good night irene

I had hoped to flood you with Christmas snaps and a round-up by now. But alas, caring for three sick little souls just hasn't allowed time ~ for anything really. Poll position has been stolen by Middle. Something along the lines of croup now. Doing a great impersonation of a seal. Between the Middle and the Small, they could fill the nearest dried out riverbed with their snot. Lovely.

So here we are, curtain coming down on another year. Barring the last (almost) fortnight, 2011 has been a good one for my little family. We started the year as four and end it with a lovely, full, five. Six was always where I wanted to end up. But five feels good. And while I'd happily go round again, the bank balance insists five is lovelier than six. Never say never. Ruby started kindy, and blossomed before our eyes. Cole became a 'big boy' pretty much overnight, somewhere shortly after his second birthday. New friends were made, and old ones more loved. Lots of lovely visits from my family, but only one which saw us head north. We had big birthdays and small, a christening, two engagements. We witnessed new life through friends, and the aching loss of a brilliantly lovable and unique family member, God rest his precious soul.

I am looking forward to seeing what the new year will bring, and what can be achieved. I'm not one for resolutions but I think the year ahead will have more me in it. Three under three and a half means there isn't much me left to go round. I am the only one keeping hubby from the bottom of the list. Make no mistake, I won't complain, we wanted them close together, and we were very blessed to be given so. The milkbar will shut shop some time early March which will hopefully mean more and deeper slumber. I can only pray. Making more time for me, for my health, for my creativity, maybe a business, for me. And when more time gets put into me, hubby and little ones benefit all the more as well. So while it may sound selfish, 2012 will be spent putting some energy into me.

And to the year that was ~ roll tape..

Big love to you all who have come to visit me here at my new little space. I love being here and I hope you do ~ and will continue to. Big armfuls of gratitude to new blogging friends who have offered their support and wisdom.

Happy New Year to you, friends.

fresh

Wow. What a week. My list was made, I checked it twice.. no way was that baby EVER.GETTING.FINISHED. Thems the breaks when you fly {parenting}solo for half the week and have a very sick little girl to care for, for the remainder. Merry Christmas.

You mamas know when one gets sick, it's hard to contain. So Cole has conjunctivitis and virus, Eliot has a virus, and now I am feeling something funky too. Hubby is the only one untouched at the moment, aside from a migraine. What a shit end to a pretty great year.

We saw out Christmas Day only to head back to emergency around 2am Boxing Day through till after lunch. Another chest scan and more antibiotics, we are finally seeing a happier little girl.

Everyone in blogland has signed off for the year and taking a well earned break. This blogging joy is still new for me and am happy to carry on should I have anything interesting/uninteresting to say, over the holiday weeks ahead. Perhaps there may be more photos {is that even possible? I hear you say} and less words. But I want to keep going (I have really missed being here the past week), and may take a little break when we head north in a few weeks for a very well earned family break. I am feeling very broken after the past week's events.

I am really looking forward to what the new year will bring ~ some quality family time, a holiday, our baby boy will turn the big O-N-E shortly after we return, which means Tim is coming to visit (woo hoo!), new kindy, new dancing, new swimming, new ventures, new routine, new attitude. I do love the freshness that comes with the arrival of the first of the year. A clean slate, a new beginning, a fresh outlook, endless opportunity ahead. And then you blink and it's June, but I'm forgetting that part for now and concentrating on the fresh part. The clean part, when my house will sparkle from every kind of disinfectant I can throw at it, to see in the new year. At home, cancelling plans, laying low, so our immune systems can repair. Ruby isn't allowed to go swimming until she is healthy, doctor's orders. We fly to the sunshine in less than three weeks. Upon arrival, she turns into a fish, so I will be filling her with vitamin C and anything else I can think of because I cannot see her sitting ocean/poolside spectating while her brothers enjoy all the aquatic action.

I am going to de-Christmas my house. All the joy is making me feel sick.

liar liar pants on fire

Wednesday will be a good day. Maybe subconsciously I meant next Wednesday?

Who knew our big party day would end in emergency at hospital? And Missy diagnosed with pneumonia? Good times. Roaring temperature, irregular breathing, a quick check with mum to make sure I wasn't overreacting due to sleep deprivation, was enough to bundle the little cougher and baby bro (no milk in the freezer, won't take a bottle anyway, still feeds through the night, no other option) into the car for an 'adventure in the dark'. Ruby was most excited. Me? Not so much. Both nights hubby was away saw my head hit the pillow at 2am.. I thought his return + kindy party would mean happily exhausted children and an early night for all. Instead I think I managed two half hour naps in the chair next to Ruby's hospital bed in between visits from the nurses and doctor. Thankfully she was able to manage a few longer stints of slumber. It's been a while since I saw a sunrise.

My little star is in good spirits considering the drama. How do you go from perfectly healthy to pneumonia in three days? Anyway, we are confident the antibiotics will do their job and our Christmas plans will be uninterrupted by hospital admission and a drip.

An exhausting day for all, on every level. Farewelling kindy friends, parents and teachers was harder than I thought it would be, and Ruby and I both left quite teary. The boys were clearly unfazed {I thought it was unphased but the dictionary tells me otherwise}. She gave her teacher and assistant a little box of handmade goodness all wrapped up with plenty of love. And calories. Some shortbread, honeycomb and peppermint bark. We hope Miss Kate and Gowri enjoy eating them, as much as we enjoyed making them.

Here's to some R&R and a speedy recovery for my little girl. And some sleep. Though I am hoping more for the earlier.