Sleepless Nights

Blog

  • They didn’t tell me it was going to be like this…

    When you’re pregnant with your first child, you have no idea what to expect. I remember thinking about all the things I absolutely would and wouldn’t do to my child – completely forgetting that I was growing an entirely new human being here and human beings come equipped with personality, and opinions and desires of their own.

    Of course, six years on, I am pregnant with our third baby and I’ve got a much better handle on reality. Pants are totally optional if we’re at home and as long as no one is bleeding or dying, then we’re doing okay.

    It’s funny how your expectations change.

    Of course, this has been helped along by having both children on the spectrum, Amy with auditory processing issues and Isaac with sensory issues, chewing issues, bowel issues, toilet training issues and a multitude of things I cannot control. I’m way less concerned about what the general public thinks and more concerned about being the best parent for my kids.

    This is why when I was asked to contribute to the book “The Things They Didn’t Tell You About Parenting” I was very keen.

    Along with another 31 of Australia’s best parenting bloggers, I have a piece in this book, which the quote above is drawn from. Profits go to benefit Foundation 18 and I encourage you to buy a copy, not just for my writing, but for the other pieces inside as well. You’ll laugh and nod along and it’s probably good preparatory reading if you’re pregnant with your first child.

    You can buy a copy of the book here.

     

  • Fruit trees. Also, leggings are not pants.

    Yesterday after I’d suffered through the gestational diabetes test, I took advantage of the fact that I was in town without my children or Nathan and went shopping. I figured I deserved a reward after sitting for just over an hour in pathology watching all the girls wearing leggings as pants walking in and out.

    The highlight was the leggings-as-pants with a hole in the bum, showcasing hot pink underwear. I thought about forgiving her, because she was pregnant, until I remembered that hey, I was pregnant too and still managed to not forget to put on a skirt before I left the house.

    So, walking very slowly, I went shopping with my mother. Something neither of us enjoy – but I was buying fruit trees and they’re much nicer to shop for than clothes, or baby fripperies.

    This was the very last of our wedding money and Bunnings vouchers (the rest going on the new toilet and grey water system, obviously) and I’m rather pleased that I was able to spend it on trees. I also bought a double grafted apple tree – Cox’s Orange Pippin and Lady in the Snow – from our local nursery.

    Of course, this post was meant to be of the freshly planted trees, with photos of grumpy Nathan thrown in somewhere for good measure (he doesn’t like digging holes), but the weather outside looks like this:

    Despite being past lunchtime and we’re busy hiding inside, like sensible people.

    Ah Winter. I can’t say I’ve missed you.

     

  • So we’re going gluten free again.

    And not because of Amy this time – although I expect it won’t do her concentration levels any harm.

    No, this time it’s Nathan. He’s been feeling progressively sicker over the last few months and standard blood tests have shown nothing. Originally we suspected Rheumatoid Arthritis, due to the increasing severity of pain in his joints, among other symptoms. We know that he has degenerative bone disease in his back, as well as osteoarthritis in the same vertebrae, but the aches in his shoulders and wrists were baffling us.

    I’d wondered for a while if he might be having issues with gluten – Amy has the Coeliacs gene and I do not, therefore we know that Nathan has the Coeliacs gene – but we hadn’t really investigated it, until the stomach pain got really bad sometime last week.

    So I suggested that we swap to gluten free meals for a bit and see how he feels.

    Lo and behold, four days in, he’s feeling loads better. He’s not had the official tests or diagnosis at this point, but if being gluten free helps, then who are we to argue? He’ll be seeing the doctor sometime this week to have bloods drawn to test for coeliacs antibodies and we’ll go from there.

    In the meantime, he’s feeling better and I’m trying to get my head around cooking gluten free again.

    At least I know from last time we were gluten free as a household that it’s only the first fortnight that is difficult and then everything becomes second nature again.

    Luckily, I have no problems with gluten, so I can still eat all the delicious things in the house.

    Muahaaahaa.

     

  • I do love chocolate + giveaway

    Cadbury has recently released a new range of chocolates, their “Marvellous Creations” range. I was lucky enough to be sent one of each kind to try and once I emerged from my post chocolate haze, I agreed to do a giveaway as well.

    Can I just point out that pretty packaging actually makes a huge difference in how I feel about a product? I mean, I was always going to love the chocolate, but the purple tissue paper and ribbon were just that added something.

    It doesn’t take much to look like you try, is what I’m saying.

    The chocolate is delicious for the record. A little hard to share with children, because the pieces are larger than in a normal block, but the easy solution there is don’t share.

    Because Cadbury are great to work with, they’ve offered me 10 packs of chocolate to give away. Each pack contains the three blocks of chocolate as seen above, as well as a Cadbury apron. Just in case you feel like getting really messy with your choccie.

    To enter, simply comment below and let me know what flavour chocolate you would call a “Marvellous Creation”.

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    You MUST fill out the Rafflecopter widget in order to enter. One entry per household please and prizes can only be mailed to AUSTRALIAN POSTAL ADDRESSES, so please don’t enter if you don’t have somewhere to send it.

    ***

    I received Cadbury chocolate in return for posting about this giveaway. I think that’s a fair trade. What can I say, I like chocolate, a lot.

  • I am so beyond thankful

    This:

    This might not look like anything special to you. In fact, you may be wondering why I’m posting a photo of a very normal toilet. But I am excited.

    We’ve lived in this house for the last four years and had an outside toilet the entire time. Finally, we bit the bullet, replaced the entire grey water system, had new trenches dug, put in new piping and got a toilet put inside. See here for photos.

    It was an absolutely huge job and half of my front yard remains nothing but clay and mud (we’re hopeful we can put grass seeds in soon) but it’s DONE!

    My friend, the ever lovely Lucy, dropped her husband in it and suggested that he could put our toilet in for mates rates. I am beyond grateful to them both, not only Tom for taking the time out to plumb everything in and make it work, but for Lucy letting us borrow him and being so generous with her friendship and support. Also, Mum for offering to make the ceramics to pay Lucy and Tom with.

    Sometimes, the people you meet are simply amazing. They really really are.

    It’s been a busy few weeks, but it’s all done now and guess what Internet – I can pee inside. No more am I freezing myself at 3am because the baby bounced on my bladder.

    So beyond thankful.