This week's roundup

It's been a bit of a mixed week this week so far.

We have been on lockdown mode since Friday evening, when Henry started vomiting. I was hoping it would be a once off vomit, possibly brought on by overindulging in muesli bars and chocolate, but unfortunately it turned out to be the dreaded GASTROENTERITIS!! (The thing I fear more than anything else). So the weekend was filled with vomiting, diarrhoea, and the washing machine basically running 24 hours a day. All I have to say is 'Thank God we've got a dryer!' and luckily, no one else in the household caught it. For once my sterilisation efforts seem to have paid off. I can tell you now, feeling as though you want to throw up everywhere, and having to change a dirty nappy is one of the worst things in the world.

Because froggies help you feel better :)

However, on a positive note, we had two lots of family return from overseas over the past few days. Tim's sister and her husband and our two nephews arrived home on Sunday from San Francisco and on Monday my brother and my sister in law arrived back from Edinburgh! It's great to have them back home again and has reinforced to me the importance of family and just how grateful I am to have such an amazing family. I love that the kids are growing up surrounded by cousins, aunties, uncles, and grandparents. It's a really special time in our lives having loved ones to share it with is amazing. I am also incredibly grateful to have wonderful friends who enrich my lives, and those of the kids, in so many different ways.

Speaking of friends, Vivi attended her first live show on Friday afternoon - 'Disney on Ice'. It was an incredibly over the top americanised skating show complete with miles of merchandise and booming music. We went with two of her best buddies, Maeve and Lilly. The highlight for Vivi was seeing 'the real Aladdin and Jasmine' and running up to the edge of the rink to wave at Aladdin as he skated past during the finale. I love the way how kids can make cheesy shows like this somewhat magical.

Waiting for the show to begin

So now I'm at home, playing the waiting game and hoping like hell that the little man really starts to pull through this illness that he's had for the past five days. One of the things I find frustrating being a parent who works part-time is how often kids get sick. I mean, I know it's winter and it's inevitable that they pick up more bugs this time of year, but since term started three weeks ago, either Tim or I have had to take at least one day off each week to be at home with one or other of our sick children. Here's hoping that by the time they start school they'll have cast iron stomachs and will have a kick ass immune system!

Raising small(er) than average kids

So most people I know who have children have something about their child that sets them apart from others - after all, as humans we're all different, right? with us, our kids tend to be small - and by small, I mean waaaay smaller than average - think words like 'petite', and 'runt' and that will give you a nice mental image.

I guess it's something that's been on my mind a lot on and off over the past 3 1/2 years. Probably because to start with, it's the only observation you can make about a baby. I mean, it's what everyone wants to know when they're born, right? how much did they weigh at birth. Afterwards, weight gain is used as a way to gauge how well a baby is doing (or not doing) and it is diligently charted at every checkup from that point. It's used when you want to brag about how well your baby is doing - 'X put on 400 grams last week!' etc etc.

Tim and I seem to produce babies that gain weight super slowly. They start off small and remain small regardless of how much they're fed. Where other babies might make gains of up to 500 grams per week, the biggest gain either of mine ever did was around the 150 gram mark (Vivi actually gained only 20 grams between age 3-4 months). The remarks from the plunket nurse was always the same 'slow but steady gainer', and would make us feel as though we deserved a gold star if one of our kids made a miraculous leap into another percentile line. Always I felt the pressure to 'feed more' that our babies were too thin, too small. In the early days, whenever I took them out and about - and I found this especially with Henry -I would get unwanted comments about his size with one person actually once refusing to believe me that I had a six month old baby ('because he looks like a two month old'). I must admit, it got tiresome always feeling a need to justify the size of my babies and to have to try to think of some reason for their size that would shut the commenters up. Worse still would be those who would hold their huge babies up next to mine and delight in proclaiming how big their kid was compared to mine. I couldn't help but feel that I'd failed as a mother somehow, in not producing a 'bonny baby' with fat rolls and chubby cheeks.

I know that it's just genetics and that you can't do anything about it, but it's still irritating at times. Luckily however, Henry has started to display some absolutely lovely toddler behaviours such as biting and hair pulling that quickly distract people from focusing on how small he is (and who knows, maybe the fact that he looks small and cute is working to his advantage as no one sees his attacks coming!).

A day in the life - Queen's birthday - Monday 2nd June

I'll confess to being a sporadic blog poster at best - but I found myself thinking recently about the idea of illustrating a 'day in the life' and not because any of you are going to find it particularly interesting to read (ok, so I'm obviously thinking 'average' day here, not one where i'm doing something particularly excited like getting kidnapped by pirates - oooh Johnny Depp!) but as a testament to this busy time of my life, a record as to what happened. Because the weeks, months, and years are quickly passing by.

This was our Monday - Queen's birthday - the 2nd of June

The day started off with Vivi climbing into bed with me at 6am, so we snuggled under the covers until around 7am when she decided to run off and get her brother out of his bed. We found Henry (or 'Hick' as she has taken to calling him) laughing away to himself in his bed, pleased to be getting up. I am still thankful every day that he no longer wakes up for the day at 5am!!

7:30am - feeding the cat. One of Vivi's little jobs.

A little boy with a snotty nose, windmills are such fun.

We had to make a trip to the Warehouse today to get Vivi some new shoes (who could resist a 40% off sale) and just because, well, the idea of rattling around a cold house all morning was pretty unbearable! so while I got Henry ready Vivi sat and practised her drawing skills, and writing her name. She can write all the letters but not in the right order yet :)

Dressed now, and practising writing her name.

After an 'exciting' trip to the Warehouse, Upper Hutt that involved a trip to the Pet Store (killed another half hour) we stopped off at my brother and sister in law's place. The kids love Uncle Glen and Aunty Amy, and they live down the road from us which is just awesome. They are always great at entertaining the little ones.

We visited Uncle Glen and Aunty Amy after heading out in the morning. 

What is it with kids and diggers?!

I managed to escape in the afternoon to the 'Armageddon Expo' (I'm a geek). Tim stayed with the kids, they had fun on a digger - roadworks are happening opposite our house at the moment, much to the little ones delight (not so much ours). Armageddon was fantastic, I decided to get my hair done up to look like an elf from LOTR. Tim liked it ;)

LOTR inspired hair.

Then it was time for the usual madness of dinner time. After resorting to a lot of bribery, I got Vivi to eat all her dinner - she got ice cream as a reward, much to Henry's annoyance. So he tried to climb over the table to reach her bowl. My kid's are so well behaved (heavy sarcasm). As you can see, his yoghurt got the better of him, but I'm sure he had fun! (not as much fun as I did cleaning it up).

Lastly, it was crazy time right before bed. But by 7pm both kids were in bed asleep and Tim and I were sitting down to a dinner of Carnitas with the promise of a 'Game of Thrones' episode later. Life is good. 

Another five months gone.... somewhere?

Vivi at 3 1/2

Wow, another five months have been and gone since I last posted here. Once again, time seems to have been swallowed up into some kind of vortex, the days turning into weeks, the weeks into months as I continue to move through this journey of motherhood.

The big thing on my mind at the moment is work. I returned to work part-time when Henry turned one last September. It seemed the right time to go back for a couple of days a week. Vivi was three years old and Henry had just passed his first birthday - that tricky and sleep deprived 'first year' was out of the way. I knew I needed something else in my life to focus on apart from the kids and the prospect of having a little more money at our disposal was appealing, so I badgered my old boss until she finally got tired of me and gave into my demands and gave me a temporary job.

The temporary job turned into a fixed term contract of two days per week, which was perfect, and with the option of picking up other odd days of work as well. So it was a good arrangement. Slowly I felt myself beginning to emerge from the cocoon of stay at home parentdom. It was a good feeling.

Of course, being back at work posed challenges that I had never anticipated until I became a parent - finding the right carer for your children, balancing home and work commitments, trying achieve a 'work/life' balance. I suddenly understood why my workmates who had children (back in my childless days) had often had to drop everything and race out of work due to a child being sick. Being back at work has made me appreciate the time that I do have with my children and I find we now spend more 'quality' time together. I also love having some 'adult time' where I'm not talking about my kids all day long but talking about other issues and problem solving with others. I also love the feeling of being part of a team again. Even the drive to work is fantastic - total 'me time' where I can put an audiobook on and take a breather.

Of course, the early starts are a bit of a mission with two small children to get ready and out of the house by 7:30am but I've developed a few tricks along the way that make it all a lot easier (best one of all dressing them in their daytime clothes the night before when I put them to bed!).

The kids seem to be doing well in general. Henry is now 20 months old and in the midst of the 'terrible twos' and Vivi is a big 3 1/2 year old who likes to give her opinion on everything. It's not all rainbows and unicorns but they are two little people who enrich my life and that of their extended family and friends and I wouldn't want to be without them.

our 'little Ack' at 20 months old.

Some fun things that have been happening over the past couple of months:

At Megan's fancy dress birthday party with Tim 

Being a 'hair model' for my lovely sister in law, Amy.

Two kids ate up seven months of my life!

I hardly know where to begin with this post, as it's been so long since I last posted in this blog. I checked the date of the last post and it was over seven months ago. Seven months!! where on earth did all that time disappear to?

So it turns out that a curious thing happens when you are busy at home with two kids. Free time seems to get sucked into a vortex of never ending cleaning, and childcare. Spare moments become those in which you might be able to get a load of dishes done, make dinner, wash some clothes, vacuum the floor - or, god forbid! play with your children :) These days, unless both the kids are in bed (which is in itself a small miracle at times) I am not even able to speak on the phone for more than a few minutes. Always, there is a drama (or two) and very seldom are the moments peaceful.

In thinking back over the past seven months where I went into a type of 'hibernation' from blogging, the following things have happened:

• I now have a 3 year old and a 15 month old. They drive each other mad, fight heaps, and occasionally laugh and play together. The 15 month old thinks it is hilarious to take my daughter's toys and run off with them. She likes rugby tackling him and her nickname for him is 'Hen' or 'Hen hock'. Kids are weird....
• My daughter has now started attending a montessori preschool two days a week and kindergarten three afternoons a week. It has made such a huge difference in her behaviour and it's been great to see her grow and develop new skills. 
• On the same note, my son can now walk (run), climb up stairs, chairs, climb down from things, eat pretty much anything and has started saying a few basic words. So cool.
• And perhaps most exciting of all I have started back at work part-time! This has been a long time coming as when the chance of employment came, I had been a full time SAHM for three years. This was a major step for me but the children appeared to be adjusting well to being with a caregiver and it has been good so far. 
• My husband took off overseas for most of November - Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Edinburgh, and Paris as part of his training for his new job. He enjoyed himself, drank lots of good beer and ate delicacies such as reindeer (in Finland, naturally). We survived his absence (only just!) and it gave me a new appreciation for solo parents. 

Henry, 15 months

That's about it. I didn't intend for this blog post to sound like one of those cheesy 'christmas letters' that we've all recieved (or maybe even written) around the festive season, but there you have it. Just a recap, if you will, for anyone who may be remotely interested. In the next post, I promise I'll brag about how amazing my kids and family are and let you know all about our accomplishments. Until then, ciao!

Vivi, 3 years

Baking challenge - Black Doris Plum and Rhubarb cake from 'The Caker' cookbook.

I'm a big fan of black doris plums - along with omega plums they would be up there is my favourite varieties. There is just something so scrumptious about them, delicious sweet, yet tart and full of flavour. I also love stewed rhubarb for the same reason - the delectable tartness and that feeling of it really being autumn when you eat it. The taste to me, conjures up crisp clear mornings and cool evenings, eating apple and rhubarb crumble in front of the fire.

So with these thoughts in mind, how could I resist the black doris plum and rhubarb cake recipe?

The Caker (also known as Jordan Rondel) is a master of using interesting and unique ingredients to create cake masterpieces. With delectable treats such as 'Roasted Apricot and Quinoa Cakes with Rosemary' and 'Caramel Cake with Sea Salt and Fennel Seeds', there is nothing run of the mill about this book. And that is just how I like it! For those of you who may be dairy/gluten intolerant, you might be interested to know that quite a few of her recipes are dairy/gluten free :)

Anyway, with the weather looking dreary outside, Henry sleeping and Vivi tucked up on the couch with her favourite cartoon on, it was the perfect day to bake a cake!

The recipe called for rhubarb 'poached' in orange juice. This is a really easy way to stew rhubarb - basically, all you need to do is chop it up, throw it into a saucepan, and add enough orange juice to cover it. Then bring it to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

And even easier, the black doris plums just needed to be taken out of the tin, and halved and stoned (haha) sweet!

So after making the batter, I had to divide it between two cake tins, and then spread the rhubarb and plums on top. I was a bit dubious about the amount of topping (it seemed more than the batter) but upon checking the cake in the oven, it appeared that the cake had risen significantly and that the fruit had sunk down into the cake, ensuring layers of deliciousness upon eating. Mmmm.....

Fresh out of the oven.

The next step was to allow the cake to cool and then ice it with a delectable cream cheese icing. The cool part here was making pink cream cheese icing using a black doris plum - just chuck it in the icing mixture and blend it up, thus eliminating a need to use food colouring! In this cake, icing was required between the two layers, and then on top as well. I ended up with HEAPS of icing left over, but luckily my little person was able to help me eat it :)

'Helping' Mummy!

Lastly, the finishing touches were added. The author recommends using things like fresh flowers to decorate cakes, so I thought 'why the hell not' and foraged outside in the garden for a bit before coming across the last blooms of the pink rock roses and a white rose. Not bad considering it's nearly winter!

Sandwiched together with cream cheese icing.

Lastly, there was nothing left to do but eat the darn thing. I mean, damn! although it went down rather well after spending over an hour in the early evening trying to settle the baby down to sleep (he must have known he was missing out)

The reward :)

Seriously?

Ok, so I get that my son is small. He is almost six months old and weighs about the same amount as an average two month old. He was born small (two weeks late and barely over the 3kg mark), he has been small ever since, and I think we can safely rule out him ever being 6'2.

But what really annoys me, is how many comments we receive on a daily basis regarding his size. Why is it that people seem to think it's funny to compare him to other babies his age?

Yesterday I attended a playgroup where one woman laughingly commented 'He's probably smaller than Thomas' (pointing to her seven week old baby). Maybe she was just trying to make conversation, but it's those kinds of comments that really piss me off. Why is it that people always feel the need to compare babies in terms of their size? I suppose it's because when all they do is eat, poop, and sleep there's not much else to talk about? but it's 'conversations' like the one I had the misfortune of being part of today that really upset me.

'How old' asks a woman holding a baby at a playgroup I attended this morning.

'Six months' I reply

'Really?' she says, with a look of complete disbelief.

'Yes.'

'Really?!!'

'Yes, Really. He's six months old.' I reply. What, does she think I don't know how old my own son is?!

'But he's so tiny..... I mean, look at Jack' she holds out her own baby who is about double Henry's size. 'He's seven months and he's huge next to your boy!'

'Well, they're all different, aren't they.' I reply before walking off. I don't want to lose my temper, but boy it's tempting to tell her where to stick it.

I really wish people would keep their thoughts to themselves sometimes :(