'Cause it's Christmas-time.....

...and I am changing our blog background for a festive look! As usual.

December is a crazy month isn't it? Why is it, that everyone seems to think that if we don't all get together just before Christmas, then the whole world will grind to a halt? Why don't we make more of an effort to see each other, have BBQs, lunch, concerts, drinks, send letters, cards, photos, give gifts (for the hell of it) and just be generally NICE throughout the year? Why leave it all until Christmas? Especially in this over commercialised world we live in these days? Why, why WHY?

I dunno.....

That all being said, I LOVE the leadup to Christmas - and if the truth be known - all the frenetic activity that goes with it, along with the excesses. Mark, on the other hand, does not. He hates the shopping, the constant questioning of what he wants, the pressure to get things in order, and the whole rush of everything. Bah Humbug! This year, it may be due to the fact that we will be baling hay on Christmas Day if the weather pattern settles into something predictable. And he will have to milk as well. Plus, he has a super secret job to do in the days leading up to Christmas Day including a major job on Christmas Eve.

On other matters, today is our 9th wedding anniversary and we have just returned from a lovely night out in Melbourne at the Windsor. This is a tradition that we have done ever since our honeymoon, so this was out 10th visit! And as always, it was a real treat. Even if we did have to take Bella with us.

We have the annual Cockies Picnic tomorrow in town which the kids will love. We are holding our staff Chrissy bash this Friday night at the farm. Should be a good night. On Monday we are taking the kids to Geelong for photos with Santa and the last splash of shopping that is needed to be done. And hopefully a cruisy run to Christmas.

You Tube clip

Yeah!!!!

Ok, it's not our brand (although there is a Yeo just down the road from us - different country to the one in the clip though), but the sentiment is from all DAIRY FARMERS!

Check it out!!!

Update on last night

Mark and Tom got back home around 10.40pm and it turns out that he did have an asthma attack. Doctor was very pleased that we decided to bring him in as it could have gotten much worse very quickly.

He was dosed up on ventolin and prednisolone and sent home with a puffer and spacer thingy and a script for more pred-mix. He has had a couple of goes today on the puffer. It was evident how much he has been affected by it all when he was in swimming lesson today and couldn't hold his breath long enough to get down to the bottom of the deep end to get the brick - something that he does ok usually.

So for now it is just really a monitoring exercise and using medication when required.

Tomorrow we are holding Biddy's birthday party. For those that don't know, Bid is born on Christmas Day so we hold her birthday a month earlier. She really doesn't know any difference! She thinks she is 3yo tomorrow. LOL. I have just finished making up some little boxes for her party favours. They match the invites I made - horses of course! You can see the invites HERE.

Green for boys, pink for girls.

Lord...it's been a while

As the end of the year draws near, I seem to run out of time for everything! And that includes updating this blog. But much has happened over the past few weeks and a quick breeze through is:

• Biddy sporting a new pixie hair cut thanks to Tom trying his hand at hairdressing (grrrr)

Biddy's hair as it was before Tom got to it

Biddy's hair AFTER Tom got to it (Mullet style all the way!)

Biddy's hair after our friend Suz came and fixed it (bless you Suz!)

• Mark taking the fire truck to Biddy's daycare for the kids

Can't you just see that Mark was wishing that the pump was turned on!

• Hosting some Fonterra reps at home
• Bella being classified as 'failing to thrive' and having to have an ultrasound to rule out anything serious
• Missing out on the Colac and Noorat shows this year because I developed a calcified tendon in my shoulder and couldn't halter break the cows
• I attended the Stampin Up! regional conference in Melbourne and took Bella with me who was a very good baby that day!
• Running a stack of Christmas card classes for local ladies
• Tom getting his new uniform for St Mary's primary next year
• Having the heifers classified by Holstein Australia
• Bella started solids

Note the silver Tiffany's spoon that we gave Tom as a baby, but all kids have used for their very first feed!

• I spent a leisurely, childless couple of hours sailing the mouth of the Yarra to celebrate my friend Lou's 40th
• Mark taking Tom on his first excursion to Cobden miniature railway with Wydinia Kindergarten

And just today, we took Tom for his first orientation day at St Mary's (second one is in early December). A bit emotional for a few of us mums and we weren't even leaving them!! Yet. While I think it was hard on the mums that were sending their first-born to school, I did see a few more experienced mums welling up at various points of the discussion. I didn't feel so bad!

Just going back to the point about Bella and 'failing to thrive', we've been battling for a few months with her weight gain. She was doing normally and quite well up until 3 months old and then she simply just stopped gaining anything significant. We took her to Geelong Hospital for an ultrasound to see if she had pyloric stenosis (a thickening of the muscle at the bottom of the stomach that prevents the milk/food going through to the intestines) but the u/s showed all to be normal. She vomits A LOT although it doesn't appear to be reflux due to a range of indicators. So we kept a close eye on her, but a week ago she lost quite a lot of weight. On MCHN and drs recommendation, I started her on solids (farex) hoping that her weight would improve or at least steady. But a weigh today showed that she has lost even more weight. At 5.5months she now weighs the exact same as she did at just 4 months of age (just on 5kg), meaning she has only gained about 1.6kg since birth. Whilst she looks and acts healthy enough, there is not a lot to her. We have now been given a rush appointment to see the paediatrician next week to see what can be done. So more tears from me.

With Tom's new venture and Bella's poor outcome, I was a tad stressed and now have the makings of a migraine. Great! What a day.

And to just top everything off, Mark has had to take Tom to A&E tonight because we think he is having an asthma attack! Good Lord.....what is going on today? Tom suffers very badly with hayfever (as do I) and has spent this past week with a puffy face, itching eyes and throat and runny nose. Now I know it is silage season for us here and that is simply the WORST time of year for us hayfever sufferers, but we had a stack of rain last night and that calmed down the pollen. I am fine today, but over the course of the day, Tom had developed a persistent cough that is stopping him from talking, and immediately after his bath, he started wheezing and it became so bad that he was really struggling for breath. I just told Mark to take him into casualty. He has never had asthma before, so I didn't want to muck around as we have nothing here to give him. I am waiting for them to get home.......

I'll be damn glad when today is over. I need another headache tablet.

It had to happen some time

Many of you with kids have probably used one of those baby rockers at some stage in an effort to try and keep an infant happy and occupied whilst you are blaring around trying to get things done. We borrowed one when we had Tom, and mum bought us one when Biddy came along. Just prior to Bella, my SIL loaned us another type - a swingy type thing - that incidentally, we bought her when she had twins a few years back.

At some point, both Tom and Biddy fell out of the rockers. Once the babies find the ability to kick their legs, they seem to simply slide out of them (and yes, I know that there are straps to buckle them in...but you don't tend to use them when they are motionless...it is only AFTER they fall out you start using them!). The drop from the end of the rocker to the floor however is only 5 or so cm. Not so the swing, which Bella fell out of tonight. That is more like a drop of 30cm!

Having just got Biddy in the bath, I stuck Bella in the swing in front of the babysitter (aka tv) to go get pjs and milk ready. Tom was in the lounge with the baby and I told him to not touch the baby and to leave her alone as she was quiet and content. I go to the bathroom to get Biddy out and Tom appears in the door to get in. I chase Biddy down the hall to her room, only to hear screaming coming from the lounge where I find the baby flat on her back on the floor under the swing. For the life of me, I could not work out how she'd come adrift because this time I DID buckle her in.

Clue #1... the swing's speed was now at the fastest speed - I had it on the lowest speed.

Clue #2... guilty look on Tom's face when questioned about how the baby fell out of the swing.

Turns out, he dialed up the speed and then unbuckled her to play with her (why???) and then got distracted and left her to go to the bath. And then she fell out! Good Lord. How is he ever going to be ready for school next year? How is he not going to get distracted when it comes time to change buses?

I think we are in for some ride next year.......

Grampians camping

As mentioned in the previous post, we took off for a week in the Grampians straight after Bella's christening. We went with the Butlers (Bret, Bernie, Emma & Monnie) and mum came with us as well. It's been ages since I've been away camping with them all. Years ago, we used to go camping every second month. I'd like to get back into that.

Unfortunately, Bella was rather unsettled and cried a lot....A LOT. Sigh. I think I was more stressed than anyone though about her crying worrying others. But it was enjoyable and MArk and I are now starting serious discussions about where our next big trip (a la Darwin) will be. Maybe WA? Or maybe Flinders ranges? OR Tassie? Not too sure.

Anyway, here are some pics of the time away. It was very cold and as you will see, we were quite rugged up. On some days, I wasn't too sure I even had kids much less a baby due to all the swaddling around them all!!

Phew....wotta week!

So much has happened in the past 7 or 8 days, I hardly know where to start. But first, may I say.....

CARN' THE PIES!!!!!!!

Woooooohooooooo.

I could not believe it when the first granny was a draw. I mean come on! There have only been 3 drawn Grand Finals and Collingwood has been in 2 of them! At least, the end result was not anything like the '77 Grand Final against North Melbourne. Much to my relief and Mark's disgust. The kids are firm Magpie supporters now!!!

This time last week, we celebrated Isabella's christening. It was a great day and we were blessed to be surrounded by a number of family and friends. Mark and I chose Bernie as godmother and Chris as godfather (need a big burly bloke to look out for the girl when she reaches her teen years!!).

On the Monday, the Butlers, us and mum all headed to the Grampians for a few days camping. It was quite chilly to say the least, only really warming up the day we left (typical). It is due to this camping trip that I have not been online to post any pics of the christening.

But I have sorted through some and here they are! I created a collage of a number of them, but because it may be a bit difficult to see, I've posted a few of them singly.

For the first time in a loooooong time, I had to front up to the dairy to milk! Gasp, splutter, gulp! Yes, for the first time in about 3 years, I had to don the waterproofs, brave the cold and milk with Mark. I'm pleased to say that our marriage has survived intact. I also have to say that if any of our staff whinge about milking on the cups off side, I will make them come and look after my kids for a day! With the cup removers, backing chains laid on and no need to mix up chemicals, it is DEAD EASY around that side. The hardest thing is making sure you don't get shit on! It is a hell of a lot easier than when I milked with Mark every weekend and didn't have the cup removers. (Mark will remember back further when it was even more labour intensive in the walkthrough dairy....another story that one).

Anyway, I will edit the pics from the Grampians and be back to post them. But for now, have a squizz at my darling baby's big day.

the christening cake (which had a MAJOR overhaul)

this christening gown was Mark's (I think I have posted about this when Biddy was christened). All our kids have been christened in it and it is my wish that my kids continue the tradition with their own babies.

the water

Bernie Butler and Chris Foster (godparents)