Clean House = Clean Mind

My house is by no means perfect. I’m fact, it is far from it. I always have a mess in my kitchen and my lounge room is always full of the kids toys, and unfortunately, having all that around constantly makes me feel stressed out. Looking around and seeing mess makes me feel like I’m failing as a house maker. Now, I know people always say that a real house looks like it’s lived in, but my house looks VERY lived in and no matter what I do I just can never seem to get it looking clean. With the amount of toys the kids have downstairs and all the pop culture stuff that Josh collects, my house always seems 'full'. I don’t mind full when I can see the floor. To me a freshly vacuumed floor makes all the difference. I don't know what it is about it, but it just makes me feel better to see those vaccuum lines across the floor because I know at least my floor is clean, and now with Ollie being so mobile that I definitely something I need.

Today I got outside and I vacuumed my car. For a long time my car had been bothering me as it had been accumulating clothes, toys and rubbish for quite a while now. Sienna is on holidays at Grandma and Granddads so her car seat is out and I need to turn Ollie’s seat to front face because his legs are just getting too long for the rear facing, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get in there and tidy it. After giving it a good vaccuum I felt so much better! Getting the motivation to get in there and actually do it can be a struggle but once it’s done... man it feels great!! (Now I just need to get the outside cleaned too.... baby steps ha ha).

So I challenge you all today to give your house or your car a quick vaccuum and see how a clean house can give you a clean mindset. Maybe if your feeling up to it move your furniture around too. After all they say a change is as good as a holiday.
I would love to be able to change my house around but I fear if I start moving stuff I won’t be able to find places for it all ha ha. Maybe I’ll save that for a day when I’m feeling strong enough to move furniture and I have some sort of idea on what I would like to do :-)
Leave me some comments below on how you keep your house or car tidy and how it makes you feel. I would love to hear from you =)

Journalling

There is this thing that I have wanted to do every year but have never got to it. People get a jar and write down all the good memories and things that happened throughout the year and store them in the jar, so that at the end of the year you can look back and remember what a good year it was.
I am doing something similar through these blogs. I am remembering the things that happen to me throughout the year that bring me joy or gratitude. And I also have this book that I keep on my bedside table called a "Mom’s One Line a Day - A Five Year Memory Book". Where everyday for 5 years you write down a good memory from each day. I was writing in it yesterday and I came across my memory from last this time last year. It said 'Watching Sienna take her first steps'. It blows my mind that my little princess has been walking for a year!

I find it fascinating to look back on things that happened on this exact day years ago. That new thing in Facebook that allows you to look back to what you posted on that day previously helps you to see how much you have grown and changed as a person from then to today.

I am so grateful that I have these memories stored to look back on. All the updates on how I was feeling throughout my pregnancy with Ollie to look back on. Remembering how we spent Sienna's first and second years of life. All the little things that we did that are special but I wouldn't remember if I hadn't them written down. And now I ask myself where the whole of last year went... I cannot believe that in about 12 weeks my baby boy will be one year old!! That just blows my mind! So I am trying everything I can to remember these times and to catch these memories of them at this age because they are just growing up way too fast!

Home Yoga Practise

Today I am starting a wonderful yoga journey called “True”.
At the beginning of every year the YouTube channel 'Yoga with Adriene' (I'll link below) does a 30 days of yoga series, and every year I have wanted to do it but have never made it all the way through (last year I was very pregnant so I couldn’t take part). But this year will be different! I am determined to see it all the way through.
Yoga makes me feel amazing!! And I am so grateful that there are things like this available on the internet to help me work towards my health goals at home. I don’t have to worry about finding a time to get down to the gym to do things like this because I can simply switch on the computer and do something active while the kids are asleep. And Adriene makes yoga so fun and doable. I know a lot of people look at yoga as a whole heap of poses that are impossible to get to let alone stay in. But with this particular channel you can do whatever level you feel you can do on that day (the theme of the channel is 'Find What Feels Good'). And everything is broken down and you work from your foundation up. The next day I may feel a little sore but it is amazing to watch and feel my ability and flexibility improve everyday.
Watching sienna join me sometimes, even though a lot of the movements are a bit tricky for her, but seeing her attempt things make me think that I am moulding her in the direction of a healthy lifestyle as well. I would really encourage you all to watch this into and give it a go yourself =)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I_Ec2FPOyY

Gratefulness for Family and Friends

Hello friends!

As some of you may know that read my earlier blog, I am focusing on finding snippets of joy in everyday life this year.

Last night being New Years Eve, was a really fun time that we were lucky enough to spend with friends. I cannot think of a better way to see the new year in than by watching Sienna dance away with our friends, having the time of her life (yes, she did make it all the way to midnight, much to the surprise of Josh and I). It made my heart smile so much to see her having so much fun and I can only hope that I can help to make the rest of her year just as good as it started out.
Ollie fell asleep before the celebrations at midnight but woke shortly after to see what all the fuss was about and went back to sleep shortly after again.

Today Josh and I were treated to an awesome afternoon without the children (thanks mum and dad). We treated ourselves to a DOUBLE movie afternoon. In which we watched both 'The Greatest Showman' and 'Star Wars - The Last Jedi'. Considering the amount of shade I have listened to thrown in the direction of both movies, I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. My inner musical geek surfaced in the big musical numbers of the Showman bring tears of happiness to my eyes (God bless you, Hugh Jackman). And the special effects of the lightsaber wielding heroes made my heart jumps with every swing in Star Wars.
And finally getting that one on one time with Josh was also amazing. With Christmas time and all that jazz and the busyness of retail work lately, I have felt a little like we were two ships just passing in the night lately and that is something I really want to change this year.

But all in all today, I have really enjoyed the fact that I have been lucky enough to have spent all of  the first day of the New Year with the people that I love most. My family. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

PS I apologise to anyone with me for the next week or maybe longer because I will not be able to get those Showman tunes out of my head. If you haven't watched it yet... do it!! It is truly magical.

New Direction! Exciting times :-)

Hey all you lovely people!!

I am setting myself a challenge in the new year and in doing that, my blog may take a new direction... I will still post occasional updates about the kids (which reminds me I need to put one up soon because they have both grown SO much since my last blog... yes, I have been lazy), but I will be focusing on short snippets of finding joy in every day life. I want to take more pictures and film more videos (so I can put up some additional vlogs too). I want to enjoy every moment that I am with my kids, because this age is such a special age, and you can probably say that about every age that your children reach, but at this age when they are learning and experiencing so much for the first time.... to witness that is something very special. I have so much to be thankful for and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to document it, so when the kids get older they can see how even the little things are extraordinary and that life is such an amazing thing that too many people take for granted everyday. It needs to be enjoyed!!

So in between now and the new year I will probably put up some other posts, but I really want to focus on more blogs and documenting everyday happiness in the new year!

Let me know your thoughts and ideas because I want you all to be involved too. Let me know all the little everyday things that you find joy in.

Till next time, I love you all, have an amazing day!

2 Months Postpartum - Little Mr Chatterbox and Little Miss Cheeky

Crying... Early starts... Dirty nappies... Constant feeding... These are the things that everyone mother with a newborn should expect. Parenthood is the best and hardest thing that I have ever had to do. Sometimes I find myself trying to remember what it was like in the household without my two beautiful kids but then as soon as Sienna is on holidays at Grandmas, the house feels so empty without her and it just doesn't feel right. Sienna and Ollie are such huge pieces of our lives now, nothing would be right without them.

Ollie is growing like a charm. He is now 4.5kg which is just under the 15% percentile. He is doing really well putting on weight, considering that he was really underweight for a while there. He is consistently gaining an average of 200g a week, so I'm really happy about that. He is 57.5cm long, putting him the at about the 25th percentile. He has grown a massive 8.5cm since he was born :-( He is growing way too fast.

 He still loves to be cuddled, and would much rather fall asleep wrapped up in someones arms rather than in the rocker. Although, over the last few nights I have been testing out the putting him down drowsy but not asleep in his bassinet and letting him put himself to sleep. It hasn't been going too badly (touch wood), but he does tend to make a lot of noise as he is going to sleep, not crying noise, just baby gurgle.
The constant need for cuddles, love and attention is definitely something that I find draining. Especially as I have two kids now and I can't always be cuddling with Ollie when I need to be watching what Sienna is up to and I need to be giving her some one on one time also.

 

We had our 6 week shots the other week, and I am so glad that Josh had that day off because he was a lot braver than me and held Ollie down while he was being given the shot. I was nervous because Ollie is such a loud crier, I didn't want to imagine how loud he would be getting his shot, but he did really well. I mean REALLY well. I think he did better than Sienna did when she had her first shot. I think it could very well have to do with how calm Josh was when he was holding him as opposed to Sienna's first ones where mum and I were nervous wrecks. Sienna also had her 18 month shots on the same day and Josh held her down too. She also did really well. There were hardly any tears then she was distracted with the awesome stickers given to her from the nurses.
Ollie also had his 2 month appointment a few days ago and the nurses at the clinic said that he was doing very well. Not only was he putting on a good amount of weight, but he had very good neck and head control for his age. Which we already knew because he has been lifting his head pretty much since birth. He is just gaining better control of it now. We were told to do tummy time with him every day, so he can continue to build those muscles in his neck. We were also told that he was very vocal for is age, and the fact that he was copying our sounds and mouth movements already was very advanced for his age bracket.

I am slowly getting better at juggling the two of them and have had quite a few days at home with just the three of us while Josh is at work. It still stresses me out a little bit, I'll admit, but not nearly as much as it did at the beginning. Sienna being at daycare too has been a big help and a catch up day for me also. We are about to start her on two days a week there, so that should be a good help for me. But Sienna is getting really good at helping me. She will get nappies for me when I'm changing him (mind you sometime I need to remind her that we only need one, when she bring over about six of them), and she is always the first one to tell Ollie that it's ok when he starts crying. The love that they have for each other is incredible. His eyes will follow her around and watch what she is doing all the time and she is always up for cuddles and kisses with him. It's crazy to think that in a years time they will both be running around and playing together.

In the past month I have noticed that Sienna has become a lot more affectionate. She was never really a cuddly baby. But recently she is always giving me cuddles around the legs and won't really hesitate or fight if I ask for a cuddle or a kiss. She is also getting so good with her words. We can literally have conversations with her now, which is amazing! She understands us and we can understand her, most of the time. She is picking up so many new words, so fast. She will just come out with the most random sentences and she just leaves us in awe.
She has been a little whingy and restless recently and we are putting it down to the fact that we have seen some molars coming through, so they might be giving her a bit of grief. We have also hit a bit of a speed bump with her eating. She has got really picky with food recently and I don't know if that's to do with teeth also, or if that's just her being a turd. But even with all the whinging and whining there have been plenty of beautiful smiles and cheeky ones too. She is the cheekiest little girl and I love it. He sense of humour is fantastic and I just love hearing her laugh.

I love my little family. Even though there are times when I feel like I could rip my hair out, when Sienna is running wild and Ollie won't settle... the good times definitely outweigh the bad and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Cookbook Recipe Review - Tomatoes, Apples and Carrots, Oh My!!

I love cooking! It is one of my favourite things to do, even though not everything works out the way I want it too every time, I love getting into the kitchen and just tuning out to the smell of something baking in the oven, or garlic and onions cooking on the stovetop. It is an escape for me. I am by no means a Chef in anyway, though. I am still a pretty basic cook, but in doing this and trying new things I am hoping to get better at it. I want to thank Josh for allowing me to take this time out from the kids in the kitchen, although I have been trying to include Sienna in my cooking lately.

This past week I have been trying out some recipes that I haven't made before, and I want to share with you how they have tasted, what the cooking process was like and what I would change for next time (if I decide to make them again). I want to be trying something new at least once a fortnight.

The first thing I made was a Bruschetta. Now I know what you are all thinking... "She loves cooking and has never made Bruschetta before?" I can totally see where you are coming from. It is a staple for a lot of people and it is really easy to make. The thing I found the hardest while making these, was that I had a grumpy newborn and a toddler who were making it difficult for Daddy, so I had to run out to help him out a few times. The process of making these though, couldn't be simpler.
They also tasted pretty damn good! This is something that I will definitely make again. It would be a great entrée type dish if you had guests, or a fantastic snack for lunch (which is when we had it).
The only change that I would make is next time I might add some mozzarella cheese to the mixture. I am a huge cheese fan and I think this would just complete the dish.

Second thing I tried out was an Apple Cider Pancake with Spiced Apple Syrup. I adjusted this recipe, as it called for raisins to be in the sauce also, but I hate raisins so I left them out. I wanted to use the flavours of Autumn and I thought to myself what says Autumn more than Cinnamon and Apple? So I found this recipe and tested it out. I wasn't sure how it would go as I am not a huge fan of cooked apple but this was super tasty. I had Sienna help me out in the kitchen with this one (she is a killer mixer). There was nothing too hard in this recipe so I think even beginner cooks would find this one easy enough. I am not the best at flipping pancakes and I tend to make more pikelet sized pancakes than pancake sized ones, but this time I surprised myself and make bigger ones (not very uniform in shape but eh).
They were really filling too. Josh and I managed to get through 4 each and were both very full afterwards. I don't think I would change anything else, other than what I already had. I will happily make these again.

Next was a Carrot Cake. This was a double layer cake, it called for two cakes to be made but I only had one pan, so it took a little longer than normal because I had to wait for one to be baked before I could bake the other one, but apart from that this was a pretty straightforward recipe.
I thought this cake was a little too dense. I thought that Carrot Cakes were meant to be a bit fluffier, whereas mine was quite heavy, but I have since been told that Carrot Cakes can be both.
I liked that this cake was made sweeter by adding crushed Pineapple. It's not something that I would have usually thought to do (especially as I don't like to eat Pineapple), but I found it added another element to this cake. I again left raisins out of this recipe because I thought putting one thing that I didn't like in it was enough, also I think that with the coconut and chopped pecans it had enough different textures in it so it didn't really need them.
I'm not sure that I would make this again. My family (who helped me eat the cake), all liked it but I'm not sure it was to my taste. I would much rather just a plain cake like and orange and poppyseed or even just a vanilla. This was to heavy and had a bit much going on in it for me.

And that is all the new recipes I have tried so far.... I'll keep you posted next time I try something else. If you would like any of these recipes to try for yourself, just let me know and I'll happily share them with you, and you can let me know what you think of them.

1 Month Postpartum - Getting Used To Life With 2 Kids!!

It is crazy to think that little Ollie has been with us for a month already!! Where did that time go?? I know that technically one month was on Monday, when he was four weeks. But it's now the 27th so I'm counting this as a month since he was born :-)

We have a very cuddly baby here with us... he loves being held and cuddled. When he is in someone's arms, he is the most content and will happily fall asleep, as soon as he is put in a bassinet or a bouncer he gets unsettled and wakes up. That has been a real challenge. He is slowly getting better though. (I am not complaining at all, I do love cuddling him. Especially now that it is getting cooler because he is like a mini heater.) He has the strongest neck muscles, when he is burping over the shoulder, he is constantly lifting his head and looking around at everything and he also uses his little legs to push up and almost crawl up my body. He is completely the opposite to his sister in this aspect because she was the most chilled out and quiet baby, but Ollie wriggles everywhere! He is always moving, which makes it hard to hold and burp him sometimes. And he is loud! He is a lot more vocal than Sienna was, he makes these cute little noises all the time especially before he sneezes and he even when he is asleep he makes a lot of noise and when he cries.... he cries!!
Oliver has grown 4cm since he was born, so I'm thinking he's going to be pretty tall. He has long arms, fingers, legs and toes and has the most adorable little face that pulls the funniest expressions. We haven't done a whole lot of tummy time with him yet, but it is something I will be doing more of over the next few weeks.

The hardest thing this time around, I feel, is finding the balance between looking after Ollie and still being able to spend time with Sienna. Ollie feeds an awful lot and the prevents me from being able to play with and have a lot of one on one time with Sienna. I feel that this increased when we had the early childhood nurse come to our house to make sure everything was going alright with Ollie and she told us that he was quite underweight so I had to increase his feeds (when I already felt like I was feeding him all day long). But it came down to the fact that I started using a shield to feed him because he was having trouble latching on and it was getting quite painful. The shield was leaking quite a bit of liquid as Ollie's hands like to come up and interfere with feeding and he kept knocking the it away, so he wasn't getting as much as he could have been. Since then I have ditched the shield and he is feeding a lot better and is getting more out of the feeds, so he is more settled when he is not feeding and he can take those longer stretches between feeds (giving me a bit of a break too). Since loosing the shield Ollie has increase his weight and is back on track too, which is really good.

Sienna loves Oliver! She is always looking in on him and wanting to cuddle and kiss him and pick him up. She even wants to help by giving him his dummy (sometimes when he is asleep and doesn't really need it). She can say his name, which is really nice, and always shows concern when he is crying. She has adapted really well to this huge change in her life. There was a bit at the beginning, where she tested her boundaries quite a bit. But because Josh and I stuck to our guns with discipline, she got over it quickly and is being a really good girl.

I have been really lucky so far, because I have had a lot of help and support in Josh and I am in all honesty, really nervous about juggling the two of them as he has gone back to work this week. I don't think I could have made it this far without him. We have got into such a good routine with the two of us over the past month and now I am going to have to get used to a whole new routine with just me and them both. But I have talked to a lot of my mum friends, who have more than one child and have learned that I just have to take one day at a time and it will get easier. Sienna started day care today. She will be there one day a week and I know that I am lucky enough to have my sister nearby who can come and help when she's not working and I also have my mum who is willing to come visit and help me out a few days a week, so I won't be alone with both of them too often, but it is still a daunting and overwhelming thought.
To all of those people who have reached out and tried to organise times to meet up and see Ollie... I am just still getting my bearings and once I am in a routine without Josh, I will definitely get back to you.

As for me... I had second degree tearing when he was born so I have been healing up from that which took a while. But now I am back to my old self I am even back to my pre pregnancy weight! So that feels amazing! I seem to be loosing a lot of hair. My hair has always been thick but during my pregnancy when I brushed it, there didn't seem to be a lot coming out in the brush, but now I can fill a whole brush each day! The same thing happened with Sienna though, so I am not too worried about going bald or anything ha ha.
As I said before, I had some issues with feeding at the beginning and I was really worried about getting mastitis, but I seem to have avoided that one for the time being luckily. Because of all the feeding sessions I am having with Ollie, my back is having some problems but I'm sure its nothing that a good massage couldn't cure (hint hint ha ha), I think its just tight muscles.
Not having the bump in the way has been soooo good!! I can now pick Sienna up without any issues and I can rough and tumble with her again and chase after her easily. I can bend over her cot to reach her again and can lay on my back again without feeling breathless after a few minutes!!
Most importantly though, I can eat everything again!!!!! My love for cooking has returned, because now I can cook whatever I want and eat it too!! I will have to go back into the hospital in a few weeks to check that the diabetes is definitely gone, but in the hospital my sugar levels were back to normal, and Ollie had no signs of high or low sugar levels either. Hooray!!!

And that's really everything... If you have anything you'd like to know about Ollie or anything else, just leave me a comment anywhere and I'll get back to you or answer it in another blog. I might not be doing updates on us weekly anymore because not a lot is changing week by week but I am going to still try and put up blogs on other things as often as I possibly can, and I will put up a monthly update at least.

Happy Easter - Something Thats Been On My Mind......

Hey Guys!! As you may have noticed, I have taken a bit of time off, adjusting to life with a newborn and a toddler has taken up most of my time. But more on that later.... this was just a quick note to wish all the readers out there a warm and happy Easter!!

Easter to me is a time to spend with family and be grateful for life and the fact that we can live with free will and love. It is a time to wipe the slate clean and start again with a grateful heart and mind. I was raised in a Christian family so it also has the meaningful aspect of Jesus being raised from the dead after paying the ultimate sacrifice so that all our sins would be forgiven. But I challenge you all today and every day no matter if you believe this or not, to show love and kindness and thankfulness to everyone around you. This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately...
If you have kids, I challenge you to make them laugh at least once (if not more times) every day. If you don't have kids make one other person laugh, your partner, your mum or dad, your best friend, or even yourself. As silly as this sounds if everyone in the world laughed or even smiled once a day, it's contagious! Imagine how much happier the world would be.
In a world that seems to be full of so much hate these days, be the ray of sunshine in someone elses dark day. BE the change you want to see in the world. Make everyone know that they belong. That they are cared for. That they are loved. No matter what they believe, no matter what colour their skin is, no matter who they love.... they belong and are loved.
I don't want to bring my kids up in a world where people are excluded because we are all in this together. Putting someone else down will not make you feel any better. But raising someone else up and making someone else feel good about themselves is the best feeling in the world.

Also, and most importantly, love yourself! You are such a unique person. There is no one else in the world like you. That's a really special thing.
A mother loves her newborn baby without reservation. Its a love that is forgiving, accepting, honest and perfect. Many people don't believe a love like that exists in our every day lives. But it does. And we need to love ourselves that way. People look in the mirror and see all their flaws and it stops that love from coming out but you need to look at yourself and know that you are perfect to someone. It may not be you at the moment. But you ARE perfect. Love yourself and embrace all your qualities, even the things that you consider to be flaws.

Whether it's Spring or Autumn where you are, it's a time of change, so start now... This Easter, give the best gift of all.... Kindness and love. Give it to all the people around you and give it to yourself. It's easy to do and it doesn't cost a thing. I love you all... Have a brilliant day. Happy Easter!!

Birth Blog - Introducing Oliver James Waters!

At 1.50am on Monday the 27th of March, 2017, Josh and I were introduced to a little squirming body that was a lot louder than his sister, but so similar in every other way. He looked just like her, he weight 7lb 11oz, just like her, and at 49cm, he was only 1cm longer than she was. It was one of the fastest but most painful and exhausting experiences of my life, but looking back on it now, it was so worth it (that's not saying I'll be going back for another any time soon though). I must warn you now, that the following blog may go into some details of labour that may be too much information for some people so if you don't want to hear some gory details maybe skip this blog :-)

Earlier that night, I was sitting at home on my yoga ball eating dinner with Josh and my sister, watching some 'Walking Dead', when I thought to myself  'I haven't felt baby move for a while....' and usually he is so active (especially at food time). I cast my mind back through my day, which had been like any other day: we had taken Sienna to the park, gone out for lunch, played at home, but throughout all of that Blueberry had stayed very still. In fact, I don't think I felt him much at all. I decided, after some persuasion from my sister, Josh and the mums from my mums group via messenger, to call the hospital, just to be sure everything was okay. When I was told that I should come in to be monitored, just in case, my mind went crazy with thoughts; 'What if I need to be induced?', 'I don't want to be induced', 'I don't want a long labour', 'What do I do with Sienna who is asleep upstairs?', 'What do we do about Josh and work tomorrow?', 'Should he come out with us or should he stay here with sleeping Sienna because I am only being monitored that doesn't mean I'm going to go into labour... does it?', 'Is this it? Is labour beginning now?'. I was just a bundle of stress and nerves. Then I started feeling pains and a lot of pressure in my lower abdomen, which shot through to my back. I knew that something was happening.

We all jumped in my sisters car and left for the hospital at about 9.30pm. Poor Sienna was a little confused by the whole situation. The whole car trip in I was experiencing contractions, but they weren't too bad, I could breathe my way through them and I could still smile (in my labour with Sienna, I can vividly remember the midwives saying 'you can still smile, you're not really in labour yet.'). We met my parents at the emergency room and were taken through to maternity where I was strapped up to machines that monitor my heart beat and contractions and babys heart beat, and I was given an internal examination to see how far into labour I was. We found out that I was having contraction pains, but I wasn't dilated at all, so I was still in very early labour. My midwife gave me the option of staying the night in the hospital because I lived so far away or to go home and come in again when things progressed further. Since my parents were there with us I decided to go back to their place, as it was close by and I could get some rest and come back in quickly if need be. So I was given some pain relief (in the form of Panadine Forte) and sleeping tablets, in the hope of getting some form of rest, and sent on my way.

We got to my parents place at about 12.15am and by that time the contractions were getting stronger but I could still breathe through them and could still smile :-) We went inside and Sienna was put to bed. My memories from this point on are a little blurry, probably because the sleeping tablets were starting to take effect, so from this point on I can only give you the details as I remember them, Josh and my family members may have a very different account of the way things went. I remember lying on the lounge, thinking to myself that I should have my supper snack as I hadn't eaten anything since dinner and had given myself my insulin shot at the hospital, when I felt the pressure of another contraction, then felt a pop and the spread of water which I couldn't hold in and pain spread through my whole body. My water had broken... as I was lying on my parent leather lounge..... they say no damage was done, but I haven't been able to look at that lounge the same way again.
My mum called the hospital and I was told to go back in right away. I remember being in so much pain that I couldn't move and Josh had to help me/carry me out to the car. I don't physically remember the car trip back in at all. But I do remember that as soon as my water broke at home, I felt the need to push with every contraction and I thought I wasn't going to make it to the hospital. I remember making bargains with myself in my mind that I just needed to make it to the hospital and then I could get pain relief as my reward.

I was dropped off at the emergency room at about 1.00am, where Josh ran in and got me a wheelchair and I was taken back through to maternity. We were put in the same delivery room where I gave birth to Sienna and I was put on the bed. Pain was coursing through me with every contraction. I heard the word 'gas' offered and was like 'yes, yes, yes', so I had a few puffs on that in the hope it would take the edge off the pain, but was told they couldn't give me anything else in the way of pain relief, until the had checked again to see how far into labour I was. Another internal examination was done to discover that Blueberry was right there ready to come out and all I needed to do was push. So I was put into position and within about 5 contractions he was out and up on my chest.

He was so tiny (you forget how small they are) and so wobbly. I just remember looking up at Josh and the look of happiness on his face made it all worthwhile. We had a new addition to our little family... a beautiful healthy boy... here in my arms!! It was an amazing feeing! He was then taken to be weighed and measured and the given back to be fed straight away to check his blood sugar levels were all good, since I had gestational diabetes. Then finally Josh got to hold him too. Proud Daddy Moment... first time seeing Father and Son together... the thought still brings tears to my eyes.

I suffered from a lot of self-doubt through this labour. I don't know if it was the fact that I had just experienced a full day with Sienna and Josh, so I was already pretty tired by the end of the day or if it was the sleeping tablets or just general exhaustion, but I remember the whole way through thinking to myself... 'I can't do this'. Either I felt like I didn't have the energy, or the ability to do what it was that I had to do, whether it was getting up to walk to the car or actually push Oliver out, I just remember repeating over and over again 'I can't do this'. Which makes me so glad that I had such a supportive person in Josh there with me throughout this whole thing. Keeping me calm at home, helping me to the car, telling me that I could do it because he believed in me. He was my rock the whole way through and I am so thankful for him. I am also really thankful for the other members of my family for being there. My beautiful daughter, Sienna, for being such a good girl thoughout everything! I cannot wait to see all the adventures you are going to have with your little brother. My sister for driving us in when it all started. My mum for watching Sienna throughout the whole thing. My dad for taking control of the situation and telling us all to come out straight away and for driving us to the hospital with me passed out in the front seat in pain and keeping a level head. Couldn't have done it without you all.

It took a few days to decide on the name. But we always knew that 'James' was going to be his middle name because it is both Josh's middle name and my dads middle name, so it has ties to both sides. Oliver has always been a name that both Josh and I have liked, and was actually going to be Siennas name if she turned out to be a boy. Now that he's here I can't imagine him with any other name.

So, little Oliver James Waters, welcome to the world and its many wonders. Thank you for coming out so quickly and without complication and most of all, my beautiful little man, thank you for choosing me to be your mummy! I can't wait to teach you and show you everything I can. I am already so proud of you. xx

39 Weeks Pregnancy Update - Last Update :-O

For those of you that follow me on other social media sites, you would know that I had my little boy this week already. I got home to find this blog sitting in my computer, ready to go, so i thought i would post it anyway :-) Enjoy. Baby blogs to come.....

Oh my goodness! How scary is it to think that this will most probably be my last update before my little man arrives!!! They are not going to let me go over my due date and this time next week is my due date so..... this could quite possibly be it!! My next one will be an arrival update!!!! Ahhhhhh!!! Its bizarre to think that because we are following the date from my first dating scan, my due date is the 1st of April, but if we were to go by the date from my two last scans, the due date would be closer to the 24th of March, which was yesterday!! So technically he could come at any time now and still be on time.

This week my app says blueberry is the size of a watermelon. He probably won't get much bigger before he is born, as that could be at any time now. He knows the familiar voices around him now from all the time he has been listening in there. So he will most likely be able to recognise mine and Josh's voices, as they are the ones he would hear the most. I have to keep a close eye on his movement over the next few days because that could also be the key to understanding when he wants to come out, he should be moving at a steady rate up until birth, so if I notice less movement I have to call the hospital right away. Sometimes though that is hard to tell because I don't know if he's just having a rest sometimes or if its classed as less movement. It's basically telling me to just be prepared as hes arrival could be any day.

I went to visit my Diabetes Nurse again this week and she was pretty happy with everything. The only thing that worried her was that my sugar levels in the morning were too low, and that I was in danger of having an overnight hypo. So to rectify that she has lowered the dosage of insulin that I am giving myself before I go to bed. In other words my body is already slowly starting to balance itself out. Hooray! The end is in sight!!!
My doctor is actually on holidays this week and I really want him to be available for the birth so I have been crossing my legs until he gets back. I want a doctor around that knows what I have been through with my previous birth and that knows my blood sugar level history this time too. I'm sure the other doctor they have on is fine but I'm really hoping that baby can hold off on coming until next Monday at least.

There have been so many times this week that I have thought labour was starting. My parents have been a godsend this week and took Sienna for holidays at their house from Monday night till Thursday, so we could get some things done here, and so that I could rest when I needed it (which I did a lot of and I think it has really helped my mindset). Although I missed her like crazy, as this has been the longest I have been away from her in forever, it was something that was really needed.
I went for big walks every day to help me with my sugar levels and to try to naturally lower the baby, so I can breathe a little better. But all that seemed to do was cause a lot of pain in the afternoons and the evenings. It has been really bizarre these last few days, because I have been fine during the day (I mean, there have been a lot of tightening and movement and things like that still, but nothing that knocks me off of my feet). But as soon as afternoon hits, my back seizes up and I get some wicked lightening crotch, and he moves so much I can barely breathe. Especially Thursday night, I was getting the painful lightening crotch feeling every time I stood up to move, and they would stay as a painful ache instead of a painful jolt, and it would literally stop me in my tracks and take my breath away. Poor Josh is very much on edge and every noise I make he is really to jump up and help me. Then when I head to bed there is so much movement and uncomfortableness and those sharp pains are still there, then by morning it's all gone and I can move fine again. It's really frustrating because a part of me just wants it to happen already so I can have myself back again.

I finally got my hospital bag together this weeks too. I thought it was close enough to get it done ha ha, I've actually been meaning to do it forever but just haven't found the motivation. It's basically just a few nappies and wipes and some clothing bits and pieces for Blueberry when he arrives and a huge amount of clothes and things for me. Since I will most probably be staying at my parents place for a majority of next week, I am using it as a kind of travel bag also, hence the huge amount of clothes. I will probably head out there on Monday because I really need the help with Sienna during the day and it's a closer distance to the hospital if anything does happen. We did the same thing when Sienna was born. When labour starts I have my sister and lots of friends living out here that can bring Josh in and he will stay out here until we go home with our new addition. As I have said before, I am so lucky and thankful that I have my family so close by to help us out so much at this time because it could have really been a struggle and a stress but thanks to them it has really been pretty breezy so far (touch wood).
We got a whole heap of Blueberries clothes all packed away in drawers this week also. Which has made me super excited for his arrival because they are all so tiny and adorable. It's just hard to believe that there is going to be something so small in our household again. I can't wait to see how Sienna reacts to him. I really hope that they get along.

And here is my last belly shot!!! It's kind of bittersweet, because I know that as much as I want it out now, as soon as it is out I'll see other mummies bellies and I'll miss it and wish I had it back. But I am looking forward to getting back in shape after this one comes out. But unfortunately, I didn't end up getting this shot before everything was set in motion :-(

38 Week Pregnancy Update - No More Midwife Appointments!!!

Two weeks till full term! This is absolutely crazy! This week I am feeling a little overwhelmed... I don't think there is a reason for it, I think its just the fact that this baby is coming up so fast and it's all really hitting home now. It's not that I'm overly nervous or anything like that, it's just all a little overwhelming as a whole. My body is hurting, my brain is tired and I am just altogether exhausted. But I am 38 weeks pregnant, so I guess they are the type of things you have to expect.

This week my App says that Blueberry is the size of a Spaghetti Squash?? I don't really know what that is, all I know is that to me, it feels like a baby that wants to come out. Basically, at this point now I am no longer waiting to see what pregnancy symptoms I feel, but instead what signs of labour I am experiencing instead. He could be roughly 3.2kg now and anywhere up to 49.5cm! Crazy!  They say that boy babies are generally born larger than girl babies and because I have Gestational Diabetes it could again be measuring larger than the average baby. But again these are just estimates, Blueberry could be a little baby for all I know (I am hoping he isn't too big, so my labour is a little easier).

So, this week hasn't been quite as intense as the previous week. Thank goodness! Before I left the hospital last week, I had a meeting with my diabetes nurse. She instructed me on how to use the needles that were being sent home with me. I have for the past week, I have needed to give myself a small shot of insulin right before I eat dinner, and a larger shot at 10pm each night. I will admit, I struggle with it. I hate needles, as I have mentioned before. Even now, I have a mini freak out before the initial piercing of the skin, even though I know it doesn't hurt too much. I think its more in my mind than anything.
I had a midwife appointment this week also. I have been getting a lot of mixed messages about the induction.... I am now being told that there is no reason to induce me early, because my blood pressure is fine, my body is taking the insulin fine and my sugar levels are back down to where they should be, I have put on 1.5kg in the past fortnight and baby is moving just fine. They will not let me go over the 40 week mark, but will not be inducing me early. She also said that because there were no problems or worries, I didn't need to come in again for a fortnight (inside I am slightly freaking out because that means my next appointment is 3 days before Blueberries due date!!!), and I will not be seeing the midwives any more but having appointments with my Doctor so that he can have an active role in my labour plans, as they will have to watch my sugar levels and things like that more carefully. My midwife was also under the impression that I may not even make it until that appointment because Blueberry was head down and engaged when she felt. But it is possible, especially for a second time labour for the bub to come in and out of the pelvis and not properly engage until hours or minutes before the birth.
I went to see the Diabetes nurse on that day too, so she could check that I wasn't having any problems and everything was going alright with my injections. She informed me that my sugar levels were perfect and that the timing of my blood testing were pretty much on point. So she was impressed. Which made me feel really good. I have become really serious about my meals and snacks recently, because after being informed about how to help myself if my sugar levels get too low and I go into a hypo, it has really freaked me out, so I am making sure that I am definitely eating enough to keep my sugar levels up (especially at dinner and super times when I am injecting myself), and that I am not leaving my meal and snack times too far apart. It has really helped me put myself in a routine which has been kind of helpful (even if it has meant that Sienna has a later bedtime for the next few weeks).

This week there have been lots of moments that have me thinking "Is this is? Is it starting now?". I have been experiencing so much lower pressure and sharp pains, especially at night. One night in particular I was feeling these pains and thought my contractions were starting and almost woke Josh up. Luckily I didn't though, as it turned out to be just pains.
I have been having achy but sharp pains in my lower back all this week as well, which my mum swears is a sign of labour. Last night I was having the lower sharp pains that spread through to my back also, which I remember having during contractions with Sienna, but these were nowhere near as painful. So maybe it is possible that these are baby/practice contractions, and my body is getting prepared for what is coming?
I have still been experiencing super tightenings of the stomach area and a real downwards pull of the stomach skin, especially across the top it feels like it's stretching downwards. And I am finding it now impossible to do everyday things like putting on shoes and sock because I just can't reach over the huge beachball called my belly, which is getting in the way of everything these days.
There have been days when I wake up and every single muscle in my body just aches and I can barely move, even just sitting takes it out of me sometimes, and the only thing that can ease my muscle pain is multiple showers throughout the day. These days have been tough, especially with Josh being at work and me being alone and having to entertain Sienna. I have been really lucky and have had my mum out with me 2 days this week and have been able to call on my sister to help outside of her work hours.

Here is a belly shot of how huge I feel.....

Beware!!! If the thought of seeing an actually pregnant belly grosses you out (and I know there are some people out there that it does) then don't look any further down, because I am about to share a skin belly shot so you can see how stretchy my skin feels and take note of my great insulin injecting (as there is not much bruising on my spare tyre area).

The Scoop on Sienna - 16 Month Update

Josh and I were discussing yesterday, if we remembered what it was like before we had that extra little person wandering around the house. And to be honest, I vaguely remember it, but I really wouldn't have it any other way than how it is now. I love the fact that there is another little person in our household. That she has such a personality, which make no day boring or the same. A smile that just lights up any room. A laugh that makes you want to laugh along with her, even though most of the time you don't even know what it is she's laughing at. That little voice talking away, 60% gibberish, but you can put together what she is trying to get across most of the time. She is just such a good little girl and I am so thankful for her and blessed by her.

 

 

I'm not quite sure how tall Sienna is, as I can't get her to stay still long enough to measure her, but when she is next to her friends, I would say she is an average height. She weighs 11kg roughly, depending on the day. I noticed the other day that I am building up mummy muscles in my biceps from carrying her, which I am pretty proud of ha ha.

Our schedule is pretty much the same as it has always been. We wake up at roughly 8.30am each morning and play and have breakfast. Then by 10.00am she starts getting tired so goes down for her 1st nap of the day. Then we go and get done what needs to be done out of the house and get back for her afternoon nap at about 3.30pm. Our nighttime routine starts usually around 6.00pm and she is in bed by about 7.30pm . She sleeps most nights right through, although in saying that, there have been a few restless nights lately, where she has woken up a few times but just wants to be comforted and goes back down. But she is usually pretty good. I think shortly we will start to transition her to only one nap a day (which she does sometimes already).

As I mentioned in my Pregnancy Update blog (35 Week Pregnancy Update ) Sienna is up and walking now. It did take her a bit longer than it took some of her friends, but in saying that every baby is different and crawls or walks in their own time. Those first few steps left me feeling so proud as a mother. Watching my little girl taking that next step (literally) in her learning makes you feel amazing. Then being able to watch her move herself along the wall or along furniture and across short distances to get from one place to another, sort of built up a feeling of dread but happiness at the same time, because you now knew that nothing in your house is safe any more. And now she is picking herself up from the seated position, without any assistance. She is so independent. She doesn't need to hold mummy or daddys hand when she walks anymore and she can walk in whichever direction she likes. It opens up a whole new world of games to play with her and things to do in general with her. The park becomes so much more fun when she can get herself around and climb up on things without our help. Daddy chasing her around the living room becomes so much more lively (and its adorable to watch).

She is saying a lot of words. She has been talking since before she turned one. Saying things like "mum" "dad" "puppy" "more" "please" "no" and things like that. But now she will try to copy anything you say to her. She knows a few numbers and will happily count along with you. She can sing the Teletubbies theme some (which she does constantly). She knows all the actions to a lot of Wiggles songs (they are like a drug for toddlers, its amazing!) eg. Rockabye Your Bear, Do The Monkey, Hot Potato and Rock 'n' Roll Preschool. Judging by her reactions to what we say to her she understands what we are saying, but sometimes can have selective hearing. A lot of the time she will ignore her name being called if she knows it will stop her from doing something she wants to do but knows she isn't allowed to do.

Cuddles and Kisses will be given to pretty much any toy you give her. She is becoming really affectionate. She was never really a snuggly baby so it has been really nice seeing this affection from her, she never has liked holding hands or sitting and snuggling, but has always been quite independent. She loves pretending to give her stuffed toys tea and biscuits from a tea set she got for Christmas. She loves to sit down and read with us. She owns so many books (which I think is great being a bit of a bookworm myself) and will grab one off the shelf and sit on the lounge waiting for you to come and read it to her. She loves to be rough with daddy, too. They will wrestle and roll and play and all you can hear are giggles and play screams from Sienna constantly. I think Josh has been looking forward to this age because he can do this sort of thing with her now and she responds.

All in all, I am really happy with what she has learnt so far and am looking forward to the next steps in her progress, and seeing how she gets on with her new baby brother coming very shortly.

34 Weeks Pregnancy Update - Loosing Weight

Gah!! This is crazy guys!! 34 weeks!! And I'm on to my last week of work. I am really looking forward to being able to spend some quality time with just Sienna before the new baby comes but at the same time am nervous over just how exhausted I am feeling after only a short time with her and wondering how I am going to cope with that. It's bittersweet knowing that these are the last few weeks that it'll just be us and our little princess. But I know that when Blueberry gets here it'll be even better.

According to my App this week Blueberry is the size of a pineapple. It says he should be measuring at about 42.7cm from head to foot, which sounds about right considering my midwives measurements say he is 35cm from head to rump. He also is weighing roughly 2.25kg. It also says that as he is getting stronger now and it is common to feel yourself fading a little, which I guess is a reason I have been feeling so tired and confused a lot lately (my brain just isn't what it used to be). I am finding that every time I sit down I just feel the need to shut my eyes and have a sleep. Which is very unpractical when you have a toddler running around and getting into all sorts of mischief in front of you.

As I mentioned earlier, I had my midwife appointment this week. She was happy with everything. Baby is growing well, and has a healthy heartbeat. My heart rate was good and she was happy with my sugar levels. One thing that I noticed though was that in the past fortnight, I have lost almost 1.5kg. I am assuming it is the diet I am now on, and the midwife didn't seem concerned by it, but I thought that during this stage of pregnancy you were meant to be putting weight on not loosing it.

This week though has been much like any other when it comes to aches and pains and I don't want to bore you all with the same details over and over again. I can definitely feel him moving around, pressing on my ribs and my hip bones, which makes me wonder just how much space is left in there for him to grow.
Last night, we had a rough night with Sienna and leaning over her crib to comfort her gave me the worst case of heartburn, I was fine up until then and it was just the worst. I have had heartburn throughout this pregnancy but not in a while, then to have it come on so strongly was really bizarre. I don't know if it was the position of leaning over the crib that brought it on or what it was.
I have been feeling a LOT of movement down quite low too. The midwife told me that he is not engaged just yet but is very low down, and a lot of the movement that I am feeling is probably his arms feeling around his head.
Another thing that I brought up with my midwife include the lower belly pains that I have been having, as I mentioned in last weeks blog, because they haven't stopped. She informed me that this is a type of Braxton Hicks. That there is the type in the top of the belly which makes your belly go rock hard, which I have been getting quite a bit. Then there is the lower part of the belly which can be associated with aches and pain, which is probably what I am experiencing. When I have the two feelings together, that is a contraction.
I have a feeling that Blueberry doesn't like, or really does like, the feeling of car travel. As soon as I get in the car and get going, he moves like crazy and when you're siting in a confined space being held in by a seatbelt and you have something pressing and pushing downward at times or up into your ribs at other times, it isn't the most comfortable thing. I really enjoy driving, I find it a good wind down to just sit, travel and listen to some good music (when Sienna is behaving herself in the back) but recently my hourly drives to work are not quite as enjoyable as they have been.

I haven't had the chance yet to get out maternity bra shopping, but I want to thank all the people that gave me advice. I will definitely be taking it all on board when I do get the time to venture out.
Another thing I want to ask for advice on is baby wraps... As Sienna is just getting the hang of the whole walking thing, when this baby comes I have thought about putting Sienna in a trolley or pram and wearing blueberry in a wrap. We only used a Baby Bjorn with Sienna, when she was a bit older so I'm not very knowledgeable on wraps. Did you use one with your baby? Do you know someone who did? What is the wrap on them? (see what I did there?) What other ways would you recommend getting from A to B with two little ones?? Eg. double strollers etc.

I don't think I've missed anything, so I'll end the blog with a bump picture. It's crazy to think that the next time I sit down to write a blog, I will officially be on maternity leave!! That really brings it all home, actually how close we are to baby being here!!

Thank You!!

I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for all the support I have received over the past 24 hours!!

You guys are truly the best people and I am so lucky to be able to call each and every one of you my friends! The amount of people who have come forward to share their stories of Gestational Diabetes or give their support to me has been phenomenal!! I was unsure about if I wanted to share my results on here, because I felt that poorly on myself, but I thought there might be other people like me out there that need to know there are others facing the same thing, and I taught myself that lesson at the same time. Here I was thinking that I was a let down to all females. That I was weak. And then I find out that there are so many people who have been through it, and that makes me feel like I can take on the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Even before yesterdays blog, I want to thank all the people who read my previous blog and gave me their telephone numbers, incase I needed to call someone if anything happened. I am so lucky to be a part of such a wonderful community of people. Not just here in my hometown, but over social media. There are people who I have never met, or haven't seen in a long time and they are there right behind me, encouraging me through everything. Thank you!

To each and every one of you reading this now, thank you for being a part of this journey with me!
Happy days, until my next blog....

- A xx

29 Weeks Pregnancy Update Big Baby??

Some things have really hit home this week... I have had a friend of mine who was due at the end of February, have her baby 6 weeks early. This terrifies me. I couldn't think of anything that would scare me more than having a baby come early. Not only am I alone a lot at this point in time but I just don't feel ready yet. But in reality it could be happening at any time now. I was discussing with Josh and with my sister about what I would do if anything was to happen while I was at home alone with Sienna. Especially considering the hospital that I am booked in to is an hours drive away. I guess it's something I'd just have to deal with if it did happen. I have plenty of phone numbers to contact if anything happens so I'm pretty sure I'd be fine. How early do you have a hospital bag packed? Is it silly to have one ready 11 weeks before you're due? I guess I'm just a person that likes to be prepared and the thing that scares me the most about child birth is how it is completely out of my control.... I don't know how anything is going to happen.

Blueberry this week is about 40cm long and 1.3kg in weight. So its hasn't grown too much in the past week and has a lot to pack on in the next 11 weeks. I am feeling a lot of symptoms this week though... My ankles are swelling, which is something I never experienced with Sienna. I am finding that at work roughly around 3o'clock my feet and ankles start to really hurt. I am getting really out of breath, really fast too. Today for instance, I was doing the washing up and after a while felt like I needed to sit down because I was so out of breath, doing nothing but standing there, washing!!! My heartburn has been coming back at nights. Not as bad as it has been but enough to keep me awake. But if that isn't keeping me up the fact that I just can't get comfortable or the fact that it feels like Blueberry is playing a soccer game in my stomach is enough to keep me up. Sleep is hard to come by at the moment unfortunately, especially with it being as hot as it is.
Another thing I have been experiencing over the past few days, more than normal, is what they call "Lighting crotch". It is when baby is kicking, elbowing or headbutting my cervix and that sends a jolt like feeling through the rest of my body. It is painful but not at the same time... like, painful for a second then it just feels like going over a big drop and your belly has that dropping feeling. But it literally stops me in my tracks everytime and the more it happens at a time, the more painful it feels.
I am struggling a bit with Sienna at the moment too. She wants to be picked up a lot and I can't hold her for too long and struggle to bend down to pick her up of the ground. I am already needing her to stand in her cot so I can pick her up because I can't get down to her when she's lying down. It also is very difficult to lay her down at naptimes because those bars in her cot just get in the way ha ha

I find out the results of my glucose test at my midwife appointment which takes happens on Wednesday. Fingers crossed for good news. I also have lots of questions for my midwife this visit too. Because I tore quite a bit when giving birth to Sienna, I worry about what issues I may have "down there" this time. I also need certificates from my midwife to show my workplace that I really am pregnant so I can get time off. Plus lots of other questions which I can't remember right now... she'll have fun with me =)

This week we were also comparing pictures of me from my last pregnancy with this time. And we came to the conclusion that this baby is bigger than Sienna was, as at 28 weeks I look the same size as I was at 35 weeks with Sienna. That makes me nervous work wise also, as at 35 weeks last time I had a week left of work and this time being a similar size I still have 7 weeks to go.... it'll be fun... I guess I just have to take it easy and take each day as it comes. I just feel sorry for all the people that will have to put up with my complaining and constant pee stops. (I swear I never peed this much with Sienna.) I'll let you decide for yourself if I'm a similar size to what I was....

Me at 29 Weeks...

Me at 35 Weeks with Sienna:

Craziness!! But they do say that you are bigger with your second baby... right?? It could be a small baby with a lot of fluid in the sac around it, right??? I'll just keep telling myself that, and not that I have a monster sized baby boy growing inside me ha ha let me know what you think.....

Happy New Year To All!!

Just a quick note from me on this lovely New Years Day, wishing you all a fantastic 2017!!

A lot of people diss the New Year Resolution thing, but some people really do need that point to say "from this day on I will strive to do this." It's a great starting point. Which is what I'm using it as...

I look forward to keeping you updated on how I am working towards my goals (or how I'm lagging behind). I would really appreciate words of encouragement, so feel free to leave comments throughout the year below, as I would really like to get to know people going through the same experiences. Don't be shy :-)

 

 

Remember today is the start of the 365 page book of your life called 2017, make it count! Make it as good as you can, do things out of the ordinary, set new challenges for yourself everyday to help you grow as a person, be the best person you can be. Make the story of 2017 different to any other that you have written so far. Get rid of any negativity in your life and focus on the good that the world has to offer, because life is too short to be unhappy. Be kind to one another and love one another, because you don't know what anyone else is going through. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask for it. In a world where you may think no one is listening, someone will be more than willing to hear you and help you out, but you'll never know until you ask. I am always here if you think no one else is. It's the simplest things that you can do everyday that may make someone else's day that bit brighter, so smile everyday.

 

Have a fantastic year! I hope it is filled with love, laughter and many blessings! I can't wait to see what 2017 brings for each and every one of you!

 

Love and Peace

 

- A xx