Benny's Baptism

So, I am waaayyyyyy behind on blogs. It didn't seem so bad when I was a month behind, but then I was 3 months behind....and now I think it may be getting close to a year! It will be impossible for me to go back and cover everything, so I'll just go from now. There in one important post though that I must do and that is Benny's baptism. And it wasn't even that long ago....so I'm not doing too badly on this one:)

Benny turned 8 on the 24th of May but agreed to wait until the same weekend as Teancum was blessed to have his baptism. That way, family wouldn't have to try and get over here twice. His baptism ended up being on Saturday the 14th of July.

Having seen JJ's baptism, Benny was ultra excited about his special day.

Can you tell?

...excited...and border line silly :)

Sisi made us laugh as she fell asleep on the way in the car and she was not waking up for anyone!

We realised we'd all have to gather around her to have a family photo.

border line silly runs in the family (dad's side of course)

Benny and the Rogers

We were so happy to have Bennys Grandma come from Sydney and his Nana come from Melbourne.

All the family (with Flynn on the inside)

After we took the photos, the baptismal service begun. It was such a lovely program that Benny organised entirely on his own. His siblings, cousins and grandparents were involved in the program with Joe and Chelsea offering prayers, JJ and my mum giving talks, Benny and Jobs mum sharing their testimonies, Lani playing a musical item, the four girls singing a musical item (which I thought was extremely cute) Charlotte conducting the music and Benny playing the piano. 

Afterwards there was some yummy food. Notice Benny reaching for that cake? I made him his own dairy, egg and wheat free cake (which is the chocolate one right in front of him) and told Job to make sure he didnt touch the white cake with the lollies on top. He was sick the next day. When I looked at this photo I knew why....and then he told me he had three pieces! 

Here are the photos Job took of everyone (instead of keeping an eye on our Benny)

All the people from our ward that are important to Benny came. We are very grateful to those friends and family who helped make it such a special day for him.

I was in the mothers room feeding Teancum while everyone was eating and socialising. By the time I was done and ready to hang out, everyone had gone home! 

We were all really happy with how the evening went and most of all we are proud of our Benny.

Thanks again to mum who came over to visit and help...

tr

...and Job's mum who also travelled to be here with Benny.

My Disease

It's funny how time changes after you have a baby.

 

Night and Day blur together. Weeks seem longer, but months pass by so quickly.

This is how it is for me anyway - I get 'time disorientation' after having a baby. Life changes and its all about surviving on little sleep and getting through each feed. Somehow or other, time warps!

 

A couple of weeks after Teancum was born, my friend and neighbour came over for a visit. She often checks in to see how I am doing. Sometimes she brings some baked goods over, other times she cleans and helps with the kids. I think she enjoys the times most when she is able to cuddle and settle the baby. Whatever it is, she always seems to knock on the door at the right time.

 

Anyway, this particular visit, I was in my pjs (as usual) my boobs were huge and sore (sorry to any guys who may be reading) I hadn't showered for nearly two days and I was dead tired. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you just cant hide feeling like a mess.

 

My friend asked how I was and forgetting myself, I told her how I was totally and completely in love with this new little man in my life. I went on with all the details of how much I loved to cuddle and feed him, how I loved his cute little snorting noises he made when he was hungry. How I thought he was very cheeky since at that stage he would only sleep if it was in bed with me. 

 

She listened, watching me in my disheveled appearance as I went on about how much I was enjoying my baby. When I finished, she looked at me and said (with all seriousness) 'There's a name for the disease you have.' 

 

 

 

She told me that there are people who are addicted to having babies.

 

Since having Teancum I have been asked many times if I'll be having any more children. Actually it seems to be the favourite question. All the mums at school and kinder have been gobsmacked when I have told them that I'd love to have another child but I don't know for sure at the moment. They look at me the same way my neighbour did that day, like I have some strange baby loving disease.

 

The funny thing is, I look at them, completely eluded as to why they don't get it. I have no idea why other mums don't enjoy having and raising children as much as I do. I don't mind at all that they think I may be a little nutty, I do feel sad though that maybe they don't get the same depth of satisfaction and fulfillment as I do from being a mother. I have five great achievemnts in my life - and they range from 8 weeks old to 10 years.

 

I have no idea if we'll have more children. I would love to continue expanding our family. Now that Teancum is here with us, we can't imagine life without him. The other kids adore him as much as I do. When he cries, they all run to his cot. When I change him, I have a little line of followers keen to observe as I change a dirty nappy. I thought the novelty may have worn off for the kids by now, but at eight weeks, it's still as enjoyable for them as the first week was.

 

I am happy to have made it this far breastfeeding too. By this stage with the others I was needing to introduce and supplement some feeds with formula. My babies and I have a lot of trouble with feeding. Teancum struggles too. The feeds aren't pain free for either of us at the moment but I am hoping that it will get better with time.

 

At the end of each feed, once bubby has all his wind and excess milk up.... once he is comfortable, he looks up at me with his beautiful brown eyes. He is so adorable to me that I can't help but smile and talk to him. He returns my affection with a cute smile and scrunched up nose. He also loves to have a chat now. Lots of goo-ing and gaa-ing.

When he does this, for that moment, time seems to stop completely. I can no longer feel my sore boobs (sorry again boys) My tiredness is gone and I am totally immersed in the miracle of this little life smiling up at me from my lap. Nothing else matters and I wonder how anything could really matter more than this.

I don't know, maybe its just part of my disease.

Introducing Teancum...

Teancum James Tai was born last week on the 28th of June at 10.28am. He weighed just under 4 kilos and since birth has been gaining weight rapidly!

So here we are on the big day. I'm just about to get the jab in the back. Although I was nervous about having a spinal, by this stage I was so excited to meet our little man as I knew the moment was only minutes away.

The anesthetist was awesome. I was afraid of the needle for nothing, it hardly hurt and worked really well. It didn't end up wearing off until that night......so pain relief for longer, woohoo!
I can't say enough about the registrar who performed the Caesar. His name was Luke and he was a little aprehensive going into the operation as I think I was his first '5th caesar woman.' He told me he was going to take things slowly to make sure everything was done properly. The whole operation took an hour and 20 minutes. A lot longer than my previous caesars which have only been between 30-40 mins. I was so happy with him as I recovered quickly and was up on my feet ready to go home the next day. I really enjoyed the whole experience. The hospital staff were so lovely. It was a very different experience from the ones I've had in Melbourne. I love how even the Tassie doctors are not in a hurry, it made me feel much more comfortable.

Here's our little man and his abrupt welcome into the world. I loved the sound of his cry which happened as they were pulling him out. I also loved how the doctors allowed Job to watch. It's the first time he's been able to see one of our children born. He took these photos...

                      This was my midwife Sally who cleaned him up and checked him over

                               It felt like ages before Job brought him over to me for a cuddle

I breathed on him, touched his face and he stopped crying

In recovery

I got back to my room around midday which gave me some precious time with bub. He had a feed and we had a cuddle. I was looking forward to the kids coming in, I knew they would have been hanging out all day to see their new brother. I love looking at their excited faces.

First cuddles...

We also had a visit from Joe during the day and Kym later that night. The Terrys dropped by for a visit the day after.

          One of the few times he was asleep in his bed, usually he was in my arms....cheeky boy.

It was nice to have one of my friends, Janelle, look after me on the morning I was discharged.

                            And here's a look at our new family just before leaving the hospital

 
                                        We even celebrated by getting new stickers for the car..

                                         Once we got home, Teancum had his first bath.

And then had a visit and a poke from the Rogers :)

Here are a few more of my favourite photos from the last few days. I'm not sure who took these ones of the boys. I look at this is and think "oh dear, this is what he'll grow into!" ;)

Benny loves to cuddle and kiss him non stop. We can always tell when Benny has been with him as Teancum will have a little mohawk on his head.

 One of my favourite baby things is the cute fuzz. I love to snuggle into his fluffy face.

                                I also love how as soon as he is undressed, he stretches out his legs

                                           My new three hourly routine......day and night.

                                       Definitley not a shortage on kisses and cuddles :)

                                                 Some bonding time with his cousin :)

He's even attended his first family movie night.

                                                    I could easily stare at him all day.

 He is so precious and we are so grateful that he has arrived here safely.

The day before..

In twelve hours time I'll be having an IV put into my arm. Shortly after I will be silently panicking as the anesthetist prepares to give me a spinal. I hate spinals.

In twleve hours time, I will be super excited and super nervous....simultaneously.

In twelve and a half hours time I'll be waiting to hear you cry.

In thirteen hours time, you'll be in my arms and nothing else will matter.

I would have a hundred spinals for you.

I can't wait to meet you in the morning.

I love you so much already.

Kids and Laundry

A few months ago, we decided to give our kids some more jobs to do....just general things to help more around the house. Part of the reason was my determination to squish the ingratitude out of them :) and the other was because frankly, the bigger my belly got, the more help I needed. So, in addition to being responsible for their own rooms and general mess making around the house, I also organised for them to take over the washing. I haven't hung out, brought in or folded washing now for a long time. It's awesome!! Job is enjoying it too :)  When Job and I sorted the washing, we'd always wait until we were tripping over the huge pile in the loungeroom, or until the day no one could find any clothes to wear because they were all in the clean washing pile. Now with the kids doing it all regularly, its done 3-4 times a week - so no huge piles anymore.

The first time Benny sorted the washing, he picked up a huge pair of grey undies and said "Who's are these??! They're HUGE!"

Well, they were mine. I said "Excuse me, do you mind??" Hahaha, he thought they were hilarious and wore them around the house for the next half an hour. Not only were they big, but they were full of holes too - and no I'm not showing you a photo of them ;) 

So it became Bennys ritual when it was his turn to sort the clothes and he found my funny undies, to put them on and we'd all laugh at them. I finally told him the other day to throw them in the bin. (Just to explain - I have a few pairs of baggy knickers in the house that I bought over the years to wear post-caesar.) 

               Now that my funny underwear has gone, he finds other things to wear instead. Silly Ben.

Sisi knew something funny was going down when I got the camera out and put on my underwear too (as did JJ but he wont admit it) I have some hilarious ones of Benny and JJ together that JJ has forbidden me to share.

I'll be saving them for their 21st birthdays ;)

A piano duet with my little girl

My kids are all still enjoying the piano and they're doing quite a good job at putting up with their teacher ;)
I believe one of the tricks to keeping them interested is allowing them to play music they enjoy. Sometimes they'll ask to learn a song off one of their favourite shows - or something they have seen on tv or youtube. Luckily the music I haven't been able to track down, hasn't been too difficult to figure out for them (so far!)

One of the songs Lani has loved learning is a modern cello/piano duet called 'wind.' I orginally downloaded it to learn it myself to play with a cellist friend. Lani heard me play it once and loved it. She decided it would be her next song. I explained that we'd have to play it together as it is a bit tricky for her two little hands :) She loves to play together anyway, so she was very happy with that idea.

I think she has done a really good job keeping the melody line flowing throughout while I play the left hand - especially as this particular piece is in 5/4 - A difficult time signature to keep. Lani has been blessed with an innate sense of rhythm which means she can handle the clashing rhythms between my hand and hers - it also makes my job of teaching her much easier.

                                               I love her face at the end. She is so cute.

A bun in the oven!

I am still trying to figure out whether I have a big bun...

...or a big oven.

                                Here I am.. (brace yourself if you haven't seen me recently)

That photo was taken three weeks ago, so add on a couple more centimetres and you'll get where I am now. I am laughing to myself as I look at this shot as it captures exactly how I am feeling today.

Since this is my first and probably last "I am pregnant!" blog, I'll go back to the beginning.....

hmmmm, wonder if I can remember the beginning (naughty me for not blogging this ealier)

I remember going grocery shopping with Job. We were walking up and down the isles when suddenly I needed to go to the toilet. The sensation left, returned and then left again. I thought it was a bit strange but just ignored it. Then we got to my favourite isle (where the chocolate is of course) and hubby said "Which chocolates are you going to get today?" I said "Actually I don't feel like any."
That's when we both stopped and looked at eachother, knowing that something was up. Job just said flat out "You must be pregnant! It's the only time you dont go crazy over chocolate." We bought a pregnany test and went home. I was pretty sure I must be pregnant, Job was right, I never turn down chocolate. With this quiet assurance and my excitement growing, I decided we should test when the kids got home from school so they could be a part of it too.

Here they are waiting for me to come out of the toilet - going a bit nutty with anticipation by the looks of it.

                                                           Job captured the result on video...
         
                                       

It a faint second line, but it's there :)

I also took a video of Benny and Lani  who were so excited..

It was so much fun, sharing the moment with the kids.

The kids have been great. JJ and Lani especially have been extra helpful around the house. JJ has been learning how to cook meals with me now so that when the time comes, he can prepare some dinners. Lani is happy to clean and pick up whatever I can't get to on the floor. Benny is usually pretty good too ;) - when he feels like it. They have all enjoyed feeling the baby grow and move. Job and I took them along to the ultrasound where we found out we'll be having another boy. I thought it was beautiful on that day how they didn't care in the slightest about the sex, they're were just so stoked to be having a little baby to look after. I'm hoping the novelty of helping me to change those dirty nappies wont wear off after the first week!

So once we knew we were pregnant, we told our families and I told my close friends. I didn't make it to the twelve week mark before everyone else found out. I popped right out at week 9 and had to start wearing baggy tops and lavalavas.  By the time I was 11 weeks, I was in maternity clothes:

Morning sickness continued on into week twenty...something and I had a few small hiccups along the way with stomach pain, reflux and lack vitamins. Speaking of hiccups, I've never had a baby hiccup so much in utero! He hiccups 2-3 times a day, each episode lasting a good 5 minutes. They are so easy to feel and see now, my tummy moves with each one. I think he may be a little piggy.

Its also really nice that I am able to be pregnant along with Kym and Mariah (my workout companions) This is us a couple of months ago I think, on a camping trip. As you can see they were not popping out as much as me.....yet! They are definitely starting to catch up now though.

Two of my best friends, Kristy and Kelly are also pregnant, as is my sister and law, Lois. I wish we could be closer together....that would be nice.

So here I am now (well, three weeks ago) I am currently 35.5 weeks pregnant and am measuring 40 weeks :) My dates are correct and bub is only a centimetre or so bigger, so the doctor has concluded that the rest of my tummy is amniotic fluid. Whatever it is, it's heavy!

                  Maybe it not all baby either ;)  Some of that fluid could be classic chocolate milk??

So... along with a few more bigger hiccups these last few weeks, we are well on the way to meeting baby number five. Job has been a life saver, rubbing my back when it gets too much :) My caesarean is booked for the 28th of this month. It will push me a couple of days over 39 weeks and is a later delivery than my other caesars have been.... so fingers crossed I'll make it until then without bub wanting to pop out any earlier.

My family are pretty much used to my big belly now but sometimes they look at me and exclaim "mum" or "honey"  "You're huge!" Especially when I park myself on the couch like a beached whale and let my tummy hang out in all its glory! It's funny to look at photos as Sisi is just the right height to get a belly nudge. My tummy seems to be constantly pushing her around :)

She is just as excited as the big kids are to meet her little brother. She plays with my bare belly every day, giving it lots and lots of kisses. (The black and white is to spare you from having to look at all my stretch marks!) 

       Lani also loves to talk to him each day. I wonder if he will recognise her voice once he's born.

 As I am typing this, he is hiccuping again :) I can't wait to meet him in three and a half weeks!