afternoon nap we have dinner at 6pm. Dinner time is a lot of fun and time is spent gobbling up a savoury meal followed by dessert while watching the clock tick and peering at the kitchen door just in case daddy comes home. After dinner we have a little play then it's bath time. After this P is generally exhausted from the days activities and after a nice lavender massage and warm bottle it's bed time.


P was 7 months this week. She still loves the water and we've even been to the pool a couple of times now. She has just started sitting confidently on her own with a lovely straight back. While we were at church camp last weekend P pulled herself up for the first time. Now just 7 days later she is pulling herself up on EVERYTHING she can reach and having a ball! This week has been a big week! Plus I'm sure we are in store for some new teeth to pop through shortly as poor P has been very upset and chewing everything she can get her hands on. Had to try some baby Panadol twice this week to try and take the edge off the pain for her - seems to be working.

What else is new?... she's just SO cute! did I mention that? Robbie and I can't believe how fast she is developing and learning new things. We're still trying hard to get P to say mummy and daddy but to no avail. We get lots of squeels that are pure delight and make me smile everytime I hear her little voice come through! What a dear little blessing she is to our lives!

It's all about what can go in the mouth!

Penny now has three teeth - I can't believe how fast they are all comming through! Everything is edible according to Penny. If it's within reach it will make for a good chew. This means mummy is forever picking up little 'things' on the carpet that are impossible to see.

She is such an amazing little girl. Her strength is increasing and she can now pull herself up onto her feet by simply hanging onto your hands. She's rolling (comando crawling) everywhere but is still a little unsure about the kitchen tiles and prefers to just slap the cool texture with her little palms instead.

I need to take her for her 6 month vaccinations this week which is always horrible. I'll go to the doctors surgery and get Jenny to give them instead of lining up with every man and his dog at the Carrum Downs community centre (we learnt that lesson at 6 weeks!).

Penny is pretty much sleeping 7-8 hours at night now which means I get a solid rest. She has been a bit unsettled with these teeth but is overly a really happy little bub. She is still squeeling and grunts a lot. I think she's just experimenting with noises she can make! She loves her baths too. I have her in the big bath now where I can sit on the step and watch. She has mastered the art of rolling from front to back without swallowing too much water!

She's not overly keen on daddy pouring water over her face and kicks and trashes about madly until she can see clearly again.

Boy we love her to bits. She's like a little ray of light in the world and she melts my heart. Even when she is clearly distressed I hurt with her. She had a horrible belly ache this morning and just laid in the loungeroom with her head facing down sobbing. But you know what? Being able to pick her up and comfort her is the most precious thing in the world. When she settles in my arms and feels protected I understand why my bond with my mum is so strong. Little children are so pretty amazing but mums are pretty special too.

Penny's First Tooth

Beautiful little Penny monster has just gotten her first tooth on Friday 1 January 2010. A tiny little lump with a small ulcer making the way. We're camping at Goulang Canoe Centre in our camper van with the best set up. Poor little thing has been crying and getting upset for periods of time. Little bit of Bonjella and baby Panadol just doesn't seem to cut it though. I've also made the switch to full-time bottle feeding on formula. It's a whole new world picking which powdered milk should replace something so natural.

I feel so disappointed. As though I have let my little girl down and that the special bond between us is no longer there. Apparently i'm just being silly but it breaks my heart nontheless. But as far as development goes, Penny is so impressive! Last night at the pub she was pulling herself along the table (technically crawling according to her daddy) and impressing the pants off her audience. She is bigger than her little cousins, who all have strengths in their own areas. Finlay (born 5 days before Penny) is an excellent stander and can pull herself up really well so we'll have to work on Penny's arm and leg strength. We are so blessed to have a large, healthy and happy family to enjoy life with. What a great start to the new year!

Third trimester

I kept going to work even though I was doing it tough. Everyone in the office were wonderfully supportive and understanding. I was often sick at my desk and tissues and glasses of water would be fetched by my colleagues. If I needed to work from home I could.

I stayed at work until Friday 5th June, 2009. It was a sad day with mixed emotions. I had worked at NTC for over 4 years and it was totally weird and uncomfortable having to let go of the reigns on the projects I had been working on. To try and cheer me up Robbie and I had a lovely 'date night' in the city once I packed up my things from the office. We had dinner down on the water at Docklands and then went and saw Cirque du Soleil which was just breathtaking!

I sure did get around with my bump. We went to the Wallabies match on 23rd June. Good thing mum had bought me a large jersey for my 21st all those years ago as it fit snuggly over the top of my belly!

When you're in the sleep-work-sleep cycle of life and that's pretty much all you do, I found the entire concept of being home with a baby hard to imagine. When I was on leave however I sure did keep myself busy! For the weeks leading up to my due date I pulled out the sewing machine and started appliqueing baby bodysuits and bunny rugs and making bibs. This kept me amused and my mind off things to come. I never felt anxious about the birth or having a baby. There was no angst as the 'big day' approached. It was very hard to sleep at night but I was lucky not to have morning sickness for the last month or so. I did however get the brown line that ran from under my breast right down to my pubic bone.

I never got a single stretch mark and my belly was enormous!!!

My belly just kept on getting bigger and bigger. We went up to the scenic deck at the Eureka Tower on 11th July. We tried to stay active and keep doing as much as we could before our little one arrived. We were just so excited about it - I kept saying we both wouldn't be able to hack it if bub went over the due date. Considering we're both control freaks we needed to know bub was coming on the 27th and it was set in stone!

I actually hoped I would go into labour before my due date just so it was all over and done with and we wouldn't have to wait any longer! We attended antenatal classes at Peninsula Private Hospital for 3 sessions. They were pretty informative but even though we saw a baby be born on video, I kind of felt the classes were not really designed to prepare you for what was going to happen. Apparently 'huffy puffy' classes are a thing of the past and the new idea is to just let the mother 'go with the flow'... I didn't want to have an epidural but besides that I left my options open.

Penny was due on 27th July and a fortnight before hand my cousin Brendan was getting married on the Friday afternoon. We travelled for around 4 hours and by this stage it was a tough gig to sit so long on my tail bone.The family still laugh at how HUGE I was and that I looked like I was about to explode. I recall saying to mum that I only felt as big as another woman there who was 6 months pregnant - when everyone burst out laughing I realised maybe I was a little bigger than I thought! The wedding was beautiful and Robbie even managed to get me up for a boogie on the dancefloor!

Little did I know bub was all ready to make her grand appearance less than 48 hours later...

Second Trimester

The new year was a hard slog - 24 hours a day. The morning sickness was all day sickness and I lived with a plastic container in my bag which I could rinse out and reuse! The train trips into work were so hard. Once I was feeling incredibly green on the train and had to get off. Unfortunately I was on an express from Cheltenham to South Yarra and was sick down my front before the stop. I had to get off and try to clean myself up, call Robbie to say I was on my way home and get up the courage to hop on the next train back to Seaford. This became a familiar occurance.

Along with the sickness I also had terrible dizzy spells and once I passed out on the train to have sime girls around me pouring a bottle of water down my back. Again, had to return home. Once I was aware of the warning signs I could quietly mention to the person sitting next to me I was ill and to watch my bag if I should happen to faint! What a hopeless situation to be in surrounded by strangers!

On the 21st March we traveled up to Tathra for Robbie's cousin's wedding. It was a tough gig trying to find something to wear to a beach wedding when you're 5 months pregnant! It was a lovely weekend away and the sickness didn't wreak too much havoc. I was naughty and ate lots of fresh prawns that were irresistible! The list of things that you can and cannot eat while pregnant went out the window that weekend!!

First Trimester

It's been 4 months now since my little girl came into the world. It's really true when people tell you it will fly by right before your eyes. I keep saying to myself that if I don't write down these experiences I will forget them - and I am afraid I already have...

We found out I was pregnant in November (can't really recall the date). As we waited for the pregnancy test results Robbie was full of excitement. We looked at the stick together from memory. I think I was in shock. Robbie's smile went from ear to ear with joy! We were going to have a baby! Oh wow! We decided to tell our families even though it was early days. We called mum first - jumped in the Navara in the driveway so we could both hear her reaction over speaker phone. She was just delighted - there was going to be a baby in the family!

Marg was down in Melbourne for a girls weekend so we waited until the weekend to tell her the news to her face. We went to Stalactites, a Greek restaurant in the city. Robbie ever so discretely pulled up a high chair to the table and Marg didn't even notice! She was simply over the moon when we told her - and I had the privilege of telling dad over the phone. I bought a 'tear to his eye' that day!

It wasn't until the end of November that the morning sickness kicked in. Oh my goodness.

Out of all places for it to occur was a road trip down the Great Ocean Road for Robbie's 28th birthday. I had been looking forward to this weekend away but was so ill that we had to pull over so I could be sick at least once every half hour. Plus we almost ran out of petrol at one point - as you can imagine I was hardly in the mood to be stuck on the side of the road in that state! We stayed in a lovely B&B that was an alpaca farm and watched movies as I laid on the bed feeling worse for wear!

The morning sickness stayed with me from that weekend on. I had to tackle riding public transport into the city every day and as the heat of summer quickly approached it made it even harder. Our team Christmas party was at The Press Club. A place I had been looking forward to eating at and booked for us to enjoy the splurge on the company credit card. I felt faint (nothing out of the ordinary) and had to go to the bathroom. I passed a lot of blood and thought I had miscarried. I went out to Paul and said something was wrong and he called an ambulance.

I went to the hospital on my own and Paul had called Robbie explaining the situation. It felt like I had only been in emergency for five minutes when I saw Robbie's work boot under the curtain enclosing me in a small cubical. 'Everything's going to be all right', 'What happens happens', 'At least we know we can conceive' all words to reassure and comfort but never ease the anxiety.

We went for an ultrasound and it wasn't a pretty sight. I was hemorrhaging and crying because I knew what was happening. Nothing much was said in the ultrasound room until Robbie said he could see a heartbeat. I was in shock I think. I started crying even more because the baby I thought I had lost was now alive and there was even talk of the possibility of twins. I remember Robbie saying 'I told you so'. He was convinced we would have twins!

I was admitted as a patient with a 'threatened abortion' and told to expect to miscarry. Apparently it could take 2 days or 2 weeks to happen but it came across as though it was a certainty. Mum flew down while I was in hospital and Robbie got her a hotel room across the road so she could be near me. I was discharged after 2 nights and won't forget the drive home. I was crying in the front seat of the car.

I'd rather it just happen if it was going to happen and not have to sit around waiting. It was such a horrible feeling.

We had a Christmas BBQ at home with a whole lot of friends and family on the following Saturday night. It was so incredibly windy and we should probably have canceled considering the situation but we went ahead. We decided to tell people about our week and everyone was supportive and positive it would all work out. Anyway, I had another bleed that night and went to lie down. Mum and Heather sat with me as we all thought that it was the miscarriage but it never happened.

During the past week I had made an appointment to see Dr Jenny Picking and she was just wonderful. We went to have an ultrasound and our little heart beat was still flickering away strongly. What an incredibly emotional roller coaster of a ride. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. The tough decision was made to spend Christmas in Melbourne and lay low for a couple of weeks. Only time would tell how it was going to unravel and the best thing we could do was rest - and pray.

Our first camping trip with Penny

Our beautiful friends Kathy and Rick invited us up to Yarraqonga for the Melbourne Cup long weekend so we packed up the camping trailer and off we went. Robbie thought it would be a good idea to take the work ute so we had more room (valid point) however then mentioned we didn't have a spare tyre. After raiding the scrap metal bin at a Dandenong wreckers we found a 'just in case' substitute and hit the road. It was such a hot weekend with the weather up that way in the high 30s pushing low 40s. Penny was an angel and slept the whole way up (well until we were 10km out of town).

You can't have an O'Brien road trip without some sort of 'event' occurring!

This we laughed about as the headlight fell out on the Hume (with me panicking that it was a tyre blowing out!). Robbie popped it back in and off we went - only to discover we had a flat left rear when we hit town (yes, exactly what I dreaded!). Of course there were no tyre shops open at the weekend so the car was parked until Monday.Sunday morning we went into the market while Penny had 'daddy time' back at the camper as he fitted up the 'spare' tyre we pinched back home which miraculously fitted perfectly. In the afternoon we went for a swim and out on the boat and Robbie had a go at skiing and wake boarding - I was totally proud of him! Penny enjoyed a dip in the water and hanging out with daddy on the back of the boat in the shade. It was so lovely to relax with friends and enjoy the time away! Monday morning we decided we needed some 'time out' from society and hit the road to travel down to the High Country and camp in the bush. After getting new tyres in town we hit the road and enjoyed chatting (no radio) while Penny slept the entire way once again.We arrived in Woods Point and found the most beautiful place to camp with no neighbours. Compared to the caravan park where we were all crammed in like sardines and couldn't sleep due to the noise, this was heaven. There was a gorgeous stream running alongside the camper and Robbie built the perfect fire to sit at. We enjoyed it so much and felt totally at peace - our family's first camping trip!

Penny's feet

When you were a baby in my belly I used to call them 'twinkle toes' as you pushed your way around trying to get comfortable. As you grew we all laughed at my 'Frankenstein' belly as you twisted and turned.

Now you are here, every little toes is kissed to death. I stare in amazement at the tiny lines God has placed. The fluff between your miniature toes makes me smile. We massaged your big toe nail so they would grow over your skin. You love to kick your feet in the bath so much that you get cranky when you hit your head on the side of the laundry sink.

- Poem -

Tell me, what is half so sweet
As a baby’s tiny feet,
Pink and dainty as can be,
Like a coral from the sea?
Talk of jewels strung in rows,
Gaze upon those little toes,
Fairer than a diadem,
With the mother kissing them!

It is morning and she lies
Uttering her happy cries,
While her little hands reach out
For the feet that fly about.
Then I go to her and blow
Laughter out of every toe;
Hold her high and let her place
Tiny footprints on my face.

Little feet that do not know
Where the winding roadways go,
Little feet that never tire,
Feel the stones or trudge the mire,
Still too pink and still too small
To do anything but crawl,
Thinking all their wanderings fair,
Filled with wonders everywhere.

Little feet, so rich with charm,
May you never come to harm.
As I bend and proudly blow
Laughter out of every toe,
This pray, that God above
Shall protect you with His love,
And shall guide those little feet
Safely down life’s broader street.

Baby Feet by Edgar Guest

The start of something new...

Hello!

I'm creating this blog to get down some things that I always think I should journal but never seem to find the time to pick up a pen and paper. I have a beautiful new baby girl 'Penny' who has just reached 3 months of age and I'm afraid if I don't jot down my thoughts, feelings and memories of this beautiful time I will one day forget.

So here we go... Lis