Friday 30 October 2009

Why I birth at home

My birthing journey began with a private obstetrician and private hospital. From my first child's birth, to our last child's birth we have grown wiser, stronger and more trusting in what we know is best for us.
To put it simply I birth at home because that is where I do it best. Hospital does not provide me the environment in which to labour and birth physiologically. At home I am not interrupted. I can go into my zone and know that I am being supported and nurtured to birth like every other mammal, unhindered.

With more news about birthing choices both at home and in the hospital being taken from women I post this video.
Women of Australia, you ARE strong, you have a voice, you have power. Don't stand by as yet another choice is taken from us from those who are scared of us and want us to be submissive just so they can live the life they are accustomed to.
Fight for your rights, for your children, and their children.







For more about what has happened this week, check out Sazz here.

Monday 26 October 2009

An award..... for me!


I feel very privileged to have been passed on an award. Especially considering how slack I have been in this pregnancy with blogging.

It has been passed on to me by Alecat, a wonderful woman, mother and friend. A person who has helped me a lot, although she may not know it, with advice, tips, hints and just chatting about homeschooling in particular, and also life.

With this award I am to tell you 6 things that you may not know about me.
Here goes.

1. When my eldest son was 10 months old I miscarried. It was very difficult for me to come to terms with. Our first pregnancy was quite breezy. I never thought this could happen to me.
Before I knew I was losing our baby, I had pulled out all my maternity clothes. Put them at the front of the wardrobe, and the baby journey had begun again.

One of the hardest things I did was to put all those clothes to the back of the closet again.
I clung to some hope that bubs would stick. However when our doctor called to let me know my numbers were almost gone, and that yes the baby was leaving us, I hung up the phone and fell to my knees crying. My almost 11 month was right there. He patted my back and said 's'ok mumma' and we hugged.
He was so bright at such a young age. Smiling at me, I was both blessed with my little boy, but also felt ripped off. To be put through such a journey. The pain. The emotions.

Although we have now 5 beautiful children, and a bellyfruit, I still, and always will think about the little soul who was with us, ever so briefly. Our lives forever changed whether baby was to be earthside or not.

2. I am a specific kind of lazy. What?? you ask. Let me explain. There are things in our lives we have to do. No getting around it. Dishes, washing, cooking. The list is huge for us all.
I loathe it with a Passion when people do things the long way. I set out to find the easiest, quickest way to do everything.
I will give one example with washing.
Our old house had a huge clothes line. An original Hills hoist biggun. I would hang out the clothes and group them. One side has hubs and mine, another the 2 older boys who are the same size, another our daughter, and another bubs.
When it was dry I would take it down in groups. I would also fold straight off the line. Then I would go to each room and put away the clothes in order from what was on top, down to the bottom.
This method is incredibly quick and easy. The less I have to spend on doing something I don't like the better.
Some say it is clever, problem solving. But it all comes down to my laziness, and desire to do a good job, just lots faster.

3. I am scared of Moths. Enough said.

4. Transformers, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Lego fill my day like you could never believe. Or maybe you could :) Some days it takes all my strength to listen to an excited voice tell me about a ship, or dark side baddy. My children know beyond what I ever will about these things, and I am more than ok about that.
Even my 20 month old loves to 'transform' and makes the sounds too. Yes, I know this will continue for many years to come.

5. My favourite movie of all time is 'My Friend Flicka' The original, with Roddy McDowall. I still love it.

6. Sometimes, watching my children laugh and play, I feel as though my heart is going to explode. 5 children, all whom I have carried, felt wiggle inside my womb, nourished and comforted from my body and breastmilk. Growing up far too quickly.
There are days when all I want to do is go for a drive, turn the radio up and just not have to think for a while.
There have been times when I have been paralysed with fear about one of the children being ok, getting through an operation, hurting themselves, or being rejected by another child.
This is parenting. Wearing our hearts on our sleeves.

But overall, I feel very blessed to have my best friend as my husband, and share with him such a fulfilling life.
I am excited to move to the future, all the plans we have for our house, family, travelling. I am also wanting time to go as slow as possible. Take our time. Enjoy life's ups, downs and craziness.


I would like to pass this on to a very special woman. A wonderful mother and friend. And awesome knitter!

Thursday 8 October 2009

Plug for our Nevus Support group fundraiser

Those who visit here on a regular basis, well, when I am not being lazy and blog! will know about our son and his story. Those who are new can read it here and here and here.
NeSA was, is and will always be a wonderful support for our son and our family and many other children and families.

NeSA, while small, has a huge heart. Helping many families, in particular parents who are wanting answers, advice and someone to listen to them. The support group is run by volunteers and by fundraising/sponsorship/donations.
Every little bit counts, and helps our support group keep going.

NeSA is holding a fundraising drive with Identity Direct just in time for some Christmas shopping.
Identity Direct offer a wide range of personalised products, lost property solutions and gifts for all ages. Please take a look at their website, and I am sure you will find something you can use.
PLUS - we will receive 20% in cash on all orders, and this will go towards vital equipment and supplies for our families, especially with another conference coming up next year!
Use this unique code at the checkout to ensure we receive the cash bonus
CODE - 4354503
We also have hard copy brochures and order forms available for distribution to family and friends if you prefer.
If you would like some let me know.Don't forget to forward this including the unique order code,to family, friends and workmates - everyone can help with this fundraiser.
All goods are delivered to the address of the person placing the order.
Remember to use the unique code - 4354503 when ordering to ensure funds are allocated to us.

order online at www.identitydirect.com.au/fundby phone at 1300 551 106or by order form via michelle@nevussupport.com
Thank you for supporting our fundraising,The committee of Nevus Support Australia Inc.

Monday 5 October 2009

In which I am the only one awake...

Quite often the evening flies by. Hub gets home, we have tea, do dishes, organise children in jammies, get ready for bed, and before we know it, it's 3 hours later.


Here we have the two little women asleep against eachother and daddy, watching a movie that they probably only got half way through.


And here is the whole picture. Daddy asleep too with another toddler on his lap. Every night the littles want to be all over us. And as I have run out of room, they all want to be on Daddy, fine by me, I get to breathe!
I have many, many photos just like this, from our first born, until now. I am sure there will come a day when it will be just hub and I again. But until then we cherish, as much one can getting squished, the coziness of having the children want to be close to us.

Sunday 4 October 2009

In which our bank redeems itself

So about an hour after finding out there is yet another form, and I am promised it is IT, Hub tells me our lender is sure I am going to go crazy and has said she will bring the form to us. You bet you are I said!
So a few hours later she is in our kitchen, with 'The Last Form' I beg her not to kid with me. I am 7 months pregnant, which is 9 months for a normal sized pregnancy, and we are in the kitchen, wink.
Yes, absolutely, it is it.
I won't hold my breath until settlement on the 16th.
The following day we will all be putting on gumboots and driving to our land to explore. I am sure at least 2 children will fall in the creek, so I will also be taking a change of clothes for them all, and towels.
And the way I am walking right now, which my Hub so lovingly told me the other day, was like a duck, I will take a change for me too.

I am having moments of 'over it' already. This baby already feels the size of a toddler. I am huffing as I roll over in bed, and whinging about organs and lungs being squashed.
But I am trying to embrace this pregnancy. It is our last. Which makes some of our friends laugh, but I remind them, I never said this about the other pregnancies.
This time, is the first time I have had 'that' feeling. The 'we are done, no more babies' feeling.
I am happy about it, and a touch sad.
Happy that we will be moving on to the next stage of our lives. But sad that I will never feel a baby inside me, or give birth, or be the first person my baby looks at when they open their eyes and focus for the first time as a fresh newborn, slimey and lovely in my arms.

Don't worry, I know it is not all awwwwww and cute and lovely. There is copious amounts of wee and poo and changing, feeding through the night, and the list goes on. I guess I just don't focus on those much now we have had a handful of children. I know how quickly baby becomes toddler, and child. I want to enjoy it all, and take as many photos as I can as my memory will fade, no matter how hard I try for it not too.

My eldest child now has an email address. He emails me and his Dad. He is how I know my memory will fade. It still amazes me how fast time has gone. It really does seem like yesterday he was a baby, just walking, starting to talk. Now he talks sooo much sometimes I will tell him to give his voice a rest, and our ears.
Embrace.

Friday 2 October 2009

Will it ever end????

So today I dropped off what I thought was the last of the paperwork for the bank. An hour later we got a phone call, sorry there is just one more we accidentally forgot about. Imagine me standing beside a brick wall, banging my head against it mumbling.

I am so friggin over this shit. It is a block of land. It was meant to be easy. This is driving me more batty than when the kids drag dirt and sand through the house after mopping.

When we bought our house many years ago we signed one form from the solicitor, and 2 forms from the bank. Done. nothing more.
So far we have signed over 20 friggin forms!! One of which had to be witnessed by a person of an elite list.

Please, gods of real estate, let this be it. The bear inside me is waking. Not a good thing.

Thursday 1 October 2009

When others make your life harder...

Some say that life is what you make it. Others say that your life is as hard as you make it. What crap I say today.

I went to the bank, yet again, to get even more paperwork. Buying a small piece of this country has cause so much drama and stress it is ridiculous. The mortgage is teeny in the scheme of mortgages, and yet, due to others mistakes, it has dragged on for longer than it should, and seen us sign more papers than I have in my lifetime so far.
'Someone' at the real estate made an error on our paperwork to start with. This caused dramas. Because of this mistake the bank that copied said paperwork, had theirs wrong.
On top of all of this our solicitor had to have us sign extra paperwork to correct all those mistakes. Sigh.

Honestly by the end I was expecting to get a blood test for them and hand over my 1st born.
Fingers crossed it will all be over in 2 weeks.

And then the real fun begins as 'Build a house for 8 people' begins. Yay.