Three Ring Circus

Over the course of the week we had tried to find somewhere to stay in Coffs Harbour but nobody could accomadate a family as large as ours, without having to book out the whole resort (ok, that might be stretching the truth just a little) so we decided we would stay at Paradise Resort one more day. The kids were happy but David was nervous, having to do a flat run to home with no decent break in between.

Somehow the 12 hour drive in the daylight always seemed longer than when we travelled through the night. By dinner, it was obvious that Ivy and Noah’s 2 hour sleep at White Water World was not because of being worn out by all the excitement but rather a symptom of the croup that had invaded their airways. After over a week of perfect, stress free health the lurgy had found them once more.

Come morning, their temps were high and the purchase of baby Panadol had been made. Once it had kicked in and the babies had rallied, we walked along the beach in the morning sun, for one last time.

We ate outdoors at a gorgeous cafe that sold all day breakfasts for five dollars - toast, egg, bacon, tomato and sausage. Then we walked around Surfers Paradise.

At the beginning of our holiday Imogen and Madeline had mentioned they would like to have their nails done. So when we stumbled upon a little salon I booked them in. I was surprised to hear that Lily wanted hers done as well. I thought the tomboy in her would be fighting those ‘feminine, lets be pretty’ hormones all the way into adulthood but Lily was the first of the girls to slip into the beautician’s seat.

While all this was going on David was becoming increasinlgy worried about Noah, who was slumped in his arms in a febrile induced sleep and Ivy, who was becoming grotty and tired again, in her fight to fend off the illness. A decision was made that he and Mum would take them and AJ, Mal and Lily (whose nails were finished and beautiful) back to the resort.

Mum would learn just how heavy 11kgs of sleeping baby girl could be when walking one and a half kilometres back to the rooms. David said later that she had almost collapsed by the time they’d returned but the determined (stubborn) woman had kept powering on until the end.

While Immy and Maddy were being pampered I wandered down to a surf shop to look at a pair of Globe sneakers that AJ had mentioned he liked. I was gobsmacked when I found the price tag! I knew this time would come when no name shoes and clothes would become uncool and I knew that my wallet would take a beating but maybe I was hoping that it wouldn’t start quite so soon…

I bought them anyway because he had been so good and because I understood wanting to be cool and like the other kids at school.

When we got back to the resort we all had lunch and some time in the rooms. The babies slept and the rest of us packed. It was quiet and the kids were subdued, sad that our time in the sun was over.

David and I decided we would have one last venture down to the beach.  Mum begged off, she was exhausted from her morning stint of being the packhorse for Ivy.

We stayed until the sun started to set, the breeze cooling on our faces. I relished in our time as a family, having longed for the togetherness for a while. I looked around me as the children built sandcastles and played on the beach. Noah, now comfortable with the ocean experience, sat, not on a towel but amongst the sand, shovelling the grit onto his lap. Ivy ran as free as her spirit, Imogen in the sea, Maddy and Lily building a world together, AJ and Mal, soaking up every last moment of the day and David, who struggles so hard to find balance in work and family, now relaxed and happy.

As we were walking towards the boardwalk, leaving Surfers Paradise behind us, Noah, who was weak now from fever and allowing me to carry him back to the rooms, turned once more towards the beautiful setting where the ocean and the earth kiss and waved goodbye to the beach…

‘Bye - bye the sand’, he whispered.

 

The next day we travelled home. The twins horribly sick, the kids and the adults a little grumpy from the long trip, reality of the normalcy of everyday life hurtling towards us. I couldn’t help but wonder what our next break would be like. Whether it would all change now, with Imogen, Madeline and AJ racing towards that turbulent adolescent time. Whether, we would feel as close as we all did now.

Whatever happens, I will be forever thankful for our hoilday. Everyday a gift and a wonderful memory to tuck away for a time when I need some sunshine.

Happy birthday to me.

Happy birthday to me

Happy birthday dear 35 year old, worn out, saggy, baggy mother of way too many children (don’t you know what a television is?),

Happy birthday to me.

Hip Hip hoorayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Picture this, if you will, five children, two babies two parents and a senior (sorry mum) matriarch lined up on banana chairs. Towels down, sunscreen and swimmers on and a whole world of water before them on a perfectly sunny day. Not too hot and not too cold. Add to this scene the mother and her mother in "like totally dude", happenin’, surfy- labelled boardies and an equally expensive labelled shirt and you have the setting for the day.

The children scatter. The littlies to Wiggle World, where they can splash through musical fountains of water, stand under a flower shower or swim in the ankle high pool. The older children are thrilled with all they see and make their way to the various adrenalin pumping rides. The Rip, The Beach, The BRO (blue ringed octopus), the hydrocoaster and… THE GREEN ROOM!

A monsterous tunnel that throws you and three others into what appears to be a conical sink hole flipped on it’s side. As the occupants of the clover shaped tube slip from the top of one side, down and almost all the way to the top of the other side, the mother thanks her lucky stars that the boardies she chose are dark blue, so they will adequately mask the stain she will aquire when her children (or adrenalin junkie husband) push her onto said ride (and she knows it is coming).

The grandmother is forced to find a designated smoking area, such is her fear of these kinds of rides. She is also thankful that boardies mostly come in black and blacker because she has promised the children she will attempt at least one ride.

The adrenalin junkie father is overloaded by all that he sees and he takes a moment to recover from the expanse of gut wrenching, whirling,vomit inducing mechanical giants (that and the cost of the boardies) by reverting to organisation of posessions so the family is free to wander the park without having to worry about anything being stolen. Once he has calmed down, he attempts to feign amusement as he watches the toddlers spray each other with Dorothy The Dinosaur and Wags the Dog water guns (secretly he is wishing he could run wild and free with the eleven year olds and the nine year old who thinks she is eleven).

His wish soon comes true as the babies become restless and tired from morning beach walks and Wiggle overload. The mother finds herself in a banana chair, watching one sleeping child in the pram while the other is asleep, like a kitten, on her lap. The children come to drag the Daddy away. His fake protests fall on deaf ears and his poor acting skills do not convince the mother that he wants to stay to help out with the cherubs. She laughs and shakes her head. He pretends to be pulled away by the children but  once he thinks he is out of the mother’s line of sight she can see him scurry ahead of the kids.

After an hour or so he returns, saturated and happy. A smile splits his face from ear to ear. There is a sparkle in his eye that the mother has not seen for a long time. The children are beetling around their hero father, excitedly telling the mother and the grandmother of their adventures. They eat their lunch hurriedly and then all of them, including the fully adrenalised father, scuttle away again. The grandmother is almost chain smoking now, knowing that her number is up next. The mother remains on her banana chair, watching as the cherubs sleep and listening to the Wiggles music playing in the background, thinking of all the thing she would like to buy in the shop that sold her the board shorts.

The toddlers are blissfully unaware of all that is going on around them and continue to sleep for another hour before waking to consume a bucket of chips each and half of the mothers burger. They are back in Wiggle World before you can say ‘Captain Feathersword’ and the mother and the father are released from parental duties to ride the waves together (the grandmother thankful for an excuse to buy more time).

The father rides The Rip with the mother and two of the children, after making her stand under a huge Nickelodeon water bucket that spews massive amounts of H2O onto her head, soaking her to the very core. He then convinces her that The Green Room is not as scary as The Rip and leads her to the top of the ride. As they get on the cloverleaf raft, he turns to her and declares that he lied and this is by far the most petrifying ride he has ever been on. As she leans over to hit him as hard as she can the ride controller heaves the raft into the tunnel and the mother once again (amongst screaming her lungs out and holding on for dear life) thanks the surfy labels for the dark coloured boardies.

The ride lasts about 9 seconds but it is a few moments of absolute childlike enjoyment. The mother feels light and happy and free. For a day that she thought would be boring and of very little enjoyment for the adults, it has turned out to be the best day so far.

As the parents return to the banana chairs to find the babies pulling apart a garden, the other two big kids drag the grandmother off to face her fears. She returns later, shaking and wet but she has not let the children down and they see her as a hip, cool Gran with a bad ass attitude! They circle her and bask in her heroism.

The sun is starting to set and the family are one of the few remaining in the park, having had the most wonderful of times, they are reluctant to leave it behind. Knowing that the holiday is drawing to a close.

The mother shops her heart out and the family purchase photos snapped in an instant of time. Some showing children smiling and happy, some with looks of terror on their faces, some with their favourite Wiggles character. It is a day none of them will ever forget.

for the comment and to answer your question, yes. AJ was scared at first. He was afraid of the sharks but they had to watch a dvd on do’s and don’t’s  and he learnt that the only sharks in his part of the tank were ones that were deemed not dangerous. After that he felt alot better. I love the dolphin experience! The girls have done that one but when we tried to get AJ into it, we found it was booked out until November! Now they have a family experience and that looks great!

Monday was our decided vegie day.

A day of lounging around the pool, walking on the beach, kids club for the children… a chance to recover and recoop. While Mum, Lily and the boys slept in, The big and little twins came for a walk along the beach with us.

As we were walking, several Japanese tourists started noticing Ivy and Noah as the toddled on the  sand. Every so often one of them would sweep the babies into their arms and photos would be snapped by the hundreds. Okay, by the dozens but it was interesting to us that they were smitten with our blonde haired, blue eyed cherubs. We had experienced it before with Imogen and Madeline but not to the same extent. They all loved Noah and he was seriously posed, positioned and modelled in the photos, so as to show off his fair features. When they discovered that the little ones were twins there was more modelling to be done. Noah and Ivy took it all in their stride.

The day passed blissfully and slowly, the babies had a long morning sleep, the kids swam and ate and went to kids club. I did a bit of shopping for the children. It was a day of well earned rest and we would be thankful for it the next day… because the next day was White Water World Day! (Insert Dragnet theme here).

We needed to be at Seaworld by 9:30 so that we could book AJ in for a surprise! It was busy that Sunday morning and AJ was bubbling with excitement. It was the first time he, Mal and Mum had been. When we  finally got through the gates (David had a little trouble because the ticket collector didn’t believe that he, Ivy and Noah were part of our party - seeing as he payed the $64 per adult and $42 per child (I can’t bare to do the maths) he felt that he had a right to argue the point), we guided the gaggle to the booking in area where we had orginised for AJ to go snorkelling in Shark Bay.

His session was not for an hour so we sauntered through the park, stopping to look at the dolphins and the dugongs before making our way to the waiting area. I was not in a particularly good mood because I had forgotten my hat and had no sunglasses. The sun was very bright and the weather was already hot to my unaccustomed body. My mother had also decided that she was going to give up smoking and this was her first day of bad withdrawal symptoms, so she was grotty as well. AJ was sublimly happy though as he prepared for his dive.

Ivy and Noah were overtired and sick of being in the pram and the girls’ patience was wearing thin with all the waiting around. They wanted to go on this ride and that ride and see this and that. In the end I let them go to look at the polar bears and the exploratory pool. Mum took the babies for a walk and all was quiet for a while.

David bought me a hat and Imogen lent me her sunglasses (see attached picture for a good laugh). What is it with these large goggle - like sunnies? Where have the sleek styles of the eighties gone? Not a Blues Brothers’ style in sight! SO, with the sun off my face and out of my eyes, Ivy now asleep and Noah happy to sit with David we watched our now 11 year old foster son in the clear waters. His smile was worth it all.

After that was finished it was lunchtime, so we sat under a tree and decided what to do next.

The beauty of having such a big family is that they all watch out for one another but one of the hardest things, with such a big age gap in children is how to divide your time. We decided that we wanted to see the dolphin show at 2pm and so we let the big children go together on all the scary, high powered rides and David, Mum and I took Malachy, Ivy and Noah over to the little kids rides. We were to meet up twenty minutes before the show. The big kids took off to line up for the first ride and we had a ball with the babies and Mal.

We only had one incident the whole day and that was when Lily came crying hysterically to us post ride on The Pirate Ship. Apparently the ride controller had joked that he was going to flip the whole thing over and Lily, who had tried her hardest to be brave, so as to impress he idol, AJ, lost the plot completely and screamed for the ride to stop. Imogen, her protective sister, ordered the ride to halt and then promptly told off the young adult for scaring a little girl! I think the worst part of it for Lily though was that she had fallen from grace in AJ’s eyes. He called her a baby and stomped around the park as though his life had come to a sudden end because Lily didn’t like the ride. We soon calmed her down though and things settled quickly after that.

We made our way to the arena where the dolphin show was performed and grabbed a seat. Everyone was hot and bothered and so Mum saved the day with ice creams all around. Ivy and Noah enjoyed their chocolate paddle pop, right down to the very last, sticky, roll down your arm, dripping lick. I took photos as evidence. Now when Noah sees them, he growls in a low rumble… ‘I like de clocolate!’

Indeed he did.

The show was amazing! These beautiful, intellegent creatures stole our hearts.

We finished the day by going to the water park. Noah discovered he was not scared of this type of bottle (water) at all and had a wonderful time splashing his mother. Ivy found that things looked better from a different point of view and fashioned her new Cupid Girl swimmers. I only wished that I had brought mine because my pants and top were now virtually soaked through.

That evening, we went to dinner at a Japanese Restaurant. AJ and Mal were amazed with the acrobatics performed by the chef as he cooked in front of us. Noah decided that he would choose this night to declare his independence and refused to eat unless he was feeding himself. Ivy took a liking to pickled japanese vegetables and the waitress was so amazed that she brought her another bowl (complimentry). Mum had purchased another packet of cigarettes and although she felt beaten by her 40 something year old habit, she was smiling and relaxed again. David and I basked in the glow of a successful day…well, for a short time anyway, before Noah tipped his whole bowl of fried rice onto the floor.

I think we need to talk about what our needs are, regarding Ivy and Noah’s care. I think that you don’t quite understand what our expectations are of you. I want you to know because, I have come to like you, even trust your opinion and I would like to continue having you as Ivy and Noah’s doctor.

When we first met you, it was after a horrible, sickly Winter. I knew it would be like that because all of my children have not enjoyed good health, so I expected that the babies would be the same.

Our hospital referred paediatrician had been no help, was hard to contact and when we did manage to aquire an appointment, she belittled our concerns. When the twins were put in hospital, on oxygen for a week because we were unable to see her and I went elsewhere, she became angry and said that we could not give the babies ‘bitty’ care, that they needed someone, who knew their history and could treat them appropriately. So we made the decision to find a new paed, one, who could give us good continuity of care. When we asked around, the NICU nurses said you were wonderful. Good with the parents.

With regards to our needs; as I am a registered nurse, I am quite able to manage most things at home for a prolonged period. I am comfortable with asthma plans and medication and I am vigilant when they are ill.

I am not overprotective because we have experienced a neonatal death. I have eleven years as a parent of sickly children and I know how to look after them. I feel that I am looking after their health to the best of my ability. We are their parents. It is what we are supposed to do.

If we make a phone call to your rooms to let you know that the babies are ill, it is because we are starting to struggle. It is not just to say hello. Giving two children nebulisers every two to three hours is exhausting and you often start to second guess yourself, after a week of sickness, in the wee hours of the morning.

We appreciate it when you phone us back to discuss things, it gives us reassurance and helps us to continue on at home. That is basically all we, David and I, as the parents need, unless the children are desperately ill, then we will manage Ivy and Noah’s chronic illness at home.

On the Thursday and Friday of last week, the twins were very unwell and we phoned you as a courtesy, to let you know that we were starting prednisone. You called us back, which was good and asked us to call again on Monday. Sunday saw Noah in hospital and Ivy was very close to it, however we managed to keep her at home. We called you on the day you asked us to with no response. On the Tuesday, when Ivy was worse we called again.

Today is Thursday and we have still had no response. I would have liked to discuss a few things with you regarding medications but as you have not been in contact with us, I have had to make my own decisions on these. I find this quite stressful and worry that I will be doing the wrong thing for the children. It would have been good to run these things by you.

I find it very hard to trust doctors. As you know, the services in our area are poor and to find a good general practitioner is near impossible. Our last GP has just left the practice he was in and so we have to start looking again. You have known Ivy and Noah now for over twelve months, you know the family history and our concerns. We feel that we have built up a good rapport with you and we are guided by your opinions.

Our expectations are that you will be there for Ivy and Noah’s health and for us as their parents. Our only ask is open, honest communication when we need it. We value this the most.

I understand and am thankful that Ivy and Noah’s condition is not life threatening however, constant chronic illness is tiring and often hard to control. It would be helpful to have a good support team, something that is strongly recommended by Westmead Children’s Hospital. We also understand that you are extremely busy and that we are not the only family that you are looking after.

Thank you for everything you have done for us, to date. I hope that you understand our needs a little better now and that you will be able to support these.

Kind regards,

Ivy and Noah’s Mum

Sunday morning came and we woke early to give the birthday boy his presents. He opened them with much anticipation and was pleased with all he saw. Because it was only 6am and because it was a gorgeous morning we decided that a walk along the beach was just what the doctor ordered. The only problem was that Noah was afraid to walk on the sand and equally afraid of the waves.

We carried him at first, while the others, including the daredevil herself (Ivy Hazel), walked along the shoreline, with the waves lapping at their feet (and Ivy’s knees, skirt - when she sat in the waves, and top of her shirt - when she thought it might be good to lie down in the waves (we rescued her clothing at that point)). Noah’s eyes darted all around him, following the waves as they kissed the sand.

Eventually we put him down between David and I, holding both his hands and walked (pulled) him along. He cried and tried everything he knew to get us to pick him up again but eventually and reluctantly he toddled in between us, his little heart could almost be heard, it was that loud and fast. His eyes wide with the unknown. Just as he was getting used to it a rogue wave splashed onto his feet and he pulled his feet up, dangling, with the full weight of his body, from his arms, shrieking.

He had no problem saying sand. In fact, I think it was the only word he chanted for the first fifteen minutes as we taxed his fears but when the water paddled onto his toes the first descriptive word for the ocean was… ‘bottle’ (?) We have no idea why he called it that. At first we thought that it was a comfort word but in later days, when he had become accustomed to our morning beach walks he still referred to the waves as bottles. Go figure.

We are not cruel parents, although some of you might think we are. We just wanted him to overcome his fears or it would be a very long week.

After a while, we picked him up and carried him to the mall for AJ’s birthday breakfast at a place called Charlie’s. If you are ever in Surfers Paradise, try it. We all thought it was lovely. A nice atmosphere, the staff were great. Unlike some places, they didn’t even flinch when we said we needed "a table for ten, including two highchairs, please". Prices were reasonable too, although if you ask David, he would beg to differ.

Post breakfast saw us do a little shopping and AJ picked up a Roosters towel, the girls some more swimmers and Lily some thongs (Lovely patriotic green and gold thongs, with green stars and AUS printed on them) and a gold and diamonte shell trinket (in typical Lily style).

We walked back along the beach repeating the same routine with Noah. The only differece was this time he would let the tiny waves touch his feet, uttering… ‘gone, gone’ as they moved back into the ocean.

The morning was SO traumatic for the child, that once the adrenalin had stopped coursing through his veins, he promptly fell asleep, to recover.

There were so many emotions charging the air that morning. Happiness for AJ, sadness for him too, that his day was not spent with his birth mother.

Wonder that Ivy and Noah could be oceans (pardon the pun) apart in their personalities, when they had shared so much from the day they were conceived. She, so bold and confident in herself, he, fearful and unsure, both beautiful in their own right.

I felt relaxed walking along the beach. We had gone there to renew our wedding vows in 2003, 12 weeks pregnant with William.

When he died I had an Angel Reading done and in that reading, the lady said that when William wanted to send his love we would see white feathers. I don’t know if all that stuff is real or if I look for signs because I want him with us so badly but since his death I have seen many white feathers turn up just when I need them most.

This day, as we walked down to the beach we found one. It was comforting to see it.

I felt contentment for the first time in ages. Everything seemed as it was supposed to be that morning as I watched all the people I love most in the world walk along the beach in the early morning sun.

 

I walked down the aisle, held your hand and promised my life and my love to you.

14 years ago we were both so young, babies in this world but it felt as though we had been together for a lifetime, that we were meant to be together.

14 years ago we did not know the challenges that would be given to us. We were so niave in our love, we thought it would all be so easy.

People said we had married too young, said we would grow apart.

Instead we have grown together, in love and life. Just as we promised 14 years ago today.

Sorry for that brief interlude. We just had a major reality check in having to take Noah to hospital, with Ivy riding on his shirt tails, with asthma. (Did I mention I love living in a place that is hot in the day and freezing at night?) Anyway, enough of that…

‘Everyday is better when you are on holidays’ : a slogan I saw often in sunny Queensland.

It was true, everything was better.

Even though the resort had not been eager to clean up the pool poo, even though the prices were high for everything, even though our rooms were small, compared to our house, everything seemed to take on a shiny glow of vacation beauty. Ahhhh, holidays, that ultimate escape from reality!

That first night we walked into Surfer’s Paradise, along the boardwalk, to the markets, had some dinner and milled around. Everyone was exhausted, so conversation was minimal. All except David, Ivy, Noah and I slept like logs but it was all good because, when you are on holidays, it doesn’t matter when your babies sleep on top of you all night and when you wake up and you can no longer feel your arm from the shoulder down because a large lumpy boy’s head has been there for hours, it’s easy to spring from your bed to face the new day. YAY!!!!

The kids wanted to go to the kids club, which suited the adults well because we had not planned anything much past getting across the boarder and into the resort. So off they went and we sat down in our room to discuss the days ahead. The babies didn’t like that idea much and started to ransack the room, calling housekeeping twice before we unplugged the phone and changing the time on the clock radios before they discovered the empty cupboard!

Oh, what fun two babies can make for themselves with an empty cupboard! Oh, the amount of coffee and conversation that you are able to have when babies discover said utility. Bliss on a stick…until one of the babies slams the other baby’s fingers in the sliding door… Oh, the howling that came from that baby, so loud, I’m sure they could hear us in reception, three floors below.

When all was calm again, Ivy and Noah rediscovered their ’sunnyglasses’ that Gran had bought for them the night before. For the next hour I had to put sunnies on, take sunnies off, admire child with sunnies on, take photos, play referee when Ivy decided that she liked Noah’s sunglasses better…in fact, wanted both pairs, one for her eyes and one set for on top of her head, like her big sisters’ wore them. It was okay though. It might be the same stuff, different day (or in this case place) because EVERYDAY is better when you are on holidays! (She says through a gritty smile).

After lunch, we went shopping. We would have been there sooner, except that David and I had a fight about who he should trust. Me or the Navigator (Navwench - the other woman in David’s life). Somewhere in the midst of our…heated discussion, we became seriously lost in Southport suburbia… he should have listened to the navigator, I’m sure I told him that! Never listen to a woman who has shopping on her mind, she just can’t think straight!

Okay, it was all my fault but don’t tell David that I admitted defeat, I’ll never live it down.

The whole shopping experience was not how I anticipated it. It was good, don’t get me wrong and I am sure if I were an eleven year old pre - pubescent girl looking for swimming costumes I would have been in heaven. We found some nice things and all the girls walked away happy, AJ had a haircut, David found new phone pouches and Navwench holders, so he was enjoying himself. It was just that I didn’t get a chance to do anything for me and so I was a bit miffed. The kids and David were happy though. My Mum was a little hot and tired but it was still okay.

I think we went back to the resort for a swim and dinner and an early night because the next day was going to be a big one…we were off to Seaworld for AJ’s 11th birthday!

In case you were worried about our sleep that night, Ivy and Noah slept very well, we had worn them out, finally.

We booked into reception and investigated our space. The kids claimed that the heat and travelling had overcome them and that a swim in one of the three pools would help to rejuvinate their weary bodies. So with barely time for the adults to catch their breath (and oh, how I wish we had, in hindsight), we wandered, sauntered, scurried down to the pool area. The five big children were in faster than you could say… ‘are we there yet?’ David, Mum and I found some chairs around the paddle pool.

We dressed the twins in their new swimmers and went to put them in only to discover that some kind child had left two big floaters in there!(Does anyone remember that movie scene in Caddy Shack where Bill Murray picks up a thought- to- be poo from a drained pool, take a bite and after everyone has thrown up, declares it a chocolate bar? This was not one of those moments!)

In my teenage years we jokingly called them aquabogs (riding the waves of Bondi Beach). That is exactly what these things were! I saw David visibly recoil and we stood there disbelievingly for a while. (I think this was our first inkling that our resort had gone down hill somewhat, since Accor sold it). I urged David to tell reception and asked Imogen and Madeline to take Ivy and Noah in the bigger pool. They thankfully obliged their, now, disillusioned mother.

The little floating boats didn’t stop some kids though. Before too long several toddlers were swimming amongst the effluent! Ewwwww!!!!! I had to look away. Finally someone came to clean up but it was too litlle too late for me. There was NO way I was going to let my easily diseased babies into the paddle pool that day!

I know, I know, accidents happen and the average child’s bowel relaxes about ten minutes after entering into water but gross, people! Where were the parents? Couldn’t they have gone and said something to maintainence? Had it cleaned? I know it’s an embarrassing situation but to just run away?

Dear God, what has the resort world come to?

We packed the bus and made our way to bed. Some settled earlier than others. David went to bed at 8:30, knowing he would be driving the first shift of the trip. I went to bed at 11:45, once everyone was asleep. The first alarm sounded at 1:30 am and after David’s  morning coffee ritual, we piled into our overloaded bus and started our journey at 3am. As we were slowly creeping out of our stone encrusted driveway, lights lowered, so as not to wake the neighbourhood, I felt for all the world like the Von Trapp Family Singers escaping to Austria (think Sound of Music, people). I also realised how loud everything sounds at that time of the morning. We sped along the freeway and by dawn we had passed Taree and were in dire need of petrol and coffee. After finding nothing open we were finally able to refuel at a truck stop - the only bus amongst these giant beasts, the children were in awe of their size. With everyone now awake we continued on to Maccas in Kempsey and a stop at The Big Banana, thinking that we would make one more final stop before crossing the boarder into the Sunshine State. We were making amazing time, the kids had been fantastic travellers and we had only eaten half of the lolly container when everything came to a grinding halt!

Just outside of Ballina a truck had driven off the road and into the river and traffic was stopped both ways. We sat for ages before we decided to turn the engine off and hop out of the bus. The kids climbed in and out, through the bus, the only place left that went unexplored was the roof and if David and I were not vigilant parents, I’m sure they would have made their way up there too, the babies became ratty and bored. They bucked and arched and wriggled and screamed when release from the confines of their carseats was not instant. My mother decided it would be a good time to start a game of Eye Spy. David walked up to the scene to find out what the deal was only to be told the road was closed indefinately. Great. Me? I have never been a great traveller and so I was bored out of my scone. I attempted to liven up the game of eye spy but no one was impressed when they couldn’t guess that the thing starting with ‘E’ was an elephant. They said there was no elephant in or outside of the car and therefore, I was disqualified! No respect, I tell you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An hour (the other half of the lolly container and several packets of chips) later our road was finally opened and we pushed through to arrive in Sunny Queensland ( a beautiful 24 degrees) at about 3pm…

To be continued…

Well, we’re home. We did it. Ten people on a week long holiday, travelling in one bus, over nine hundred kilometres to take up residence in three rooms of The Paradise Resort, Surfers Paradise, Queensland… the Queenslanders never knew what hit them!

I’m going to try to tell you all about our adventures but there have been SO many, I might forget some. Lots of photos to share as well.

The good news is that David, Mum and I all survived to tell the tale and we have our sights firmly set on Fiji for next time (it must have been ok, if there is going to be a next time)! I must say though, that I am glad to be home, where the babies can roam free. The big kids will all go back to school for the final week before the school break begins. My plans for next week? To relax and have a holiday from my holiday before the holidays begin!!

that the Tregenza clan finalised the last arrangements for their first holiday since before Ivy and Noah were born.

Bags packed and ready, swimmers, boogie boards and sunscreen. The house is… clean, tidy, I can at least see the floor and the washing is mostly done. The nappy stash is all clean and dry and waiting for (now sposied) baby bottoms to return home, hopefully with a healthy tan line. Our dogs, cat and bird will all be in the company of David’s parents very soon. The older kids are bubbling with excitement and the babies are taking a nap. I think we are just about ready to go. WOOHOO!!!!!!!!

When I come back, I will entertain you with tales of a nine person family in Queensland and so, my friends, I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Can anyone say ’sugar filled car trip to Queensland’?!?!?!?!?!?

See more Wordless Wednesday photos here.

Wow, only four days left until we go on holidays and I think I have totally lost the plot! I seem to be running around in circles and not getting much done at all. With every good intention of leaving the house in a clean state, I think my efforts have made everything worse. In clearing up I seem to have uncovered alot of other ’stuff’

You know, STUFF. Things that have been put in a safe place away from sticky toddler hands, stuff that has been shoved in obscure places, by children who can’t be bothered walking the twenty metres to their bedroom to put said stuff away, shoes that have been missing for weeks, socks, that have been missing for so long that you have thrown the ‘odd’ sock away in despair because it hasn’t been paired up for ages and you think the washing machine must have eaten it.

Despite the washing machine spinning for most of the day, I still have mountains of ‘dirty’ clothes and towels that have been discovered in bedrooms when children have been made to clean up, with threats of not going on vacation. Suddenly, I understand why the kids never have any undies! Can you say ‘ewwwwww’? It is a sound I have uttered a hundred times in the last twenty four hours. Perhaps I need to be more vigilant when it comes to cleaning up of bedrooms.

I still haven’t packed for the babies or for David and I,  let alone all the medications that I need to drag along just in case. In between cleaning the loungeroom, washing and reading to Noah and Ivy (Noah follows me around crying…’No - No, the book!’), my plans for being meticulously ready by Thursday are rapidly becoming a thing of fantasy.

This morning, my thoughts are this; pack the bags, get everything ready for our break and if the house isn’t clean by Thursday, so what? At least it will be a familiar sight when we arrive home!

A friend phoned me last night. She asked me if I imagined my life would be like this, when I met David, when I was 17. She asked me if I ever imagined I would have so many children. The simple answer to that is; no.

I knew that I wanted kids from a young age. When we talked about children, David wanted two and I wanted four. The only thing we could agree on was that we wanted an even number of children so nobody was left out. I certainly didn’t think about the logistics of being a mum.

So what is Motherhood to me?

It’s all those things that everyone said it would be, it’s sacrifice, it’s full on, it’s the hardest job I have ever done. It’s wonderous and amazing and brings me so much happiness. It’s love and contentment and brings a fullness to each and every day in mind, body and soul. 

Mostly though motherhood is about learning.

As a mum, you are always teaching life skills but as a mum, I am also the perpetual student. I learn new things every day. About myself, about my children and I am still learning life skills!

When I first became a mum to twins, Imogen and Madeline, they taught me about selflessness, about the big picture. They taught me about patience (It took three years to conceive them) and understanding. I think they also taught me about time management and the importance of boundaries. On a funny note, they also taught me never to carry two babies upstairs, naked, when they have gastro…very messy!

Lily came into my life (about 9 months after the above bout of gastro). Lily taught me to really enjoy motherhood. She taught me to appreciate all the little things. When Lily came into my life, my father told me I was stupid for having more children, that I should be concentrating on a career, a house and having all the finer things in life. It was Lily’s birth that gave me the strength to stand up to him, tell him that family was more important to me than anything else. Although she was a surprise, she was a Godsend.

AJ and Malachy came into our home when they were four and three. I am not their biological mother but they are still my children. Through the boys I know about compromise. I know about overcoming terrible situations, adaptation, about hanging in there when you want to give up. I know about a longing to protect and a different kind of love, one that I have sometimes had to work at but one that is very much alive.

Four years after Lily, our first son, William, was born and died five days later. From Will I learnt about absolute devastation, a love that is so strong that I can still feel its presence every day. I learnt the beauty of letting go, I learnt to find and rely on my mother strength and I learnt that I could keep going, fuelled by the love of my children.

My last set of twins, Ivy and Noah, were born at 30 weeks in 2005 about a year and a half after William’s death and after a very scary pregnancy but it is with these children, my last, that I have learnt some of the most valuable lessons. As a mother to these precious miracles I have learnt to hope. Over the last twenty one months, they have taught me to feel joyous about motherhood again, at times when I felt there was no joy left in me. I have realised that I am a mother first and foremost and that, even though it can be a difficult, exhausting, sometimes thankless job, motherhood means everything to me.

It’s my life.

Oh, and I also learnt to appreciate my own mother much more than I ever did as a child.

 

This topic was published as part of MamaBlogga’s Group Writing Project. The theme is motherhood. It’s my first attempt.

Why don’t you give it a go?

For Father’s Day this year, I bought something a little different for Dave from The Dad Shop, this really cool Australian online store that sells things for men only. I found a coffee appreciation course (any man with seven children already appreciates coffee, I know but this was sort of learn your different kinds and how to make it properly type appreciation). That isn’t even the gift I want to tell you about but he liked that one too! Anyway, the present was a remote control jousting set of knights! The big seller for me was the slogan… ’settle your fights the old fashioned way’.

Now, David will never admit to this but way back in our "first married, no money" days we aquired an old Nintendo TV console. We had two games, Mario Brothers and Doctor Mario (they came with the console). Most nights when we had limited funding to go anywhere and there was little else to do we would play that darn thing until the early hours of the morning. I would win most times and David would spend his evenings frustrated that he couldn’t get Mario to jump at the right time. Okay, maybe I embelish…alot and maybe it was the other way around but selective memory is a wonderful thing and that’s how I like to remember it, ok?

So, when I saw this present, I knew it would be an excellent opportunity to compete again. I knew David would rise to the challenge and I was right! So far every night he has challenged me to a tournament and I’d forgotten how good he can get at things like this. The truth is, I suck at jousting but to prove that chivalry isn’t dead, my dear husband let me knock him off his horse and didn’t even complain when I ran his knight over several times!

Note to self: Never take a toilet break unless there is someone to guard the pantry.

see more Wordless Wednesday photos here

at 4am in the morning is very strange.

Noah has learnt alot of his body parts and this morning he was running through them all…

N: ‘nose’ (points to nose and makes a kissing motion),

Me: ‘nose, that’s right. I kiss the nose’? (kisses nose).

N: ‘eyes’ (points and makes kissing noise),

Me: ‘eyes, that’s right, I kiss the eyes’? (kisses eyes).

We run through cheeks, chin and mouth, all of which are rewarded with a kiss on the indicated part. There is a momentary pause and I can almost see his mind ticking over, he starts to chuckle and then says…

‘BUM’! (points to his behind and makes the kissing noise)!!!!!!! Followed by wild fits of laughter. When I say, ‘No, I no kiss the bum’, that induces another fit of the giggles!

Toilet humour for the (almost)two year old!

 

Happy Father’s Day for yesterday to all the Dads, new and repeat offenders. Hope you all had a lovely day. To my sweet, wonderful Davey, the best father I have had the honour to know. You mean the world to us.

David has been a dad for a long time now. When he became a father, he didn’t get the gentle introduction to parenting in just one baby. He was handed two girls approximately one month after Mother’s Day 1996. Was he overwhelmed? Yes. Was he shocked at how full on fathering can be? Yes. Did he complain? No. He just dug in and helped 50/50. He took on all the aspects of parenting newborns and he did it well.  When Lily came into the world two years later she became his world and he hers. Four years later he lost his first born son and was devastated, rocked to the very core of his being. Now with Ivy and Noah, he has undying patience and love for them both. He has taken two boys who are no relation to him, except through me, into his heart and home and loves them like they are his own. He is a good man and a wonderful father.

He deserves to be celebrated and celebrate we did.

Traditionally we start the morning off with breakfast in bed and then presents. At lunch we had a picnic and for dinner, his favourite - spaghetti bolognese. While the other children and David were engrossed in parcel unwrapping, the babies were off making their own fun with the discarded packaging. Tiny shreds of paper were scattered from one end of the bedroom to the other (and all so quietly too)!

Do you know how hard shredded paper is to clean up from carpet? Especially when the offending distributors follow you around taking your sweepings and re distribute them?

AJ was missing from the morning’s festivities as he had gone with my mum and ‘Grahampa’ to see the football for his birthday present. He’ll be turning 11 in about 13 days. Mum picked him up on the Saturday and he stayed the night with them too. All parties report that they had a ball! That’s good because AJ has been a little quiet and withdrawn of late.

The girls have been playing with their Barbies again in the last few weeks and Saturday was Barbie fasionista day. The girls took scraps of material and fashioned formal gowns. I think they had a nice morning just relaxing  and pottering around the house. After AJ left we made our way down to Sydney to see David’s parents and sisters. It was nice to have everyone together.

The babies made their way through the weekend with varying degrees of asthma but at the end of the day we did make it.

We saw the paed this morning and despite his frustrating lack of response on the Thursday he rallied well and took very good care of Ivy and Noah (and their mother). He made sure that we had enough scripts to go away with (only 11 days to go) and said if we run into strife to call him and he will phone diagnose. (Sometimes I think he has found my blog and my posts of doctor frustration).  Anyway, you’ll all be pleased to know that Noah is over the hump. Ivy? Ears, nose and throat all infected again, chest as well. We are on another course of Erythromycin, Ciproxin and Hydrogen Peroxide,hope it does the trick!

How very softly you tiptoed into my world.

Almost silently.

Only a moment you stayed,

but what an imprint your tiny footprints

have left upon my heart…

 

For Charlotte and her beautiful Mummy.

Happy 3rd birthday, sweetheart. Hope you are dancing with all the other angel babies today.