Archie's First Birthday...

Archie's first birthday has came and went. He had a wonderful day opening presents, eating cake and being spoilt with love from family and friends. This is his day in pictures.

This is what awaited him in the morning. Archie had no interest in opening presents or wrapping paper. Luckily he had a big sister to take over. "Archie! Archie! Presents!"

My happy smiley little dude. All morning the kids played together until Archie fell asleep and I popped him in the car to head to our nearest indoor play centre. 

This is the cake I lovingly made for him.

This is Aisling and Archie enjoying Poppy snuggles.

And the birthday boy wearing his new hat that we will add to our dress up box.

Aisling trying to steal the hat. 

The kiddies enjoying Archie's presents.

 

A Mini Milestone Achieved.....

                                             {WARNING BOOBIES AHEAD!}

Tomorrow will be Archie's first birthday. I can't believe it where has my tiny newborn gone. This time last year I was waiting for Aidan to finish a half day of work so we could head to the hospital where I was booked in for induction. At that appointment I changed plans and was booked in for a c-section the next day.

Archie from the moment he was born apart from a short time in recovery when I was getting stitched up and Archie was getting his after birth checks, has been with me.  He was bought over to me by Aidan straight after he was born and wrapped up and I held him on my chest. Once I met up with him in recovery he immediately latched onto my breast and that's where our breastfeeding journey began.

The first month of breastfeeding was hard, I experienced the discomfort of rock hard, leaking, heavy engorged breasts once my milk came in and my body was trying to regulate its supply. My nipples became cracked and bloody and when he first latched on I would have to brace myself and prepare for the excruciating pain of the first suck. But time went on and my body adjusted and he became an expert at feeding.

It amazes me that something so natural can be so difficult what happens to poor woman in third world countries, do their babies die if breastfeeding doesn't work out? In the first two months quitting breastfeeding popped up in my mind so many times and sometimes I was so tired and Aidan would be trying to give me a break by settling Archie and he would come to me exasperated, apologizing for having to return Archie for a feed and I would cry and beg him to go get a tin of formula "OK fine" He would say "But that doesn't help in the meantime he needs to be fed now" And after Archie was fed and had fallen asleep in my arms I would feel so blessed that I was able to breastfeed him.

Time went on and soon we had reached the 3 month mark of breastfeeding and we were still going strong. It became easier than formula feeding is and we both enjoyed not having to worry about washing and sterilizing bottles and packing a huge bag full of formula and bottles. We began to co-sleep and night feedings became a matter of switching sides to feed on in the night.

The next thing I knew we had achieved six months breastfeeding and I wouldn't have it any other way. The only hard thing about breastfeeding became the way I could never be far from Archie's side.

My favorite thing about breastfeeding is holding your little baby close to you while nourishing your baby and knowing that you are the only person that can do this for them. I love the way Archie often looks up at me while feeding with his big blue eyes and I love watching them flutter closed and then reopen when feeding makes him sleepy but he's trying to fight it.

Now we are coming up to a year of breastfeeding. I would say we are pros at it now. Archie still wakes often in the night for a quick feed but he has a quick drink and he doses right back off. He will come up to me for a feed and often only has a few quick sucks before he has to get right back to whatever he and his sister were exploring and playing with. Sometimes if I am having a busy day running errands without much one on one time with the kids, Archie will whinge and cry at me until I pick him up settle into a comfy chair and feed him. Afterwards he loves to have a lay in my arms, a nice little snuggle before we are both off again.

Breastfeeding is such a special relationship with your baby and I feel so blessed that we were able to overcome our hardships and achieve our goals. Now I wonder what breastfeeding into the second year will bring us...

An Elf On The Shelf, Ellie Checks In..

Wow 6 days into December, I can't believe how fast the year is going {has gone}. Well it hasn't quite been a week but I thought if I do my weekly recap of Ellie's antics on a Sunday it concludes the week nicely.

Archie is not fussed on Ellie our elf on the shelf at all, but he is only one, all he loves at the moment is chewing on things and chasing his sister! Aisling has warmed up to Ellie nicely and has a good giggle at the mischief Ellie gets up to overnight. I try and read the book that accompanies the elf everyday to refresh the concept of the elf and to provide a little blackmail opportunity {"Ais don't forget Ellie's watching and she will tell Santa if you don't behave yourself!"}

As I wrote previously I explained how Ellie arrived in a wrapped parcel in our garden left by someone who knocked and mysteriously disappeared! After we had opened our parcel Ellie magically moved and appeared besides a basket containing advent calender's for both Aisling and Archie, new books to add to our collection, a colouring book and some Christmas arts and crafts sets.

The first night Ellie decided to do something fun and make snow angels with a bag of flour she knocked over! This was probably one of the favourites so far as Aisling is a fan of anything that involves big messes. I couldn't leave Ellie and the flour on ground the next day so I moved her up higher with tongs but before I had a chance to clean up the flour Archie discovered how fun it was to play with it with his little hands. 

Then on the 3rd of December Ellie decided she needed to have a marshmallow bath to clean off all that flour. Actually now that I think about it, this could have been the favourite due to the marshmallows Aisling got to eat afterwards ;-) 

On the 4th of December Ellie decided to go for reindeer ride! 

And on the 5th Ellie thought that it was time for a swing.

Last night Ellie decided our house needed more decorating and this morning Ellie was found swinging from tinsel she wound around the light fittings.

All of these ideas have gone down a treat and I'm looking forward to creating Ellie's new adventures for this coming week. What have your Elves been up to? 

A Christmas Invitation to Play...

Yesterday poor little Aisling kept asking me for some play dough which we had none of. I always make my own but I had run out and it was a cleaning day so I hadn't any time to whip some up, so once the kids were in bed I got cooking. First I made some Christmas themed dough. The basic recipe I always used on stove top is as follows:

1 cup of water
1 cup of flour
1/4 cup salt
1 Tbsp cream of tartar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Food colouring*
Peppermint essence or extract or oil {optional but will add a festive scent}

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over low-medium heat whilst continuously stirring. It will all come together and form a ball shape. Don't take it off too soon. Take it off the heat then and pop it on baking paper or a clean chopping board. Let it cool a little and knead it together.

*Food colouring- You can add this to the cooking process or if you are making different colours as I was you can separate your dough at the end and knead it in until fully coloured.

My favourite containers to store play dough in are the Kmart round food containers. They are really cheap and the perfect size! They also come in a smaller size for when you want to make different colours from the same batch.

This morning Aisling spotted our Christmas play dough up on the bench and began asking me for it but I made her wait until after we all had breakfast, were dressed and I had had my morning coffee coffee {mean mummy!}. I set it out on the table and Aisling couldn't wait to get her hands in, she began by squishing and rolling it out flat and cutting out shapes with our Christmas cutters.

Then I found a foam Christmas tree which she grabbed and spent ages decorating with play dough then pulling it off and re decorating. "Take a picture Mummy!' She said. 

And then while Archie was rummaging through the draws {It seems like Aisling only grew out of this and now it's Archie's turn, Oh man!} he pulled out the garlic press so I showed Aisling how to use it and she had lots of fun making Christmas spaghetti. This was great for strengthening her little hands and working on her fine motor skills. 

This kept her busy for ages and even after we packed up she kept trying the get back into it. Play dough is one of our favourite and most used toys. It's so cheap and easy to make with ingredients you most likely have in your pantry already and there are so many ways to customize it. 

Stay tuned for "A Christmas Invitation To Play Part Two.." where we use a super simple sensory item found in your pantry that I've always wanted to try. 

Best Outing Ever...

While scrolling through my phone to find photos for another blog post I'm writing I came across photos from one of the best outings I've ever had! A snow day!!!!!!! I live in the Hunter Valley, NSW Australia which does not get snow ever, well actually when I was snow hunting I came across an article about snow on nearby mountains {350m above sea level but don't quote me on that} from years ago which is kind of cool. Anyway I've always wanted to see snow and it only happened for the first time a few years while in Europe and then while I was living in London. The desire to see snow didn't go away when I returned home and so last year when NSW {even reaching as far as QLD} had a rather large snow season the possibility of seeing snow close to home rather excited me and I became a bit of a snow hunter. I might add that I don't enjoy snow sports such as skiing or snowboarding like my husband I just think there is nothing prettier than watching snow fall or crunching through the snow in your boots or building a snowman. Gosh I'm getting excited about it just writing this!

Anyway there was a period of two weeks where snow was falling and settling heavily in the upper Hunter region of NSW. This excited me a lot as it would have only been a two or three hour drive to see snow. However with this in mind there was a few things to consider the main one being safety, we do not have a 4WD car and so would not be able to drive on unsealed roads where most of the heavy snow was and the second being a waste of a day if we did not find any snow or have to be turned back. Because of this Aidan and I hesitated and decided not to go, but the internet and facebook are fantastic and I heard that snow could be found on Thunderbolts Way in between Gloucester and Walcha. Aidan was back at work the next day but I managed to convince my sister to come on a road trip, she wasn't working and kindly agreed. So early the next morning {Not as early as I would have liked though} we packed the car and loaded up the kids and we set off on our adventure. I really like driving while it's cloudy, drizzly, gloomy and cold and well this particular morning started out like this but after we had a small pit stop to grab some lunch the sun even started coming out and when we reached the turn off onto Thunderbolts Way we discovered a massive sign stating the road was closed. Disappointed we turned around, regrouped and decided to try heading up the Gloucester side of the Barrington Tops and if it became too hazardous we would turn around again. Well we didn't get very far at all as we discovered that the bridges were flooded with water {4WDs were able to get through though} and we headed down a dirt track that my sister said could lead us somewhere promising. Well it felt like we were driving for hours when I suggested we cut our losses turn and around and go home. I was completely devastated.

I thought I had completely missed my chance when it snowed again closer to the weekend. Aidan was trying to convince me it was a good idea and I agreed. We went shopping  late the night before and stocked up on lunch, snacks and a beanie and mittens for Aisling. At my request we left really early, I remember we stopped to get McDonald's for breakfast and they weren't even open yet so we picked up our coffee and hash browns at the next McDonald's along the way. We also stopped at Gloucester to use the bathroom and to stretch our legs. And we were off again this time there were no roadblocks and we made it onto Thunderbolts Way and headed up the mountains. I remember my ears popped. We continued driving and to my delight I spotted my first little patches of snow along the sides of the road and in fields. It continued to get thicker and thicker and we pulled over at an intersection where we could park safely and finally at last play in the snow!!

We were able to walk around in the snow, lay in the snow, make snowballs, make snow men and Aisling and Aidan even discovered a little snow cave someone else had made. After we played for a little bit the kids started to get cold so we piled back in the car turned the heater on and kept driving. The snow only got thicker and thicker, it was amazing. However the worst thing happened and my phone went dead which meant no more photos. We really need to invest in a car charger. Anyway we drove until the road was actually blocked off because the snow was covering the road. At this point we went for a walk. It was divine to hear the snow crunching under our feet and the sun was shining by this stage. We walked up a hill and then back down again and made a snow man then headed back in the car to warm up again and we drove back to our original spot where we played for as long as we possibly could before it was time to head home. We stopped in Gloucester for a hot coffee and then a little park with a bathroom to stretch our legs and for Aisling to run around. Then it was straight home.

All in all it was a fantastic day and I'm so so glad we decided to take a risk and attempt a snow day for the second time. We all had so much fun. Both the kids were little angels in the car barely making a peep. Fingers crossed that next year the snow season is just as good and another snow day will be made. I'd happily go every week. Though I'm not sure how the rest of the family would feel about that haha. Here's Aisling's snowman she found and claimed as her own!

P.S the snow actually lasted on the ground for awhile and my sister and our mum and dad actually ended up making it to the snow early the following week :-)

My Second Pregnancy..

When Aisling was 16-17 months old, one of Aidans closest friends announced they were expecting their third child. We were over the moon for them and this lead to the conversation of when will we have our next child. Aidan originally wanted a gap of five years and as Aisling become a little older and a little less babylike every day, I began to envisage myself with another little baby. The conversation ended with me managing to convince Aidan that trying for a baby the following year was a possibility and that was that.

A week or so later in a similar situation to Aisling I took a pregnancy test on a whim after the thought I could be pregnant popped into my head. I waited until Aisling was down for her afternoon nap and i grabbed a spare test I had and snuck into the bathroom. Immediately two strong lines appeared, I felt calm but alot of nervousness for what Aidan was going to think. That night we attended a farewell dinner for one of our friends who was heading over to Europe, I still hadn't told Aidan or anyone by that stage so I think I was a little giggly and distracted around everyone that night. After dinner I suggested heading out to one of our favourite places a dessert bar that was open late. Aidan agreed and we headed out there. After we ordered we sat down and I faced him and told him that I had some news to tell him, he looked a bit nervous and I told him Aisling was going to be a big sister. He took it so much better than expected. He took a deep breath and gave me a gentle kiss and cuddle and I showed him the pregnancy test that I had put in my handbag for some reason. It was all happiness from that moment on, I don't think we really had any fears or doubts just excitement.

As I couldn't remember when my last period was (responsible I know) I couldn't figure out how far along I was. I took a digital pregnancy test which gave a reading of being 5 plus weeks pregnant which is the highest result that test could give. So off to the Dr I went and was referred for blood tests and an ultrasound. Everything came back fine on the blood test and my ultrasound revealed I was 8 weeks pregnant with a healthy little baby and my due date was the 6th of December.

We told a select few people about my pregnancy due to our wedding which was happening at 12 weeks. It just would have been too hard to keep it a secret. My bridesmaids kept topping up my glass at mys hens lunch with fake champagne so no one suspected a thing. Our wedding happened and the only thing my pregnancy affected was my breasts in my dress they were huge! Aidan and I had spoken about how to announce our pregnancy and we decided to do it at our wedding reception during Aidans speech. Everybody was overjoyed and congratulated us. Before we made the announcement we took my parents aside and told them the news only for them to tell us they already knew because the hospital had sent my booking letter to their house and it was folded wrong so on the front of the envelope through the clear window it had "ANTENATAL BOOKING APPOINTMENT" I was a little horrified that, that is how they found out.

At our twenty week ultrasound we again decided to find out what we were having and got them to write it in an envelope. I was pretty certain I was having a boy as my pregnancy this time round was completely different, hardly any morning sickness and I was more drawn towards boys names and belongings. We revealed to everyone via photoshoot where we filled up a big black balloon full of blue confetti and popped it. I was happy with how the photos turned out.

As my last labour resulted in an emergency c-section I had the choice of a repeat c-section or a VBAC which stands for vaginal birth after cesarean. The whole way through my pregnancy I was adamant I wanted to try for a VBAC. I attended a hospital ran VBAC course and a hypnobirthing course both of which I highly recommend.

As I had Aisling at 37 weeks the last three weeks of my pregnancy seemed to drag on and on. The two other people who were pregnant with me gave birth on my due date!

I had regular growth scans my entire pregnancy due to previous IUGR (Inter uterine growth restriction) and the scans showed my baby was growing fine but growth was starting to slow down towards the end. At one of my last appointments a Dr decided to send me for another growth scan even though the previous one was fine because my belly was measuring a little smaller than expected. This scan revealed that babies growth had slowed down and my fluid was low so I was booked in for an induction. I tried my hardest to get out of it but they were adamant baby had to be born soon. I had two unsuccessful stretch and sweeps and over the weekend before my induction I considered my options and in the end considering a failed induction is what caused my previous emergency c-section I decided what was really important to me was a calm birth with time for mother baby bonding. And so I decided to have an elective C-section, the hospital booked me in the next morning. I was 40 weeks and 4 days.

My pregnancy with Archie was so different from Aislings I felt so much better and my belly grew so much bigger. I loved having a bump. Because we had already been through it all before it was so much more relaxed and laid back. My favourite was asking Aisling where her baby brother was and she would point to my belly button. Towards the end of my pregnancy I was a lot more swollen and uncomfortable and I suffered from more sciatica but that's very common. I had no cravings that I can pinpoint. I do remember I would often wake at 5 with thoughts whizzing around my head so one morning I got up and decided to cook us all a pancake breakfast. This was before I had a thermomix, and I used baking soda instead of baking powder and my pancakes were a disaster. I was very disappointed. I'm pretty sure Aidan tried to eat them anyway.

I made sure I took a lot more photos with my pregnancy with Archie than I did with Aisling. We are still undecided on whether or not we will have any more children but a third is definitely not ruled out!

   

Elf On The Shelf, Meet Ellie!

Today is the first of December, officially Christmas season which means time to put up the Christmas tree and for our elves on the shelf to make an appearance. Up until last week we didn't have an elf on the shelf  I thought I had left it too late to order one but the children s lovely Aunt sent one up for us. I was so very excited!

The idea behind the elf on the shelf is for elf to come into your home, watch the children and report back to Santa whether or not the children have been naughty or nice! When they return the next morning they are found in a new funny and often cheeky spot. Such a lovely way to brig extra excitement and magic to Christmas.

I had already decided that I was going to do a first of December basket full of some Christmas books to add to our collection and some Christmas arts and crafts all put together in a basket from Kmart. (You cannot go past Kmart!) I also added advent calendars and decided that our elf was going to deliver the basket. But I also decided that the elf was going to be a special parcel delivered from Santa first. So this morning Aisling heard a special knock on the door and like usual she got excited and went to answer the door, when she opened it there was a special parcel wrapped and hidden in a very obvious position in the garden. Because A is only 3 I pretty much gave her a run down before she heard the knock on the door of what might happen. I explained that Santa may be sending one of his elves and that it might be received in a special parcel. She immediately grabbed it and started opening it and I encouraged her to involve her brother.

Once the parcel was opened we headed to our reading nook, snuggled up and read the book that accompanies the elf. The book is a lovely rhyming book with water colour illustrations that explains the elf's purpose. After this I placed the elf next to our Christmas counter. Once Aisling and Archie were distracted I grabbed our basket of goodies and the elf and placed them together on our table in the playroom. Then I made a big deal about how our elf was missing and we needed to find her! It wasn't a hard search and Aisling was overjoyed to find the elf with our new basket of goodies and Archie was just happy to have a basket to rummage through.

Finding a name for our elf was a little difficult as Aislings favourite word is currently NO! and she said no to every name I suggested except Ellie and Rosie so I think we have gone with Ellie. I will make a weekly post to keep everyone updated on our elf's antics. Until next time xx