Out of the trenches

I’ve noticed that after many years on survival mode, at last I’ve started to crawl out of the trenches and reintroducing myself to society.

Hello there!

Making an effort to be more social, getting in touch with friends, having friends over. 

It’s been so long, it almost feels like a novelty!

First step was getting rid of all my maternity clothes, we’re not having any more kids and David has waved nursing a year ago. Time to invest in some real bras and clothes that actually fit and that make me feel nice just wearing them. You know something other then those yoga pants and stretchy shirts that have felt many babies grow. They’ll be great for the garden, which has come back to life again. Spring is definitely in the air! I’m doing some serious planting with the kids to make the most of these new beginnings. They’re completely fascinated by putting in all kinds of little seeds in the ground that turn into plants and flowers. It won’t be a neat garden, with tidy rows, but the fruits will be all the sweeter.

The last couple of weeks have had their ups and downs. 

I’ve been very busy keeping the household on track, I still miss my cleaners, but have made a schedule with all the tasks sprinkled throughout the week into doable jobs. With being sick for a week I’m still catching up on many things that have accumulated while I slept. Sewing has been on hold, which I hope to pick up again next week.

We’ve had our first brush with nits, just thinking of it makes me itchy again. We’ve been mouse hunting in the pantry where that cute little mouse had a large nest of babies. The mess they make is all but cute, a good thing just about all my goods are in containers. Safe from harm, they did manage to get all the paper of the emergency cans. It has made for some very interesting meals this week...

Alex’ climbing keeps getting him into all kinds of trouble. A quick dash to the clinic when he burns his arm with hot tea, a foot stuck in barb wire. But also into places he shouldn’t be, like the top shelve of the pantry feasting on honey. Or into my handbag doing a runner with my car keys and locking himself in the car, refusing to open it, his siblings were a little later at school that morning...

One of the many highlights was seeing my sister Lisa at the opening ceremony at the Olympics where she was on a rowing holiday (reserve for womens quadruple sculls that took home silver).

 Making “I love farmers markets” wraps for hungry swimmers

Having friends over for lunch, 11 kids behaving themselves beautifully and having lots of fun in the water holes.

David with his highly treasured minions beanie, send by grandma, waving and smiling on our grocery run.

Sophie wanting piggy tail plaits for school to tame her mad halo of curls. This is a steep learning curve for me, I’m so not good with the girly stuff!

 Friday night cooking with Tim

For me a highlight, for Tim & Alex not as much. Only one more training and game to go and the soccer season will be finished. It’s been a lot of fun to see the teams grow and develop, they have really loved their first year of soccer. But I’ll be happy to have my Saturday mornings back!

Sander has started the balustrade, going with a nautical theme.
500 meters of rope therapy, but it looks stunning.

David

Born this afternoon: David

A healthy 8 pounds, all went well, another water birth, home for dinner.

40 weeks (and two days)

My parents have arrived on Sunday, it’s great to have them here. The kids are all at home with school holidays and are having a ball. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, nice and sunny during the days with very nippy nights by the fire.

I’m feeling good and relaxed. I’m 40 weeks and 2 days and already resigned to the fact I go probably 9 days over again, like I did with the last two.

Another month gone (in snapshots)

Having a play by the river on another of those beautiful mild days.

 Picking flowers and baking cookies for the Biggest Morning Tea that we organised at playgroup this year.

The pregnancy hormones are still raging, the kitchen is still going on full (solar) steam.
Family is happily bearing the brunt: French Apple Bread for lunch.

Quilting, the picnic rug has been finished at last, the hand sewing turned out to be a great project to do during kids swimming lessons. Having to sit down by the side for twice half an hour a week saw this one finished in no time at all.

Getting to the 39 week mark, belly is getting big, but I’m feeling very well. Kids love to talk to their little brother, tickle him for a response, or in Alex’ case, blow raspberries!

 Sneak peek on a baby quilt, project #1 finished! I’ve started project #2.

My friend Michelle talked me into a maternity shoot. Tramping around through paddocks, we had a ball. She did an amazing job, (find her here).

Little Sophie

Very much enjoying our kitchen garden, it’s rather wild, but so productive. So far it’s still warm enough to keep on picking capsicums and chillies. How’s that for Winter!!!!
We’ve had the Winter Solstice on Saturday, with everybody down with a cold, it became a bit of a tame event (kids were in bed by six!). We ended up spending the evening sitting by the fire.

 Tim lost his first tooth,
then went straight ahead with setting out a flight path for the tooth fairy…

Full Moon

A Full Moon tomorrow on Friday 13th. Don’t let the werewolves bite you… ;-)
(photo by Tim)

37 weeks, the final countdown.

32 weeks

11 months and 18 weeks

With the eldest two back at (pre)school it’s quiet again at home. I’m going through heaps of jobs making the house resemble something liveable again.
I look at the garden with a wince. Better get myself organised and start sowing or we’ll be eating only pumpkin this Winter…

Alex, 11 months. A very cheeky boy, loves climbing, doing a victory dance on the middle of the table, clapping his hands and his food, lots of it. No longer any breast milk, he dropped that completely.
He’s walking just about full-time now, chasing big brother and sister with growls for extra squealing excitement. Sleeping is still not easy, too much to see and too do. Two 30 minute naps during the day is  all I’ll get. At last the nights are have become a lot better, he sleeps through a lot of nights, or is easily settled back asleep. The side of his cot has been taken out, with my growing belly and his increasing weight a lot easier.

Number #4 is happily kicking along, for a couple of weeks already there has been lots of movement to be felt. With anticipation we count down the two weeks for a sneaky peak at the 20 week ultrasound.
My parents have booked, they should be here for the birth in July!

Lazy weekends in a very busy time

We’re going into the last weeks of the school term, the Summer holiday is not far of. It’s a very busy time with many a Xmas party to go and bake for. No complaints, it’s great to catch up with friends over a nice meal, but I do notice the kids are getting tired. And so do I, after all those weeks of Alex waking up about ten times a night, I can do with some serious sleep. 

We’ve closed the milk bar for him during the night, no more comfort feeds just holding him. After a couple of nights of loud disappointment, it seems it’s starting to work. Last night he only woke up twice, he might even sleep through before our next baby arrives in July! 

Yes you read that correctly, I’m pregnant again, a fourth child to complete our family. Next year is going to be very busy!

So, some lazy weekends hanging around in the garden with the birds, or in the hammock spying on roos. It’s just what we need. 

Xmas cards might get written, personal presents might get made for teachers, a special Xmas menu might get thought out, special Xmas craft and baking projects might get done. But if not, the world will keep on turning…

Alexander Clarence Van der Vlist

Born this morning at 7 after a quick and easy birth: Alex.
9 pounds of healthy baby boy, born in the bath, but to be expected when you have two rivers in your name...

- Clarence, the mighty and strong river, as we all know after last weeks record flooding, thankfully flowing gently again. This is where he will grow up, in the beautiful Clarence Valley.
- Van der Vlist - translated as From the Vlist, the Vlist being a river in The Netherlands close to Gouda,
most of my husbands family still resides in this area. Sander grew up there, and this is were we got married.

We're home again, Sophie takes her role as big sister very seriously.














On request, our postal address:
Dr Sander Van der Vlist
33 Queen Street, Grafton NSW 2460
Australia

In for a crazy week

Looking for a baby update?
Sorry...  This baby is still too comfy to come out.
This last month of this pregnancy sure has been a challenge. Summer holidays with two kids at home, extreme heat, bushfire warnings, extreme rain, flooding and an evacuation late at night.
Sander has had parental leave for the last two weeks to "help out with the baby". He has been a great help with giving me some much needed rest, the many false alarms with this baby haven't made up for the best nights sleep. But he is running out of time and has patients and paperwork waiting for him.

Baby is now ten days overdue, if not out by Monday morning, I'll be induced.
I thought I had planned everything well and far ahead, never thinking I would go overdue, but babies keep their own schedule. Sander is expected back at work full-tine on Wednesday, that will also be the day that Tim will have his first day of "big" school. Sophie is expected at preschool on Mondays and Wednesdays. Next week will be a bit hectic and an interesting start for a new routine. We'll be fine.
I hope to give you a baby update soon.

After the storm

A record flood for Grafton

Grafton has made it through an all-time record flood of 8.1m, the levees have held up. It will still be an anxious time for the towns down river where a peak is expected around midnight. In Grafton the river has peaked and has started to fall slowly, there will be a mess to clean up, but we've come through pretty unscathed.

About that baby, now a week overdue, another day of contractions building and sizzling out, I'm tired and going to bed.

Evacuate

We're heading to friends on the other side of town so we can still make it into hospital if need be,
river is looking to go over the levees.

Weather update

Our empty drought affected rainwater tank? Overflowing, that's 22.700 litres of rainwater in less then a day! Already a river is flowing through our gully which is a good indicator how the main road downhill must look... The dams/moats we build seem to be working very well and are redirecting most of the water from harm on the drive way and veggie garden.

But... the more serious rain is yet to come....
More then 100ml a day is expected for today and Monday.

And baby? Still happily splashing around in my belly. Again some contractions during the night, but again, they fizzled out. For the first time, I was actually relieved with that, they came in the middle of an enormous downpour and there would have been no way we would be able to drive to the hospital amidst the flash flooding.

Tick-tack-tick-tack

I'm starting to feel like a ticking time bomb that can go of any moment.
Bub is sitting very low and is starting to get ready, I hope.

After all the crazy hot weather (40+degrees), at last the Monsoon has started in the Top End (Darwin region), it shouldn't get as hot anymore, this morning it has started to cool down, even have had a bit of rain. A big sigh of relief because bush fires we're getting rampant around the state.

37 weeks

Quiet

It has been a bit quiet on this blog, plenty of ideas, but no energy to write or take pictures for it.
The school holidays have come and gone and were just what we needed, we kept a very low profile and more or less went into hibernation.
Sophie has been waking up just about every night, coughing, miserable. Tim has been a bit better but has also been waking up a lot. The morning sickness, missed meals and lack of sleep did me in.

Last Sunday week ago became a turning point, the morning sickness started to lessen to the point I’m eating dinner again. My energy has also come back, de kids are sleeping a bit better and I’m starting to feel up to new projects again. And there are so many waiting for me...
To prove the point the morning sickness is gone, I fried up 10kg of sausages and 5 kg of onions for a fundraiser last Saturday and felt fine.
We have decided to have the kids sharing a bedroom while everything is still normal. Sander has spend a great deal of the weekend making shelves in the build-in wardrobe. And somehow it feels better knowing they are not alone at night, they might start to have better sleeps. First night tonight, can’t get much worse then the last weeks...

I’ve had my 12 week scan, all was good. Even my GP is now convinced that I was spot on with my due date... You get pregnant and they start poking at you: ultrasounds, blood tests and check-ups. I’m not sick, just having a baby, something women have been doing for thousands of years, look around you, we did pretty okay don’t you think?!?!?
Yep, I get very argumentative around doctors. Don’t get me wrong, we have many friends, fantastic friends that are doctors. They are the best people, I even married one... Doesn’t mean that I agree with everything. I was brought up with a bit more alternative views towards healing, it has made for interesting discussions with my husband, but very respectful both ways. Nevertheless, unless I develop any complications along this pregnancy, I’ll just see a midwife at the clinic for check-ups.