Today I'm grateful for..

My beautiful baby girl!

She turns two today and I cannot imagine life without her, she is the sunshine that lights up my life!

I am eternally grateful for the joy you bring me and the mere fact that I have you in my life seems more and more like a miracle each day!

xox

La Dolce Vita..

Is Italian for "the sweet life" or "the good life" 

As my previous post shows I am the lucky owner of a new car.  My parents knew we were in the market for one but didn't know what sort we had bought. So we told them on Friday night that we'd bought one and what sort it was. Instead of jumping up and down with excitement, this is what happened.....

Mum: "OH, when your father bought ME a new car I ONLY got a Honda" Followed promptly by.. "Well, I guess you WON'T be getting any more presents this year then, WILL you!?"

Me: "Yes, Mum I know I am a very lucky and spoilt girl" .. "BUT we needed to get a new car anyway, we just hadn't decided on which one"

Mum: "Why, your other car was brand new?"

Me: "Yes, it was only 4 years old, BUT it had NO rear air bags to protect Sara in case of an accident"

Why is it that when good things happen to others, instead of being happy and excited for them, people automatically get jealous?

Its not like my mother hasn't been spoilt by my father for the last 45 years of their marriage. She has lived a very charmed life, never wanting for anything, shopping at will for endless clothes and shoes. If I was in her position I would be happy that my daughter had found a man that could love, support and provide a good life for her!

Wouldn't you?

WEEK 11

Smiles, smiles and more smiles!!

I just love it when SII smiles at me. Its like sunshine on a rainy day!

She brightens up the darkest room as her eyes sparkle with joy and absolute cheek!

You are my sunshine my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are grey

You'll never know dear how much I love you

So please don't take my sunshine away..

WEEK 10

Sara has discovered her tongue this week and takes much joy in poking it out at us.

WEEK 8

Happy Mothers day to me....

WEEK 6

Babies got blue eyes....

Blue eyes baby's got blue eyes
Like a clear blue sky
Watching over me
Blue eyes I love blue eyes
When I'm by her side
Where I long to be
I will see 

 Blue eyes laughing in the sun
Laughing in the rain
Baby's got blue eyes
And I am Home, and I am home again.

WEEK 5

WEEK 4

The dogs are wondering what all the fuss is about and Max has started to bark at the back window when he hears Sara cry... thankfully she is a fairly passive baby and doesnt cry that much, particularly as one of the elderly neighbours, (clearly who has no life!), has complained about the dogs barking!

WEEK 3

My girlfriend CB and her beautiful daughter ISB came over to visit this week, ISB looks just like her daddy but she has CB's lips and is so chatty its just lovely to watch. I cannot wait for this to happen with Sara. 

We are going to Phillip Island for the Easter weekend, I am very anxious. I really dont think that Sara is old enough to be away from her still very new home but very familiar and safe surroundings. 

Sure enough, Sara played up all weekend, she was so very unsettled. I removed us both from the loud dinner party that was happening upstairs and went and hid with her in the bedroom, and tried to settle her down in peace. But every 5 minutes someone would come and check on us, (meaning well of course), and she would start to scream again. 

Finally after hours of screaming Sara finally wore herself out and slept through her 4am feed. I was so emotionally exhausted as well but couldnt sleep at all until 7am.

The hardest thing I have found so far is how traumatic it is not knowing what is wrong with your baby and not being able to make things right.

WEEK 2

My Mastitis has almost gone... after some serious antibiotics and loads of rest I feel much better. 

I have taken to expressing milk like a duck to water. Mainly so as I can have some on hand incase the Mastitis comes back but also so that we can see how much Sara is drinking, its impossible to tell when she bis suckling on me whether she is getting enough or not. 

Sara loves the bottle and it seems that once fed from it (100ml) she is very very content and once burped and changed goes back to sleep for several hours. Perfect time for mummy to get some well deserved rest as well. 

WEEK 1

Oh the absolute joys of motherhood... WHY on earth did I wait so long to do this?

I am so in love with our daughter, she lights up my life every day!

Sara is sleeping perfectly waking every 4-5 hours for a feed, burp, change and a cuddle before falling soundly asleep again. 

I woke up Friday morning and I was so cold I could not stop shaking. The only thing that warmed me up was a HOT HOT shower, I took a panadine forte for the pain that I am still experiencing from my stitches and that seemed to help and I am feeling much better. My Mum and Auntie Marg came over for lunch, I told Auntie Marg about my sore breast as she said that I would have to be feeling very very ill for it to be Mastitis, so I put those thoughts to the side. 

After everyone had gone home and hubby had arrived home from work I went to bed, only to wake up 2 hours later freezing cold again. I have two jumpers and a blanket over me and I am still shaking and freezing cold. 

Sara is cranky ... and is really upset and crying. I am feeding her from each breast but she isn't settling down. I am crying, Sara is crying and hubby is feeling very helpless!! 

So we Googled Mastitis ... we think this is what I have??

A visit to the Doctor Saturday morning confirmed that I have SEVERE Mastitis.... 

Mastitis is a bacterial infection of the breast which usually occurs in breastfeeding mothers. Nobody knows exactly why some women get mastitis and others do not. Bacteria may gain access to the breast through a crack or sore in the nipple, but women without sore nipples also get mastitis.Mastitis, is usually associated with fever and more intense pain and redness of the breast. As you can imagine, it is not always easy to differentiate a mild mastitis from a severe blocked duct. A blocked duct can lead to mastitis.A diagnosis of mastitis.... there must be an area of hardness, pain, redness and swelling in the breast, and often flu like symptoms and fever.

The birth of our daughter Sara

Well isnt labour fun... NOT!!

Who am I kidding??

Once in labour all my grand plans of an "active" labour/birth, with no or very few drugs, went swiftly out the window as I discovered that my pain threshold is VERY VERY low!!

My husband has fun telling people that my BIG S, (for Superwoman), has been swapped for a LITTLE S, (for not so super anymore).

I try and explain to him that trying to squeeze out a watermelon from your "bits" isnt really as easy or pain free as he might think it is and that I'd love to see him try it and see how he feels!

Never the less, after sucking the bejesus out of the gas, I demanded someone give me something stronger... so an injection of pethadine was administered into my right thigh... and so I waited for the pain relief to begin....

NOPE nothing, I'm still feeling the pain!

So, in tears and after about 20 hours of labour I gave in to an epidural .....

After 22 hours of labour at 22.22pm on March 17th, (St Patricks Day), we welcomed into this world a beautiful little girl, Sara Isabella, weighing in at 5lb 13oz! 

She is now three months old and I cannot believe how fast time is flying by us, and how fast she is growing and changing in front of our eyes.. Here is my account of life as a new mum!