What Do You See? Old Hands & A Cranky Old Man.....

What do you see when you see this picture? Do you see old hands & A Cranky Old Man? Or do you see someone who has boundless experiences and millions of stories to tell. I  personally adore the older generation. I like nothing more then to sit down with them and listen to their stories. I use to enjoy doing this with my grandfathers quite a bit. I just wish I had of taken more time to listen.

I came across this poem below on the net and thought it was a great piece to share. I don't know who the author is so I can not credit the poem to him,  but who ever you are sir, you are a very wise man.

This made me think about my grandparents, sadly 3 out of 4 of them have passed away.
This was a good reminder to remember and respect the older generation because even if they aren't as young on the outside they lived, they've learnt and they deserve to be treated well. Help them out if they need it but remember to be mindful not to make them feel like they are loosing control. I can't imagine how this is going to feel when I become older, but I do know from watching my grandparents age and pass away that we don't mean to make them feel this way but often our fussing does just that. 


When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.
Later, when the nurses were going through his meagre possessions, They found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.
One nurse took her copy to Melbourne .. The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas editions of magazines around the country and appearing in mags for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.
And this old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the Internet.

Cranky Old Man.....
What do you see nurses? . . .. . .What do you see?
What are you thinking .. . when you're looking at me?
A cranky old man, . . . . . .not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food .. . ... . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . .'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . .the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . .. . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . ... lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . .The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking?. .Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse .you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, .. . . . as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten . .with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .. . . .. . who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen . . . .. with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . .. . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . ..my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows .. .. .that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . .I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . .. . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . .. With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons .. .have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me . . to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, .. ...Babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . My wife is now dead.
I look at the future ... . . . . I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .. . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . And the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man . . . . . . .. and nature is cruel.
It's jest to make old age . . . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles .. .. . grace and vigour, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . A young man still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells
I remember the joys . . . . .. . I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . .. gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people .. . . . .. . . open and see.
Not a cranky old man .
Look closer . . . . see .. .. . .. .... . ME!!


Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within ... . . .
we will all, one day, be there, too!
PLEASE SHARE THIS POEM,
The best and most beautiful things of this world can't be seen or touched.
They must be felt by the heart.

Image Source

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I'm Farming and I Grow It - For all my family and farming friends - Peterson Farm Bros

I'm a country girl at heart, but I'm  now living in the city...well the burbs anyway.  I do miss the bush and can now understand why people who live in the city go for holidays at farm stays and drives visiting the country
(I feel like such a city slicker/yuppie calling it that!)

I am a big believer in supporting our farmers and will only buy Australian owned and grown produce. These people do so much for our country (my family included) and I believe that they deserve respect.
Now these guys are Aussies, they are actually from Kansas,  but they do make a great video and are spreading the word about the agriculture sector, so I had to share it. 

I came across this on Friday morning (Australian time) and  finally I am just able to share with you now early Saturday morning.

I thought all my family and friends back home would like it and hope you do too!
It is a remix of the A parody music video that is promoting agriculture. The boys who made this video have also put up a facebook page that you can join at http://www.facebook.com/PetersonFarBros

The video to date had viewed 1,557,730 times and I am sure by the time we click back through that number will be higher. 

Oh and don't worry this actually doesn't have any questionable moves in it so it is safe to watch with the kids too. Aston (2) loved it because it has the tucks, tractors and farm like Poppy! 

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Dr Appointments, Ultrasound Results And Rude Cows!

Me on Tuesday 31+3 weeks pregnant after our Beauty and the Beast event in Melbourne at The Langham 

You know when you have to wait for an appointment and then you let your guard down, only to then be slapped in the face extra hard...yeah?  Well that happened to me yesterday!
After my scan last week I made an appointment with my treating OB whom I have never seen before as everything was going along quite smoothly (so we thought!). I have shared care with the OB and clinic midwives and until last week I had been seeing them every 4weeks. Nothing sinister had been rearing its ugly head, my blood pressure had been great and it still is! I'd had no protein in my urine  and I have been feel pretty good. The doctor knew all about me though and it is never good when a doctor knows all about your case from my experience. Everything has been till my 30week appointment. I asked about my fundal height  and the size of the baby and a few other questions (I'm a bit proactive or is that pro-pain-in-the-ass?) If you ask me it is defiantly proactive but ask some health professionals and they freak right out, lucky for me though that hasn't happened to me in this case yet.  The lovely midwife agreeing with my concerns ordered an ultrasound and said it was good I was on top of things. Well yesterday I got those actual results back, even though I knew the baby was small for dates I guess I am just a little a taken back that things have changed so quickly...not sure why though? I probably should have just left my guard up!  
I was on guard the whole of Aston's pregnancy, always expecting to have a premature baby because Airlie was born at 27 weeks gestation. The doctors didn't really expect that I would go full term with him and then when premature birth  didn't happen with him I was deemed 'normal' again and I could do anything that you could do! Yes, I did actually just sing that tune in my head...I haven't been to sleep. 


The full  results were explained to me today and I have to say the Dr was just fantastic! She made me feel heard and understood, but also kept me calm and informed on what was happening with my baby and what our plan of action would be from now on. The results indicated that the baby last week was growth restricted and I have a very skinny bub. At the scan we measured some measurements as low as 27weeks and no bigger then 28 weeks, we were clinically by dates suppose to be 30weeks 3days. This rings alarm bells for my Dr as apparently a woman who has had pre eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome in the past can actually present with IGUR or a growth restricted baby,  which is basically the growth is  restricted in the baby (somehow) while in utero during pregnancy. I don't know how Aston came out being 7lb 6ozs, Airlie came out 1lb 14ozs and Mason came out 6lb 5oz? We have clear proof I guess that both Mason and Airlie were or could have been restricted by the PE/HELLPS & Toxemia (old word for PE) 
This little baby is currently only on the 5th % which means 95% of babies at 30weeks gestation would have been bigger then ours.From the dates taken last week the weight is roughly around 1.2kg = 1200grams or 2lbs 8ozs...yeah I learnt how to convert so everyone understands how much your baby weighs when they are prem or threatening to be premmie as everyone seem so confused by this. This whole situation is made so tricky because this is all happening without displaying the high blood pressure, protein in the urine and the symptoms of hands face and feet swelling that I had with pre eclampsia and then the blood and liver issues I had with the HELLP Syndrome... I guess I just get to do all the fun stuff and keep doctors guessing don't I!  


The good news (yes there is some to keep the light on at the end of the tunnel) is that the fluid is at 11cm and the level needs to be between 5-25cm to be acceptable. We had within normal range of blood flow to the umbilical cord into the baby and also had reassuring results with the ductus venosus doopler, which is basically the blood flow within the baby. My kidneys are also doing their job which is important, as this is something that stops working when you have PE and HELLPS which can make life very interesting.




THE PLAN: 
We have a plan of action and as of yesterday afternoon was as follows: well this is however as long as everything stays the way it is now, otherwise it all goes out the window and a new plan is set.


- I am to start taking low dose aspirin and calcium ASAP - there are some studies around that say that this can help but it is still not 100% proven. I did take both of these with Aston along with Vitamin D also. The problem is no one knows why PE & HELLPS happens or doesn't happen? They only know how to maintain the blood pressure with meds until they no longer work and then to reverse the affect of it they must deliver the baby and the placenta and then in most cases things go back to normal. Not always does this happen and like when I had Airlie I did continue to spend time in ICU with rising blood pressure and I do know people who have had other things happen as well.  This makes it tricky for the doctors to identify and maintain especially when they are dealing with someone like me who makes it a bit harder for them and things are't displaying as they should. 


-  I had celestone injection yesterday after my appointment and yep for those who've had them, they still really hurt getting them done. Even now at 8am the next day it is still hurting! For those of you who don't know what this is, it is drug administer with a needle (in your butt, which you've just heard!) This will help mature our bubs lungs in the event of premature birth needs to happen. 

- I will return to the day stay section of the labour ward today and have another celestone injection (the joys but worth it!). I will then also be monitored by midwives and have a CTG monitor attached to me as well to recorder our bubs movements.

-Monday I am having another ultrasound as I will be 32weeks gestation,  the doctor wants to see if the baby is following its own line of growth on the graph or if it is starting to slip off the graph or move down the graph. If it is the latter two then there will be some discussions going on about having the baby sooner rather then later.

- Wednesday I will see the DR again and also do monitoring including CTG. This will continue on a weekly basis until the baby is born or they deem that it is no longer necessary.

So that's what happened yesterday! 


On top of that the Dr was running really late, I ended up having to deal with trying to get my phone off Aston (why do we give our kids our phones to play with?) then work out how to get myj kids picked up from school by either a friend, find where my husband was working and get him to come back to get them or have the school watch them in the office until I could get there (Approx 3:30pm). 
I called people but either they were not home, unable to do it (i didn't explain why I needed them to do it though) and given that my husband works all over Melbourne I had no idea where he was going to be?  So I called the school.  The stupid woman who took my call was a complete cow and not helpful at all. She was rude to me (even when I explained what was going on!) she told me that she had parents and kids to serve at the counter and she couldn't go out and get my kids at all. The last time I was in the office there was around 2 or 3 ladies there working in the actual office,  plus school teachers walking around and a principal/vice principal/year advisers etc who could well have gone outside to get the kids! I was concerned because I didn't want some stranger trying to coax them into their car!  Where they were standing would take someone between 1-2minutes to walk to and she was just being difficult!  I told her if she couldn't do it (through some frustrated tears) to just tell me so I could keep calling friends to see if I could track someone down to get them! Or that I would find where my husband was working and get him home ASAP to collect them. With no remorse in her voice she made some comment about what else she had to do and then said she will do all that and then see if I can get them! Well the lady is going to get a formal complaint made against her as she has already been rude to me just a few weeks ago regarding an error that had been made by the school, I let it go because I thought I'd cut her some slack as she was new and I could have overreacted, but I'm not backing down this time and she will get both complaints on this letter! 


I am so glad that Mason will no go there after the end of this year! 
I am also happy we are moving Airlie too because it is just not right! 
In the end I found my husband and he was thankfully close by so was able to go to the school and wait with the kids till after I had my celestone injection aka steroid injection for the bubba's lungs and I went and picked them up. 


So today after having no sleep, I am exhausted, I know! I should have slept but I don't do well sleeping when I have things on my mind. I could have went to bed and tossed and turned all night long or tried to talk about what was going on but I don't think that would have been good for hubby who has gone off to work this morning. 


I have my monitoring and other injection from 1:30pm today and hopefully between now and then I can find someone to watch Aston or he will have to come with me. Those of you who know what going to a hospital is like when you are being monitored will understand that taking a 2 year old with you is asking for trouble but I may just have to do it. Such is life I guess. 


Thanks for all the support again and sorry I didn't post this up yesterday. 

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A Fabulous Day for High Tea

What a fabulous day Melbourne put on for us on Tuesday! I know it is just the time of year, but when it rains, I do find myself getting all excited when the sun finally shines again. Do you?  So with the sun shining brightly, I thanked the weather gods and headed into the city with the 3 kids and my baby bump.  We were lucky enough to be invited to our very first High Tea and we had a wonderful time!  I was quite excited leading up to the event because I have never attended High Tea or visited The Langham Hotel before,  but I've heard great things about both of them. 

We were invited to the event by Walt Disney Studios Australia,  we are very thankful too and I would really love to thank them for inviting us! Disney invited families along to the event as their classic movie Beauty and the Beast is going back into the Disney Vault. This means they have it available on Blu-ray and DVD to buy for a limited time and then it goes back into the vault on the 31st of July. I didn't realise that is was what happens with the classics until I was invited to this event, so I guess you learn something new every day.  Did you know they did this?  I have to admit that until yesterday we only had a copy of it on VHS...Yes I know, I need to update our collection! Luckily Airlie won a copy on DVD along with some other awesome goodies for being the best dressed Snow White. It did get me thinking, that I should look at what other Disney movies both new and old were available for our collection, as I'd love to keep our favourites for the kids. We already own a few including Dumbo, Mary Poppins, Nemo, Monsters Inc, some of the Toy Story collection & also the some of the Lion King too. 

I was meet at the front doors by a lovely man, he was ever so pleasant, and directed me inside and up the stairs to the event. Once I stepped inside The Langham Hotel,  I just knew it was going to be a special event.
As I climbed the stairs with 3 kids in toe and a bump in front, both the kids and I made comments on how pretty the place looked. Airlie was dressed in her Snow White dress up and thought it looked just like a castle inside with the stairs going up and up. When we made it to the top of the stairs and turned around,   the view from up high inside was pretty amazing! We were then quickly greeted by another gentleman who directed us around to the High Tea and I instantly seen some familiar faces which made me even more excited to be there.  We were then seated at a table, where our drinks order was taken and we were served a selection of yum treats. As you can see from the pictures we all thought they were pretty good but Aston's expression in the background of the picture below pretty much sums it up! He was very impressed and let out a "Ohhh Woooow!"  when the plate came out, then proceeded to eat all the chocolate off the mini chocolate eclairs and then hand them back to me. Being the typical Mum I just ate them too and then though how some people would find that totally gross! Do you do that with your kids food or find it gross (kids or no kids)? While we ate the delicious food and I chatted with some other families I always had one eye on Aston. I quickly realised yesterday that this boy has so much energy and at 31weeks I can't really move that fast! He was fascinated by the water fountains, and I am sure he would have given anything to get down there and play in them I suspect. The tables had some colouring in pages of Beauty and the Beast so this was lots of fun for the kids and a great chance for me to relax for a few minutes knowing it would keep Aston's attention. Not long after that though he wanted to head down to the activity table where there was more colouring and a TV set up with Beauty and the Beast playing. The Mason and Airlie had loads of fun and I loved catching up with great friends too. If you ask Aston about it he just says "Cakeeessssss" so I am pretty sure you can take that as he had fun too! He is a total cake monster at the moment and LOVED the cakes on the plate!

At the end of the event the kids were all given a goody bag which I've taken pictures of to show you. As I mentioned above Airlie also won the best dressed Snow White so she was given another bag too. I didn't make too much of a fuss about it and just told her quietly as we were leaving, she had a grin ear to ear and was quite happy with herself! After we made our way back to the car we headed home where Aston finally had a sleep and I chilled out for the afternoon. 

The two big kids watched some of the Disney movies they received at the event and all was quite at our house. All in all we had a wonderful experience and enjoy the event immensely. I really enjoy doing these things with the kids as I hope the experiences turn into great memories for them to remember when they are bigger. I'm sorry I didn't get to facebook or tweet like I normally would at these events but juggling the 3 kids (especially Aston) was pretty full on. Then I planned to get this out Tuesday night or early Wednesday like I told you I would, but I was just exhausted after I got home and today has been quite an adventure in itself with a doctors appointment which I will update you on in  my next post. Maybe i just need to start video blogging aka v-logs so I can just tell you what I did! It would be lots quicker (I bet I am mistaken by how much time this takes) but the amount of time I put into writing a post and putting pictures up it does take a long time.  

I think The Langham Hotel is just amazing and I encourage you all to stop by and take a closer look when you are in the area and it well worth the peek! You can find it at 1 Southgate Avenue, Southbank VIC 3006  
It is right behind Southgate Melbourne, which is a restaurant, shopping and entertainment destination in the heart of Southbank.  The pure elegance really did grab my attention and I did wonder what it would be like to stay there?  Have you been here in Melbourne or at any of their other The Langham hotels?  Please tell me someone has lived the dream, at least once? I do remember watching The Block last year and they used the location quite a bit.  Now I don't get to stay in fancy hotels, actually I don't get to stay in hotels! A girl can dream though, right?  Lets face it,  having 3.5 kids doesn't allow for such luxuries, then there is always the time factor, plus to be really honest even the thought of taking time out for yourself and doing such a thing did really cross my mind until yesterday! However, after yesterday,  this is going on my list of things I must do! Yes it has to go on my 'One Day List' a 'Must Do' in my book.  I would love to stay there with my husband because it was truly stunning. The marble, the water features, the stair cases... well you get how elegant I think it is! I can only imagine what the rooms look like, how comfy the beds are and how relaxed I would be staying there.  I also now want to attend the famous The Langham High Tea with some girlfriends too.  I think it would be so much fun and the perfect way to relax with some great girls.  Who's coming? 

Also a note:  If you are driving into the city and need to park, please check out this link to some cheap city parking in Melbourne that I was told about via my awesome friends on Facebook. After doing a bit of research and getting caught out a few times, I always like to know where to park in advance. I actually like to know of a few options, just incase one is already full! I have found that during the week parking can be quite expensive! There are lots of car parks that do great rates for early bird parking during the week,  and I am sure those who work in the city really appreciate it.  However, this means you have to be arriving into the car park between the hours of 6:00am - 9:30am  and leave between the hours of between 3pm - 12:00am usually. This is great if you are in all day long but if it is just for a few hours then you have to find somewhere else to park and you can get stung big time. I once ate cake with an interstate friend  that ended up costing me close to $70 because of the cost of parking...she was well worth it! But gosh it made me double check all parking since. I have to say that the weekend rates around the city are great,  usually only costing a maximum of $20 for a whole day, but again if you are only going for a few hours it does end up becoming an expense you start to pay attention too.

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The day faith was restored in my body & a birthday boy

Today is a very special day at our place, its special because my baby boy Aston is turning 2.
I can't believe that he is already 2, or that we are celebrating this milestone already!
I am so thankful to be his Mummy and to spend time hanging out with him.
He a very funny little guy with a personality as big as Mt Everest! He is so Independence and I'm constantly told "I'll Do It!" he actually reminds me of a little dog with big dog syndrome. Hehe I guess that was bound to happen when he watches his big brother who is almost 12 doing things and his 6 year old sister too. 

He is on one hand very much like his brother Mason and I honestly could say that up until recently they looked like twins born 10 years apart! But then, he is also very much like his sister Airlie too, the lighter hair with the blonde highlights she have when she was younger and those lips, I love those lips!  Most of all though, he is just like his Daddy. So much like his Dad that I want to smack his Daddy!  When I see Aston giving me that look of frustration or if I tell him not to do something and he gives me 'the look' back he just reminds me of his Dad. Aston also has a similar sense of humour to his Dad and they are constantly having a huge laugh about things. Me, well I think so far all I've seen in Aston of myself is my eyes...not sure what do you think?

Today is also a big day for me also, not just because I am his Mum and all birthdays are big, but because it was the day I had a full term baby after  previously having a premmie baby born at 27 weeks. This is a pretty big achievement and anyone out there who has had a premature baby or high risk pregnancy will understand just what I mean.  It was a big deal as it wasn't really expected I'd go close to term with Aston due to the early and quick onset of the pre eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome I had with Airlie Fae 4 years earlier.  The whole pregnancy was spent high risk at a large hospital with a team of doctors who truly expected a little baby to arrive early from the outset. I prepared myself for this but it never happened! I don't know why it didn't happen? I do think though that the combination of my body, low dose aspirin, vitamin D , calcium, the health care team helped me and the diet I ate containing foods that helped reduce my risk have all had an impact on having a HUGE full termer (37weeks!!) weighing in at 7lbs 6ozs! 


Today we are spending the day together as a family. We don't have a big party planned this year so who knows what we might get up to?  I  am sure we will hold a party sometime soon in the future to celebrate Aston's 2nd birthday along with with moving and having a baby too! 


I am yet to make his cake so I will come and share that when we do! 

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30 week ultrasound update

I just wanted to come by quickly and update you all on what has been going on yesterday. I know through out the various sites I visit plus my own blogs that there are many people who are probably wondering what is going on with this little baby and I? My apologies for not getting to do this updated earlier but it has been a bit of a busy day yesterday!

In my previous few posts here I shared how I was concerned about the size of the baby and then that I was going to have an ultrasound to check on the growth of the baby and the blood flow and function of the placenta after bringing up my concerns with my midwife earlier this week at my 30 week appointment.

So most of you know I had an ultrasound today to check the growth rate of our baby, my fluid levels, as well as the blood flow and function of the placenta. The ultrasound found that the fluid is great and the baby is doing well,  although very stubborn! Even though the blood flow is good the baby is on the small side for its gestation, this means we need to keep an eye on things so we don't end up with a very tiny baby being born full term and being compromised in the mean time due to not being vigilant enough.  
At the ultrasound they called my OB but wasn't able to get her on the phone so left a message and said I should follow it up tomorrow. Due to the specialist OB consulting rooms being in the same area of the hospital I decided to go ahead and book an appointment to see the OB ASAP, as I won't be seeing the midwives for anther month.  Thankfully I will be seeing the OB on Wednesday and we will discuss from there what will happen. 


Today I am currently 30+4 weeks gestation but the baby has measurements of both 27 and 28 weeks. After the ultrasound today the baby has been given an overall ultrasound age of  28+4 weeks, so this makes us currently 2weeks difference in growth. This may not seem like a big deal but the problem is we are just inside what is considered 'normal' (i'm really not a fan of that word, but I will use it in this instance) Even though we are still considered normal (just) it is something they will keep an eye on, especially due to my history with pre eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome. With the measurements that were taken today it shows the baby is just over 1200grams... I'd personally like there to be a little bit more baby so please keep your fingers crossed and I promise to put my updates here. This blog goes out to Facebook, Twitter and into emails if you are subscribed. I can't guarantee I am going to post it on every site I visit because lets be honest, I do visit way too many sites! 


So it seems that my little babies like to keep me on my toes! I told hubby that going to the hospital once a month, for less then 30minutes to see the midwife was a bit strange...well considered to what we are use to it is! Hopefully over the next few weeks the little one puts on some weight and we will have a bigger baby then we expect.


Thanks for all the messages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, text, blog comments, phone calls and every other site and form of communication that has been used to send us well wishes. We appreciate all the support and really do thank you for each and every thought you give us. 


Now who can suggest things I can eat to make this little one fatten up and put some weight on?
I'ts not like I don't get fed well but I am open to suggestions on things that may help increase the chances of a bit of growth by the little tacker.

I also want to remind everyone that there is no such thing as a silly question or thought when it comes to being pregnant. You should always feel like you can discuss what is going on with your health care provider. They can not possibly act upon things you don't inform them about, so you should always tell your midwife or obstetrician if something doesn't quite feel right. The best thing that can happen due to this is you arm them with the knowledge to care for you better.  

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I hope there is a baby laying sideways in there!

Pregnancy Graffiti I LOVE! 

Yesterday I posted about being 30 weeks pregnant and that I was off to my midwife antenatal appointment.
I had already decided before I went to this appointment that I would be asking a few questions about my baby's size, as I've received lots of comments on how small my tummy is. At my last appointment a month ago my midwife also made a comment on this, but did not sound alarmed. At this stage I was only 26weeks pregnant and had far more time for the baby to be growing so I wasn't either. However, as the weeks have passed by I have started to think I should discuss this further with my health care professionals, just to be safe due to my history.  I decided that it was best to bring this up at my appointment and I am so glad I did!

My midwife was fantastic! She listened to everything I had to say and didn't once make me feel silly...not that I would let anyone make me feel silly about this, because as I said yesterday no pregnant woman ever wastes anyone's time with questions like these!  I discussed with her that many people had made comments on my size, I was honest with her and told her I was starting to get a little concerned due to my history of high blood pressure, but at the same time I wasn't trying to stress myself out about it either. I feel that due to already having had a premature baby at 27weeks because I had  pre eclampisa and HELLP Syndrome (both of these are pregnancy induced complications that  are surrounding high blood pressure and a blood and liver condition ) and that I thought it was best to show caution...she agreed.
The midwife checked my notes, did my routine checks (blood pressure and listening to the baby's heartbeat), and then she measured my tummy or fundal height.  My midwife found I was only measuring around the same size as what a lady at around 26weeks gestation would be measuring. This could mean a whole bunch of things too so it was a little cause for concern as I am 30 weeks. It could mearly mean that the baby is  laying sideways, that I just have small babies, that my placenta may not be functioning 100% and more! 
The fact that there is also still much to learned about pre eclampisa and HELLP Syndrome and that my family history also includes some cause for caution, we both thought it was best I have an ultrasound ASAP to check on the size of the baby as well as the function of my placenta. 


So tomorrow afternoon we are going for an ultrasound to check all of that. Hopefully we find one baby who is on their way to being chubby, who is laying sideways and hopefully a fully functioning placenta! 
If we don't,  then we will deal with that then. I'm trying not to freak out, but have to be  honest and say, I was thinking a few choice words to myself when I walked out of my appointment and down to make the ultrasound appointment. I started thinking about if something does need to be done it probably can't be done through my local hospital. This means we will need to go to the other side of the city to the Royal Women's Hospital,  where they treat complications like this....then I reminded myself to chill out and wait to find out what happens tomorrow rather then jump to conclusions unduly stressing myself out about something that might not even happen yet! 

Source

I wanted to share this with you because so many of you support me through out my pregnancy's. I also wanted to draw your attention to how important it is to speak up to your health professional while pregnant, even if you think it is something small. If you don't feel 100% fine, then please say something! 
I think from my dealings with Airlie being premmie and then having a high risk pregnancy with Aston, I've learnt that it is best to actually know then to assume.  Like I said yesterday in my post 

A pregnant woman never wastes anybodies time by asking a question about anything to do with herself or the baby! It is better to be safe when both your health and your baby's health could potentially be at risk.  Oh, and don't worry about feeling silly or thinking other people will think you are over reacting and being hypercondriac! I've personally thought all of this in the past when it has come to asking questions, but while Airlie was in NICU one of her Neonatologists (premature baby & newborn doctor) said to me "Fiona you are your baby's advocate and you know them best! We are all apart of a team working together. You are one of the very important people because you know your baby well and you know if anything is wrong before we do!" I think this is really true and it goes for when you are pregnant too! Never be afraid to ask a question, because there is no such thing as a silly question! 

I promise to update you all after I know what is going on. To date I've been healthy and had no real cause for alarm so hopefully there is a baby laying sideways in there! I just wanted to say thanks for all your support.  I've met many amazing friends through forums, blogs, facebook, twitter, instagram, in person, locally and from the areas I have lived at in the past etc and I appreciate all of the support and friendships. 
Today I am just going to chill out at home with Aston and do nothing at all! 

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30 Weeks, Baby!

Hi everyone! I just had to share this picture with you and tell you that I officially became 30weeks pregnant yesterday! Check out the latest picture my baby bump that was taken yesterday before we left for an event!


I am off to see the midwife later today and I am so excited to go and hear bubs heartbeat again. I'm also going to ask the midwife if she thinks it is worth having another ultrasound or not? I'm only asking because at my last appointment she said I was rather small and everyone keeps commenting on how tiny I am. I don't think it is anything as I have been perfectly healthy with this pregnancy, but if I've learnt anything from past experiences having Airlie premature and Aston as a high risk pregnancy, its that you are better off asking the question then just leaving it... A pregnant woman never wastes anybodies time by asking a question about anything to do with herself or the baby! It is better to be safe when both your health and your baby's health could potentially be at risk.  Oh, and don't worry about feeling silly or thinking other people will think you are over reacting and being hypercondriac! I've personally thought all of this in the past when it has come to asking questions, but while Airlie was in NICU one of her Neonatologists (premature baby & newborn doctor) said to me "Fiona you are your baby's advocate and you know them best! We are all apart of a team working together. You are one of the very important people because you know your baby well and you know if anything is wrong before we do!" I think this is really true and it goes for when you are pregnant too! Never be afraid to ask a question, because there is no such thing as a silly question! 


Have a great day xx

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Have you read 'Fifty Shades of Grey' ( 50 Shades of Grey)

Have you read the book Fifty Shades of Grey- 50 Shades of Grey yet?  All the girls talking about it and I think I might just be jumping on board soon too!

After seeing the funny postcard below, hearing people mention it and seeing people mention it or posting about it on social media sites like Facebook, I decided to do a little research on it.

I've heard a few friends mention/post about it lately, but I hadn't really asked them what it was about.  I'd also seen the name and pictures of Christian Grey over at Pinterest quite a bit, but as I haven't read the book yet I just thought he was the new boy that the girls liked to pin.

I hit Google up tonight and found the details below regarding what the book is all about...well the clean version from what I am hearing!

Fifty Shades of Grey
When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

So if you've read it, what do you think? Does the postcard above reflect the hype? haha
What do you think of it and do you think it is worth buying... well that is if you can find a copy!
I also heard that it has sold out in many shops and I also did check a few places online tonight and found quite a few were sold out too! One place I did find with stock was Fishpond (who are Australian) you can purchase a copy via the picture below.

Maybe we should have a little book club, read the book and then discuss it, what do you think?

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Joining a craft group & a cute crocheted boobie beanie breastfeeding hat

                                                                      Source: fromupnorth.com via Fiona on Pinterest

Are you creative? Do participate in any particular crafts? Are you a part of a craft group?  You know, such things like sewing, knitting, quilting, paper craft etc. Oh maybe baking or decorating, are they considered a craft? Tell me what craft do you like to do?   Me, well I have tried scrapbooking and card making in the past which I've enjoyed and want to get back into again. I own many supplies and tools and I really should to do something with them! I love looking at photos and remembering the stories surrounding them and get great enjoyment out of it.  When I 'm actively scrapbooking I really enjoy it, however time is the issue.  I just need to make more time to do it. I also like to have a space set up that I can leave everything as is so I don't have to constantly put things away. This hasn't been done for a while because Airlie loved getting into my things and "testing" how they worked, now Aston is at that age I'm not sure how I will go with this either? The problem is though that this deters me from pulling it back out again if I put it away and then it just sits in boxes and doesn't get used. I like to be able to come and go from something quickly.  if I'm not feeling that creative at the time I can just go and find something else to do.

In the past I've  tried other crafts, but never really done something for a long period. Over the years my Mum has tried to teach me various sewing skills but to be honest I haven't really been keen on picking it up until now. Now I'm keen to get more creative it would be great if she could help me but unfortunately we live 1500km away from each other.  I do own a sewing machine, but I'm afraid of it! I'm scared I will break it.  I'm hoping though that if I have a play, that I might be able to gain some confidence and learn how to sew on it?  I think in the past I've also been afraid of failing too but I'm learning that you just need to have a go! So with that attitude in mind, I recently decided to join a craft group on Facebook. The members are made up of local people in my area and they all do various types of crafts. As yet I haven't actually gone along and met up with them but I do hope that I can do this soon or at least communicate with them through facebook. I hope by joining this group that I can be inspired and learn new things. I would also really love to meet more people in my suburb with different interests too. Hopefully I can learn from the members in the group, while making new friends and hopefully I could teach them something too... hopefully!

Since I've considered doing a few new different crafts I've been looking online at these things and came across some funny pictures of items you can make. You may have already seen this picture but I had to share it as they just made me laugh. With our baby due at the end of August when it is freezing cold maybe I should considering trying to learn how to make this?

                                                                      Source: etsy.com via Fiona on Pinterest

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Hootabelle Event

Do you have any Hootabelle fans at your house? I do! We love her and we recently were sent the details of the event below. I thought you might like to cone along too, so see details below.

HIGHPOINT HOSTS HOOTABELLE’S DAY OF GIGGLES & HOOTS
Roll out the purple carpet Hootabelle’s Day of Giggles & Hoots is coming to the ABC Shop at Highpoint Shopping Centre!



To celebrate Hootabelle joining Giggle and Hoot Goodnight Hour, every ABC Shop will be holding a special Hootabelle’s Day of Giggles & Hoots on Saturday 9 June.

Come along and join in the Giggle-‐icious fun at the ABC Shop in Highpoint Shopping Centre and welcome the arrival of everything Hootabelle!

Activities on the day include; get your portraits taken in scenes with Hootabelle, Hey Hootabelle storytelling from 11am – 1pm and fun Giggle, Hoot and Hootabelle colouring-‐in activities.

Kids are encouraged to come dressed in pink or purple on the day for the chance to win Hoot-‐tastic prizes!

As part of the celebration ABC Shop will launch an exclusive Hootabelle product range as well as Hootabelle’s first appearance on DVD in the new Giggle and Hoot – Twinklify the Night.


EVENT: Hootabelle’s Day of Giggles & Hoots

WHAT: Children’s activities at ABC Shop to celebrate Hootabelle’s
new television program

WHERE: ABC Shop, Level 2 Highpoint Shopping Centre
200 Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong

WHEN: Saturday 9 June.
Storytelling from 11am – 1pm

FURTHER INFORMATION: 03 9317 4651

I will be attending this event with my 2 little ones, Aston and Airlie. If you are heading along leave me a comment here or over at the Oh Gorgeous Baby Facebook page and maybe we can catch up at the event. xx

You can also take a look at the new Hootabelle products and find your nearest ABC store that is participating in the Hootabelle activities.

I'm so happy I cried!

I have just received the best news ever and I just had to share it with you!!!

If you have been reading my blog you would have read about some of the issues we've been having when it comes to Mason's schooling. There has been a number of bullying issues that started about 12months ago and I feel they haven't been dealt with in a good way by the school. This has been really disappointing me and more and more I have been questioning having both the kids at this school. It hasn't just been that issue thought, there has also been other educational issues such as a lack of communication with parents when it came to work being due in class and then not notifying parents if work was not being handed in until a whole term later at a parent teacher interview! We personally told her at the start of the year that if he did not hand something in that were were to be told straight away so we could hold him accountable!   To be honest I have felt that ever since he started at this school 3 years ago that they weren't very helpful and not really encouraging the kids to be striving for academic excellence.  The school has not been helpful when it came to supporting me and helping Mason when I asked for extra help to get his grades up in a few areas of English.
This need was only brought to my attention after his year 3 NAPLAN results were given to me.  I asked the teacher what more we could do at home to get him to develop the skills in his persuasive writing and  his grammar and punctuation. Over the next few years we asked each of his new teachers what we could do and all of them just seemed not to be that bothered by the problem. It wasn't until year 5 NAPLAN results came out that I finally work up and decided to do something about it myself! I found our local Freemason's providing a community program that provided tutoring on a Saturday morning for 2 hours for both Math and English. I enrolled Mason and he has been doing tutoring for the last term of 2011 and it has just started again in term 2 of 2012. Finally now he is starting to understand more and we hope to see an improvement when we get his report card at the end of term 2.

I've also been writing a lot on the Oh Gorgeous Baby Facebook Page  about how I was really struggling to choose a good high school for Mason in 2013 and beyond. To be honest because the school he is enrolled at goes from Prep to year 9, so I hadn't given it much thought. Then we were given paperwork from the school and appox 4 weeks to choose 4 state/government high schools that we would be happy to send Mason to and return the paperwork to his school. I had no idea this was coming and I had 4 weeks to make a major decision in my son's life! I felt like a crappy mother and this was all happening as we had to packed up - moved - unpacked at a new house as the property we had been renting for 3 years had been put on the market...oh yes and not forgetting I am pregnant too!
So with no idea of high schools in the area I set out to do some research both online via their websites and by word of mouth on places like facebook and anywhere else I could!

Not knowing many people with high school children we were really stumped by all of this, I was and still have been feeling like the worst mother ever. Considering some Mums and Dads have been researching this from around year 3 and 4 in our area and some from birth, I was looking pretty bad right now!  After hearing what people had to say and reading websites I also got some information from magazines sold at newsagents to parents when trying to choose schools for their kids. An lovely lady I had met through facebook in my area was going through the exact same research as me because her son too was off to high school next year. Thank goodness I checked out these books and spoke to this lady! I learnt that some of the schools had ceilings, some had special requirements like sitting tests to gain entry to schools outside your neighbourhood school and I realised that the current school my son is in just didn't even seem to care at all as they gave us NO information about what they offered for high school students and they were no where to be seen in any of the books that I was reading!  I was pleased to see that some of our local government schools had fairly good % rates of students that went to uni, tafe or further study and others went on to work.  We also looked at what types of subjects the schools offered the kids with both at a starting level in High School and also in the later years of years 10, 11 & 12, as I don't think I could possibly go through moving him and finding another school after this!  After making myself feel sick over trying to choose the "right school" for him I handed in the paperwork and then began the waiting game for offers.

Since researching the magazines on schools in the area and speaking with the lady I met via facebook I also started to research some of the private and catholic schools in the area. I started to entertain the thought of us being able to afford to send our son to one of these schools. I then seen an invitation  in our local paper that a campus was inviting families to look at the campus so Mason, my husband and I went along to check it out. Thankfully my friend Cheree watched the two little ones for us so we could focus too! We were shown around the school with several other families and really liked what we seen. This school has two campuses, 1 being a few suburbs away and is boys only and the local campus being co-ed. They discussed what was available at the schools at both campuses and Mason was very excited and said he couldn't wait to go there! I was excited but scared because I didn't want him to be disappointed if we couldn't get him in.   We went back the following morning (thank you Cheree for watching Aston!) and met the principal and heard more about how the school operates. I finally put the application in and again we started to play the waiting game.

 I just wanted to say Thank You for being so great sharing your wisdom on how to choose the right school and I am so greatful that I was able to ask you for your thoughts.

I'm sure you are thinking "get on with it Fiona!" Okay I will.

Well today I opened the mail and I am soooooooooooooooo excittttteeeeddddddddddddd to share that Mason was accepted into the Catholic High School for 2013! Excitement, relief, amazement that we were accepted and a whole bunch of other emotions I am feeling right now that I actually cried with the envelop in my hand!

I called my husband and had to leave a message as he was busy at work.

Then as I sat here writing this post I also decided to call the enrollments officer at the school and thank her personally too! and yes I cried but she was ever so thankful that I actually called!

So it is a very very happy day here today! I didn't want to just send him to the closest school because it was easy, I wanted to send him to the best school that will provide him with a world of opportunities, I wanted to send him to a school that has a deep community spirit. I want him to be respected and in turn I want him to respect others and already I feel like this is going to happen.
I've already started to look at uniforms and through replying to a parent regarding a blazer on facebook another Mum from the same school has contacted me and shared lots of info on the school with me. This is the type of community I want to be apart of!

I better go and pick Mason and Airlie up from school so I can tell them!!  I am going to take them out to celebrate and buy them a chocolate milk shake or something.

I wish I could have been filming my face when I opened that letter! I probably would have been a whole lot of ugly crying facial expressions but who cares!

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