SOLD

This happened in our lives recently.  

We bought a house.

It was a stressful couple of weeks of not knowing if the loan had been approved or not, but when the call came through saying 'yes', well I'm pretty sure you could have seen the weight being lifted from our shoulders. 

We don't move for another six weeks and the excitement is growing.  It is a beautiful house and ticked all our boxes of what we were looking for.  We didn't think we could achieve what we had on our (invisible) list with a budget set in mind but, well, we did.  

The thing with MrL and I is that we know what we want.  We had only looked in one other house, which was a display home for sale, but it was way out of our budget so it wasn't thought about again.  For some reason or another, this house appeared in our feed from real-estate.com.  We had both been looking for months, perhaps even a year, at what was out there and what area we wanted to live in.  This house was a little out of the area we both thought we would perhaps live, but I am pretty sure it was meant to be.  I went to the Open House with the girls, as MrL was at work.  I knew as soon as I walked in that 'this is it'.  When MrL returned from work the following week, we organised a private viewing which got nods all around.  A day of negotiating, a sleepless night and then it was a phone call from the agent saying, yep and then the true stress arrived.  (Hate dealing with any financial institutes!) 

So now this dream is a reality.  A quiet suburban street, a beautiful five year old house, our own pool, lovely little backyard and four bedrooms.  And a sewing/study nook.  It is not a large house by any means, but very much perfect for us.  As much as I love our apartment, we have most definitely out grown it.  (It was perfect for the three of us, but now as a family of four, not so much).  

(The following photos have been lifted from the Internet)

Roll on October.

Taking the Bad (Back) with the Utter Happiness....

I neglected to tell you in my previous post that I 'did' my back in last Tuesday. There couldn't be worse timing, let me tell you. It was the final week I was spending in country Victoria, a week I had been looking forward to with the anticipation of moving on towards our new chapter. But I buggered up all that excitement by bending down to pick up a piece of laundry off the floor when "shit!"

Long story short - was very much out of action for a good four days with me completely resting, sitting for an hour, hobbling around for a bit then sitting back down. I was in agony sitting down and then standing up. Agony lying in bed. I visited a physio a couple of times which helped and I will have to find one now in Cairns for visiting permanently, as it was noted that it might be a reoccurring thing, seeing it has happened twice before over the past two years. However last week's incident was the worst yet.

One thing I am thankful for is that MrL's parents had Monet stay over for three nights whilst my parents looked after Lily (and myself).   Lily was brilliant.  Being very much a 'mummy's girl', she quickly became a 'Grandma's girl'.  There were a few firsts last week, but the big one was Lily getting to sleep by putting herself to bed (in a big bed at that!) and falling asleep rather quickly without having her Mum near by.

So here, I will publicly thank my in-laws for looking after Monet for three nights and four days and to my parents, especially to my mum, for letting me do bugger all and looking after Lily.   It was shit timing doing my back, but in a way, good timing that it happened in a place where my girls were able to be looked after by others.

Sunday saw my parents drop Monet, Lily and I off at the airport, where we checked into the Park Royal Airport for the night (takes the stress out of getting to the airport in the morning, when you have to travel two hours to get there).   The girls thought it was great fun - so did I as I didn't have to share a bed with a certain 2 year old, after sharing a bed practically each night for the past six weeks!!

I can't describe to you how it felt to be flying back into Cairns after a three and a half years absence. I'm pretty sure I was close to tears (of happiness and relief!)

I'm pretty sure it was the same feeling I got roughly three hours later when MrL rocked up in a taxi after his flight from Abu Dhabi. Six weeks without your best friend and father of your children was (at times) tough going.

MrL's mother arrives tomorrow for a week - she's up here to see MrL, who she hasn't seen for over a year, and the short term apartment we are in is a three bedder, so I said if she wanted to visit she was more than welcome to. I didn't have to convince her. MrL leaves for Abu Dhabi again on Monday for another four weeks. Not before seeing Monet off at her new (lovely) school on Monday morning!

So our new chapter has begun. And what a chapter it is starting to be. Awesome.

A Lego Built Berlin

When In the German capital, if you feel the need to feel 'ripped off' *ahem*, I suggest you head to the Legoland Discovery Center located just off Potsdamer Platz in the Sony Center.

The Sony Centre - the architecture was amazing

After passing over an arm and a leg, we entered the display via lift, due to having the stroller. It was a 'basement' exhibition, full of a couple of ordinary children rides, big Lego blocks for the kiddies to use, a handful of construction tables, a small cafeteria, a 4D theatre showing something-a-rather, a hundred German children, but the best part was the 'Mini Berlin' they had on display. We felt that the arm and leg we had passed over at the paying counter were partly paid off.

It was pretty awesome...

A Rock Concert on the grounds in front of the Reichstag. (parliament)

The Brandenburg Gate, complete with the Berlin Wall - which electronically opened...

Checkpoint Charlie - I personally loved this.

Checkpoint Charlie

We enjoyed the 'Mini Berlin' but the rest of the Centre was pretty ordinary.  Monet thought it was 'good' and Lily was asleep the whole time....

However, it did get Monet to show interest in Lego and she was fortunate enough to have a father who is a sucker for the blocks himself, so she gained a box of 'girly' Lego a day or two later as a reward for the kilometres and kilometres she walked (without much complaint) over the days spent pounding the pavement in Berlin.

We're Back...

...from a wonderful two week holiday.  We visited two very different, wonderful European cities of Berlin in Germany and Barcelona in Spain.

I can't choose a favourite city - I enjoyed both for very different reasons.  Because we went in the height of the summer holidays, I can tell you that the crowds in Barcelona was a bit much and I imagine if it wasn't for every man and his dog being there I probably would have loved it more than what I did.  (Don't get me wrong, LOVED Barcelona, just not a fan of the crowds.)

I was very happy with my (new) camera - it did the job for me.  Here are some examples of what we saw and what we did.

At a small shopping centre in Berlin

The famous Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

Part of the remains of the Berlin Wall.  The SS Headquarters were behind this section.

East Side Gallery in Berlin.

At a Barcelona Fresh Food Market. 

A square in Barcelona

The awesome Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's final masterpiece.

Gaudi's La Pedrera

At a Park, designed by Gaudi, that over looks the whole of Barcelona

We ate and drank and walked and walked and walked.  Monet did so very well to keep up with her mum and dad, and Lily too for that matter.  However we did have to bribe her an awful lot to get in her stroller as she wanted to walk and walk and walk too.  *heehee*

Stay tuned for our adventures....

June 29, 1996

2 people.
12 house moves.
1 interstate move.
1 international move.
15 car changes (approximately).
4 London trips.
1 apartment purchase.
(Too many to count), joyous moments.
2 beautiful daughters.
15 years together, today, June 29, 2011.

Happy 15th year together Lyndon.

xx

Abu Dhabi's Best Kept Secret...

I'm not sure how much longer it will be a secret though.

Saadiyat Island sits off Abu Dhabi Island and is linked by an awesome bridge and road that eventually does lead up to Yas Island (Marina Circuit) and then onwards up to Dubai.

Today, MrL suggested we try the restaurant that has not long been open at the Manarat Gallery on Saadiyat.  He had been there one day during the week for lunch with a work colleague and thought I would really like it.

He was right.  MrL knows me too well.

To begin with, it's like a casual cafe - a rarity in this neck of the woods.  Most nice eateries over here are ran by hotels and sometimes you feel a little like you don't 'fit in'.  Second thing, it is kidlet friendly.  Funky highchairs, good menu (no chicken nuggets for a change!) and a kid's play section.  Thirdly, it is bright, airy, modern and funky.  It makes you feel like you're not sitting in a restaurant in Abu Dhabi.  Fourthly, loads of natural light.  Bucket loads of the stuff.  And it is equally as good to eat inside as it is outside (but obviously you can't now, we've hit the heat over here).  And lastly, a great casual menu.  And a small, but impressive wine list and bottled beer at (very) reasonable prices.  

Guess what I ordered. 

(It's pretty rare to find James Boag over here, served in a restaurant, let alone bought in a Bottle Shop so a stubby of the stuff was a must!)

We will definitely be going back. Definitely.

Tandoori Corner

Do you have a favourite cuisine? MrL and I do and it is Indian. *nom nom*

The first time MrL and I headed to London (together) my dad had given me $200aud to shout us both, plus Kimbofo and T to dinner. As neither of us had really had a proper Indian meal before, K and T took us to their local Indian restaurant around the corner from their abode. It was a meal we never forgot.

Look at us babies, taken 11 years ago in 2000, enjoying our meal (washed down with some beers of course!)

Eleven years onward, we still talk about that meal.

I imagine in another 11 years time we will still be talking about the Indian we have here, in Abu Dhabi. Oh yes, this place is awash with Indian Takeout places and Restaurants. We've tried quite a few of them. But we always seem to go back to the one we find to be our favourite for Takeout. It is called 'Tandoori Corner' and it's address is something like 2nd Street, in between 13th and 15th, next to some (crap) supermarket. (Trust me, this is a pretty typical Abu Dhabi address - click on the 'Where' on the bottom of this post and it should show you 'where' the Tandoor Corner is). The thing is, the restaurant isn't really on a corner (!) but is located under these gorgeous (ahem!) apartment blocks....

We adore the Garlic Naan bread and their version of Butter Chicken.  Big statement, but I think their Butter Chicken is the best I've tasted in Adu Dhabi!  We tend to order four different dishes, which is enough for the two of us over two nights and the total cost is like $30aud.  You can't beat that for value. =P

So, what is your favourite cuisine then?

Dip

With our weather here in Abu Dhabi heating up, one thing MrL and I are grateful for, is the fact that we moved to a villa that has it's own pool.

I have a feeling it will give the stifling summer heat a different spin. It is temperature controlled too, which is a bonus, so even in the depths of summer, it should/will be refreshing.

The pool is not big (it is just under 5 metres in length) but it is big enough for us all to take a dip in whenever we feel the need.  Monet can now just about touch the bottom too, so it is not too deep.

It still is pretty weird that the pool might be sitting at 31 degrees and the outside temperature is lately hoovering around 40 during the day, but when you get out, it may as well be 15 degrees, it is freezing! (Ask Kimbofo, a London resident, who will surely agree with me.)

So Summer, come on and show me some desert heat again, (for our third year running.)

I See A Holiday In Our Future

We've been umming and ahhing for a few weeks now, on where to go on holidays for a couple of weeks over the summer. We've talked about this place and that place. It is a hard decision on where to go and we've been waiting for MrL's holiday form to be processed. It seems now his holiday form has been approved for a couple of weeks in July.

You little bewdy - a two week break from the heat that Abu Dhabi has over summer, the 50 degrees plus.

Along with a time frame, we also have a budget.  And a tight one at that.  So it has been a case of sourcing the best air deals that money can buy on our chosen destination/s.

Australia was in the running for a while but the middle of winter? Hmm.  And for the price of the four of us to travel to Oz kinda adds up to the price of the four of us going somewhere in Europe PLUS accommodation.  You do the math.

And besides, we aren't sure when our time is up here in the UAE, so we're going to make the most of it whilst we can.

We've done London for the past three years in a row and you know what, I would gladly go there again this year in a flash.  I love visiting London.  But this year, I think we want to visit somewhere new and a couple of cities are swirling around our heads which are places we've never been to, but have been wanting to visit.  This July may just be our time to visit those cities.

Watch this space.

Monet is ultra excited about going on holiday, she's already talked about what she'd pack and has also been studying the world globe somewhat.  And Lily?  She loves planes and gets very, very excited when we see them, which is practically every day.  (We live quite close to Abu Dhabi Airport.)  She's looking forward to jetting off too, she's already packed her case....

Where would you go if you were us? =)

What Easter Build Up?

I can't believe it is Easter next weekend. Didn't we just celebrate Christmas?

I guess I can't believe it because over here in the UAE, there is no real 'build up' to Easter. There is no Easter School Holidays (we had 'Spring Break' a couple of weeks back), there are no Hot Cross Buns lining Supermarket shelves (except for some I found in Spinney's Supermarket last week, but are named 'Fruit Buns' with no obvious cross) and only now are shops bringing out the Chocie Egg stock, mostly imported from the UK with a few I have seen imported from Australia.  It is little things like all that, that I do miss from home.

But, Easter Bunny will always be found, wherever we might live.  Even here in Abu Dhabi.

(And if anyone could point me in the right direction for Homemade Hot Cross Buns recipe here on the net, which are easy could you let me know? Cheers in advance.)

Three Years Ago Today...

Can't believe it has been three years since our wedding at the gorgeous Palm Cove, but it has been!

Happy 3rd Anniversary to my MrL. May there be many, many more. =)

Here I Am...

...in Victoria, Australia. It is a long way from Abu Dhabi but my girls have handled it very well. Our plane flight over was rather uneventful, bar the fact that after one sleep Monet had, she woke up feeling ill and consequently had a little vomit. Noice.

I've been staying at my parents whilst waiting for Lyndon to arrive next weekend, when we will then stay at Lyndon's folks. (Our parents don't live too far apart.)

In the meanwhile we've been busy taking it easy. We've been rugged up...

...had some delightful bath times...

...put up Christmas trees....

...had nice time just doin' stuff...

...watched our little Lily growing just a little bit older...

...and missing our Lyndon. (No need to really, we just look at Lily and see her father staring back at us!)

Monet's Doll

...is 6 weeks old today.

(I believe Lily looks like me as a baby in this photo...)

And yes, Monet does think that Lily is a doll half the time!  A real life one.  The girls are interacting with one another more so than ever.  It warms your heart to see.  I will never actually forget the first time Monet met Lily and then proceeded to sing her a lullaby.  :-)  I keep telling her that we have a lot to look forward to with Lily growing, as I know sometimes Monet struggles with having a newborn in the house (constantly told to shush; Monet doesn't know volume control in her voice!) but she's getting better with not being an only child any more...  When you hear Monet telling Lily how much she loves her or when Lily is presented with a drawing done by her big sister, you know everything is okay with the world.

So everything is going swimmingly.  She's a beautiful baby who is a hit with all the mum's at Monet's school (who coo and ahh over her every morning and afternoon).  

I can't complain about the lack of sleep I have because we have nights were I can get in a chunk of four or five hours solid sleep.  Some nights she'll wake up every couple of hours for a feed (like on Friday night but I suspect it was a growth spurt) and other nights I am getting up around 2 am and then 5am.  I am finding feeding so much easier second time around.  I had heard women say that but didn't believe it.  I believe it now.

Lily isn't a big dummy/pacifier sucker, but at times it does help when she just can't nod off but you know how tired she is.  She's not a 'spewy' baby either.  Sure there have been a few chucks here and there and a few dribbles, but otherwise she's not.  

And our girl is now most definitely into an Aussie size 00, or a 3-6 month old clothing.  Her Bonds Wondersuits in the 000 were getting a little too tight for the wee one, so last night she progressed a size.  

Lily's citizenship is in the process of well, being processed and once that arrives (hopefully in the next couple of weeks) we'll then get her passport.  After that it is hopeful booking of air tickets so our family and friends can meet our new addition. I cannot wait for Lily to especially meet her two Grandmothers and Great Grandmother, who I know feel the same...

Baby Steps

Nothing is ever easy in the UAE.

In Australia when you have a baby this is what happens, (if memory serves me correct).

1. 1. You give birth to your baby.
2. 2. Paperwork is filled out for the government to see if you are eligible for child support and for your 'Baby Bonus'.
3. 3. Paperwork filled out and a payment made to obtain a birth certificate.
   

Now, we are Australians who have given birth to a child in the United Arab Emirates.  This is what happens here.

1. 1. You give birth to your baby.
2. 2. Your doctor, a receptionist, your husband fill out paperwork and a small fee paid to obtain the Notification of Birth certificate.  This includes coloured copies of both parents passports, resident visas, marriage certificate.
3. 3. Husband to take the Notification of Birth to the National Health Authority to obtain birth certificates; one in English, one in Arabic at a cost.
4. 4. Birth certificates to be authenticated by the UAE government.
5. 5. Paperwork for Australian Citizenship to be filled out and signed by either an Australian Citizen working in a particular industry, in the country you are living in, or by a citizen working in a particular industry in the country you are living in.   At a cost.  This includes coloured photocopies of both parents passports, visas, birth certificates and marriage certificate.
6. 6. After waiting for the citizenship to come through (could take a number of weeks), an Australian Passport can be applied (and paid) for.  
7. 7. Residency Visa can be applied (and paid) for once Passport is obtained.  The child that is born in the UAE has 120 days where they can live in the country without a visa.  (This gives us up until January 3).  To get the visa, the passport is taken and can take up to 3 weeks to come through.
8. 8. After all the steps are done, you can relax.

Lots of steps eh?  We are currently at step 5, which was a little stressful for a moment there.  The fact that most people we know here do not fit the criteria was a worry.  And for any one of us or our neighbours to actually know an Emiratie was also proving a stress.  I do know an Australian nurse living in Al Ain (about 150km east of here) and as my last resort she offered to drive to Ab Dabs to verify who Lily was.  But then I thought of one of our lovely neighbours who I thought 'might' fit one of the criteria, or if not, she might know someone who does.

Well 'N' came to my rescue as she was able to verify Lily's photo as she fitted into one of the criteria.  *phew*  Lyndon is off to Dubai tomorrow to drop off the paperwork, so fingers crossed that her citizenship comes through within the next few weeks.  

Nothing is ever easy in this country, but by jingo ringo, doing it all for Lily is worth it.  Time and money.

Grandad H

So here we are, trying to get ourselves back to normal, along with a new family member.  

I dropped my Dad off at the airport on Saturday evening, as he headed home to my Mum in Australia (*sob sob*) The three weeks he was here seemed to fly and we very much appreciated he being here when we needed someone (mainly to occupy Monet).  

Lyndon proved what a great son-in-law he is by showing my Dad the sites and keeping him company when I couldn't.  They also enjoyed a few bevvies together, as you do.  

At least now we have someone who can go 'home' and reassure people that Abu Dhabi isn't the scary place I think half of them think it is, just how fast cars do go, that we do have huge, clean supermarkets, how cheap/expensive stuff is, how happy we are, what good neighbours we have, that Muslims aren't scary etc., as we know people don't believe it when we tell them ourselves.

My day finally found the confidence too, towards the end of his stay to cuddle his new grandaughter.  Even when I felt crap last Thursday with a case of mastitis, he walked around holding a crying Lily whilst I napped.

Monet spent practically all day on Saturday at her friend's place, a few doors down.  Even though it was her Grandad's last day with us in Ab Dabs, she kinda avoided him like the plague, and I knew why.  She was already distancing herself from him - she always did that in Cairns too; acted all 'weird' on the last day of a visiting relative.  It is her way of coping.  I did question her on Saturday night and my suspicions were correct.  She wasn't keen on him leaving... Breaks your heart right?

Sunday morning I coped quite well, getting Monet to school on time with both girls dressed and fed by 7:30,  the helping hand Grandad gave getting Monet organized for me. (Monet's school is a good 15 minutes drive from our place) 

So here we are, just the four of us trying to find our feet in our new family.  We miss Grandad but we all know that life goes on and with a bit of luck, we'll be in Oz for a visit around Christmas time.  (We are in the process of getting Lily's passport and residency visa and once that all arrives we'll be booking our tickets.)

Thanks Grandad H for everything.  xx

By the way, this is post #504.  How could I miss my 500th post? Oh that's right, I had other things on my mind...

The Labour Story

How come people are so interested in labour?  You all know that it HURTS. LIKE. HELL and one thing for sure, I'm not going back.  Sorry Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, friends, fellow bloggers, this girl is shutting up pregnancy shop.  There, I've said it.  No more asking if I'm having another or 'trying for a boy' (sheesh!).  No.  I'm (very) happy with what I have.

Lyndon and I had known for a week that I was going to give birth to a daughter (yes, we knew) on Sunday the 6th of September.  Did it make a difference in knowing we were getting a newbie on this day? No it did not; it made us more organised.  Did it make a difference too that we knew we were having a daughter? In my opinion no, it did not; it made us more organised.  At the end of the day, all we cared about was having a healthy baby.  And that's what we got.

We had picked up my father from the Airport early that Sunday morning and he asked about the previous day's Doctor's appointment and how it went etc.,  He could have fallen over when we announced that we were dropping him home, Monet was being driven to school by a neighbour and we were off to the city hospital to have a baby.  

We were there by 9am and I was induced by my Obstetrician less than an hour later.  He informed me that I was already 2cm dilated, which made me think that this baby was going to be born either the following day (Monet's birthday) or on Lily's actual due date, the 8th.  

The reason for us being induced is that we are currently living in a country which produces small babies.  Tiny little Emiraties.  I had been cooking a big Aussie one.   Being Ramadan too, the city traffic in Abu Dhabi is atrocious.  You have no idea.  People here park where they want to park, they drive at ridiculous speeds and no one seems to care for other cars when on the roads.  We live a good 25 minutes from the hospital (without stupid traffic) and poor Lyndon had been worried for weeks about getting me to the hospital, in labour, in time.  When my Doc suggested an inducement, we thought about it and agreed.  It worked for us and it worked for my Doctor.  We don't need to justify to anyone else.

I was on the Fetal heartbeat Monitor (don't have proper terminology there) for a good 2-3 hours.  I was uncomfortable, my legs were killing me (I had to stay on my left-hand side) and I was tired of hearing that fetal heart beat noise.  (Sorry Lily, but I was!)  After I was taken off the machine and offered my room it was when I began to feel contractions - not that they were too regular but I can tell you that they were beginning to hurt.  This was at about 1pm.  I had a little nap and was woken by a midwife who checked how far I was dilated.  2 cm.  I could have cried.  4 hours of being uncomfortable and having at least an hour of contractions (of the mildish kind) and I hadn't got anywhere.  

As my contractions grew closer together they took Lyndon and I up to the 'Delivery Room Suite'.  I was now 4cm dilated.  *phew* My contractions really began to hurt.  I was given a shot of pethidine to 'take the edge off' (it didn't) and also a drip where it would help increase the contractions and dilate me quicker.  Well, didn't that work?  Oh the pain! The pain!  Where did that noise come from?  Was that me?  And where did that grunting and (mild) screaming come from?  Oh! Was that me too?  I was given an oxygen mask to help assist me from panicking (I felt so bloody scared for some reason!) I didn't let Lyndon unlock eyes with me.  (He later said I looked like a Bunny Rabbit in the headlights of a car - I bloody well felt like that too!) 

I was told I was 6cm dilated and then I felt the sudden urge to push.  I don't know how long it was between the 6cm reading and the pushing (Lyndon said it was roughly about 15 mins) but I knew it was darn quick.  Nurses came from everywhere (apparently, according again to Lyndon, there were abut 8 people, all of a sudden in the room) to have a look at the big Aussie baby being born.  I could have had the whole Australian Cricket team down there watching and I would not have cared.  

I only pushed 4 times and our Lily was born.  It was just gone 5pm.  With her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck 3 times.  I remember seeing my Doc walking in and saying "has she had it already?" and seeing our baby, not a healthy red colour like I remember Monet was like when she was born, but a blue baby being rushed behind a curtain.  I told Lyndon to "GO!" I heard the newborn cries and I cried myself.  Lyndon came over and said (very proudly and reassuringly) "She's fine, she's healthy, she's normal."  You have no idea what those words meant to me.  Of months of uncertainty I knew we had ourselves a little beauty.  Lyndon bought her over all wrapped up and all I could think was "Wow. Wow. Oh! Wow.  We did it.  She's here.  Lily is here."

So that is my labour story.  A nice short 4 hours all up and a brilliant result.  I still can't believe she's here, our Lily Venice, for us to love and hold and enjoy.  It took her a long time to get here (obviously I'm not talking labour wise) and I feel truly blessed and happy that Lily has joined our little family.  

Oh my goodness she's cute.  Excuse me whilst I leave this post for another cuddle....

Ten Days On...

I'm still shaking my head in realisation that Lyndon and I are very lucky, to have two beautiful, healthy daughters.  

We are 'getting there' in terms of being organised in the morning, with getting both girls up, dressed and fed before we get in the car and take Monet to school.  For a baby who is 10 days old, Lily is coping with this routine much better than I had of thought.

This may change next week when Ramadan finishes (yee-har!) but it means that school begins at 8am (rather than 8:30am) and ends for KG2 at 1pm (rather than 12:45).  We will have to adjust our body clocks and be super organised for us to leave and arrive at school on time.  Lucky for me, two other families in our little street also have children attending the same school.  We are going to organise ourselves a car-pooling roster which will be great.  I may only have to do a couple of these early morning runs! 

Lily is sleeping  and feeding well.  I took her for a check up on Monday morning, where the Pediatrician announced that he thought I should have more children (umm, let me think about that one.....NO! He said this because he thought Lily was lovely and big and healthy) and that her birth weight was up by 700 grams.  I swear now, she would be a kilo heavier than when she was born 10 days ago.  

Myself, on the other hand, can happily announce that I have lost 12 kilos of the 15 I put on when pregnant.  I'm still in maternity dacks and my old tops are a little tight in the boob region (*grin*) but I am feeling really good.  My only complaint is a bit of a sore back and arm and that is put down to holding a 4.6 (or maybe 4.9 now) kilo baby in my arms.  

Lyndon and my dad have been a great helping hand.  Lyndon returned to work on Sunday and my dad has been getting Monet's breakfast in the morning, stacking the dishwasher and cleaning the kitchen at night, besides other things, (like keeping Monet occupied).  Lyndon has been cooking dinner - I have once myself but Lily thinks it is her tea time when we decide it is ours, so preparing and cooking dinner isn't on the cards yet... I need to get into the routine of preparing dinner way in advance...  All in due time of course...

A couple of you have picked up on the Monet and the Lily connection.  I do like to think of Lily as one of Claude Monet's Water Lillies.  *smirk*  (Thanks to Google Images)

And of course Lily's middle name, Venice, is after the awesome city that is Venice Italy, which I remember stating after visiting last year, that the city does steal a piece of your heart.  

My Venice does the same thing.

Not Long Now

Still here folks.  Baby not due for a couple of days yet so we are sitting pretty and we're all feeling a little anxious, a little scared, a little excited.  The Neighbours are all in preparation too...

I had my Doctor appointment today - all is well and now we sit and wait.  Woot!

My dad arrives from Melbourne, early tomorrow morning, in time to see Monet before she goes to school and lands in time for Father's Day.  Planned that well didn't he?  I'm actually sitting on a dark coloured leather chair that arrived today which I told Lyndon is his Father's Day present.  Funny that I bought two so it is a present we can share.  You have no idea how comfortable they are and how perfect they are for sitting with a laptop on your lap!

Lyndon spent early yesterday afternoon putting some bamboo sheeting up against our back picket fence to offer a little more privacy for us.  Monet spent a bit of time outdoors late yesterday enjoying the sprinkler...

Monet turns 5 on Monday.  FIVE!  Can you believe it?  Makes you wonder what happened to those years in between her birth and her 5th birthday, but then I look at her and talk to her and notice that she's turned into an intelligent, well-travelled, little school girl.  Unreal.   

We've discussed with her the possibility that she may gain a sibling on her birthday; she wasn't too keen at first but she's okay with the fact now.  She told me she actually would like to have a new brother or sister born on her birthday...well, she says that now...  

Hope all is well with you.