Silly season continues!

You should see our family calendar for the rest of this year!! Talk about crazy busy!! It's only 5 sleeps till Lachlan's 6th birthday (as he keeps reminding us, hee hee!) and I have got about a tonne of house cleaning and organising to do before then.

Things here have been good. Max and Blake seem to be finally getting over the horrible cold that was bothering them for so long. It was obviously just a cold because it is now settling but it lasted for weeks and we had them up at the GP after hours (at the hospital) three times just to make sure. They are still a little wheezy but thankfully not choking any more at night time and their nasty coughs seem to have calmed down.

They are such good little babes really! They never ask for anything - just lie there happy most of the time and only cry when they are ready for food or sleep! They are still not rolling at all but I don't think it will be too long now. They are also starting to pay a lot of attention to us when we eat in front of them so not too much longer and I think they might be ready to try solids too (I will try to wait till they are 6 months corrected but we'll see how we go!) We have an appointment next week at PMH to follow up on their development so it should be interesting to see what they say there (I bet they will wonder if we even brought the right babies with us, LOL!)

The other kids are going great too - all very excited about the end of year, christmas and birthdays! They are constantly talking about the presents they want (hmm, I think a little education on the meaning of christmas is required in this house, LOL!) and I know the big boys are aware that there are things hidden in my walk in robe as they tend to have a rather increased interest in that area of my bedroom - GRRR! I might have to tell them that santa will see if they snoop in the wardrobe and he will return all their presents to the north pole!!

well, I was going to post a bigger update but as usual I am being screamed at by a few kids so I'd better go! I will be back later to add some photos!

M.

Silly season kicks off!

I am just about to embark on the crazy silly season that is November/December in our house! It is Niamh's birthday on Friday so I am busy preparing for her party on Sunday - after that we have Lachlan's birthday then Cody's birthday then of course Christmas! The kids are all soooo wound up about it and can't wait - I, on the other hand, am a little afraid - LOL!

I have been busy lately doing all the christmas/birthday shopping with the help of my wonderful mum! It is so exhausting trying to achieve massive amounts of shopping while keeping two whingy toddlers and two babies happy. I am pleased to say that it is all but finished now and I should only need to go out one more (well planned) time and I will be done. I must also get onto the wrapping as I don't want to be stuck wrapping hundreds of presents on christmas eve this year!

The kids are all doing really well. Max and Blake have had really awful colds and horrible choking coughs this week but I am really hoping that they will start coming out the other side of it soon. other than that they are doing well - they weigh about 7kilos at last weigh in so that is huge! They have come so far since those early days that it is almost hard to believe they went through what they did. I am so proud of what strong little fighters they are :) I think they are actually starting to get a little bit bored when they are awake now. It's not safe for me to put them on the floor (Niamh 'loves' them a little rough!) so I think they are almost ready for their activity centre thingies (my friend Julie bought one for us when the boys were born and we already had one from Niamh!) Maybe just a few more weeks and they will have better torso control - then they will really enjoy them.

Lachlan is almost at the end of his school year - then my baby will be moving up into the big school and be a big year one boy! I can't believe how fast he's growing too. I am really noticing his attitude changing a lot lately - he is wanting a little bit of independence and becoming much more aware of what is 'cool' amongst his peers. I must remember to give him lots of extra cuddles because I know it will be all too soon that he decides he is too big for that too :(

Cody is..... well..... Cody is Cody! he is a ratbag but he keeps us amused all the time. He will be off to kindy two days a week next year and I think it will be great for him. He seems to be bored at home and when he is bored he makes his own entertainment by tormenting his siter (and his mother!) I think he's going to really love school - he already adores his 'kindy' (a three year old program he attends for three ours every Thursday) and he is such a chatty social little guy that I know he won't have any problems making friends and fitting in.

Niamh is my gorgeous baby girl who is now TWO!! I can't believe how fast she is changing too - she is a real little mummy and loves to follow me around the house playing with her babies (dolls) and doing all the things that I do. I have bought her the most gorgeous little play kitchen for her birthday and I really hope she likes it! I can see her getting lots of use out of it for many years to come and it is the most adorable chunky wood in pastel girly colours - really cute!! (sounds like I want to play with it huh?)

Well, I had better get going and do some things but I promise to come back and post some birthday photos next week!

Marnie

Week two of the holidays...

I can't believe how busy we have been lately! Things should start to settle down now but I am left in a HUGE mess and this house looks like a disaster zone.

Last weekend was Wendy and Matt's wedding. We had a wonderful day - the weather turned out nice for us and Wendy looked absolutely gorgeous! the venue was beautiful (Burswood on the Swan) and the reception was great fun - I think everyone there had a fantastic night :) I know I had a great time as did the other bridesmaids ;) (and contrary to popular belief we weren't THAT drunk - just cheery and as anyone who knows me and Wendy would know, a little bit silly :D) The kids spent the night at my parents in law's house and seemed to have a good time, the babies came with us.

This last week has been a bit of a blur but I know we spent a fair bit of time with Darrin and Claire who were over from England for the wedding and a quick visit. It was great to see them again (It had been three years since I last saw my brother!) and really nice to see the kids getting to know them and spend some time with them - it's a little bit sad that they are gone again now :(

We all went to the zoo on Wed (Mum, Dad, Kim, Haydn, Emily, Taylah, Darrin, Claire, Me, Lachie, Cody, Niamh, Max and Blake) and we got rained on all day long! It was a bit soggy but the kids didn't care - it just adds to the adventure for them. Lots of the animals seemed to be hiding from the rain (or maybe they were just hiding from our noisy bunch, LOL!) but we all left the zoo at 5pm having had a big day and enjoying ourselves.

Last night Lachlan had his first tee ball training session and he is so excited! Last year he played pee wees but this year he is in juniors and I believe they actually play fixtured games this season (should be interesting, LOL!) Cody is playing pee wees this year too so looks like my Saturday mornings are going to be devoted to the local tee ball oval for the summer months! (fun with three babies in tow, huh?) Dan is going to have to start working Saturdays again so I am on my own :( They have both picked up their uniforms now and they are breaking their necks to get to wear them, they keep trying to sneak out the back yard with them on, ha ha ha!

Max and Blake have been going really well. They are getting so big (must get them weighed again soon!) and to me, they look like regular three month olds now. I can't believe we have come so far in such a short time. For the most part they eat, sleep, wake for a short while then repeat the process all day long. They are realy starting to interact with us a lot more and if we try we can even get giggles out of them now (so cute!)

I am really finding 5 kids a struggle a lot of the time and as a result have been a bit of a grump lately - I really desperately need to get some organisation in this house as I know that will help us out a lot. Dan is about to start 12 hour days again and pick up Saturdays so I will be alone a lot more than I even am now, therefore will need to gain a bit more control of the housework and kids behaviours in order to keep my sanity - I'll let you know how I go, LOL! (I don't hold out a whole lot of hope for the sanity - I think it was on it's way out the door a while back!)

Marnie

Yippee for school holidays!

Two full weeks of not having to get five kids organised for the morning school run!

Actually today Lachlan and Cody went to the Perth Royal Show with Mum and Dad, Darrin and Claire so my day was quite peaceful - I only had three kids to look after, LOL! The big boys have just come home now and by the sounds of it they had a fantastic day. Lachlan was sound asleep when they got in but my little chatterbox Cody was bright eyed and full of stories about their day. I love how he gets so animated when he is talking about stuff he loves, so cute!

Dan worked a long day today and didn't get in till about 8.30 tonight. He then ate dinner and went straight to bed so I have pretty much been on my own all day. It's not always a good thing to spend so much time alone as I begin to think about stuff too much.

I have been dwelling on the past a fair bit lately, I just can't seem to shake the bad feelings that the twins birth and subsequent start to life brought us :( I am trying really hard to get over it and if I don't have time to stop and think about it all I can handle it but then something will happen to make all those feelings resurface and I get very teary and emotional about it all over again (like that telethon add that keeps flashing up the tiny baby on CPAP). I re-read my blog entries tonight and I am amazed at how far these little guys have come but It still feels so raw to me (though to look at them now you would never even know) I am aware that I have been so very lucky and that we seem to have no long standing medical issues so I even feel a little guilty having 'issues' about all of this but I feel such a deep sense of loss surrounding the circumstances of their first few weeks and what should have been a joyous time.

part of me thinks that I just need to get over it and move on - so why do I keep on having these thoughts? why dwell on it when everything is fine now? who knows? maybe it's a natural part of being able to process everything that happened so that I can move on... up until now I haven't really had the time to stop and reflect so maybe that's all it is.

Anyhow, Everything is great - all the kids are healthy and although I am sometimes a little bit down because I am so tired I am also counting my blessings and trying to remember to enjoy this time while all the kids are so young as I know it will be gone in the blink of an eye. The bigger kids all adore their little brothers and love to make them smile and 'talk' to them. There is nothing nicer than to watch them all interact with the babies and to see that love between them - those are the times that I am reminded that all the sleeplessness and craziness is worth it!

Above are some gorgeous photos taken the other day by my sister, Kim.

M.

General update.

It's a quiet house here today so i thought I would take the opportunity to update my blog!

Lachlan and Cody have gone with their Nanna and Poppy to Narrogin speedway for the afternoon so we have had a nice quiet day with the three littlies. All three babies had a sleep at the same time and I did nothing (not that I had nothing to do, LOL!)

Now we have just been for a walk around the estate here and I am feeling pretty good for it! I have been on a major weight loss campaign here in an attempt to loose some post baby belly and get ready for my cousin Wendy's wedding on the 6th Oct (I am chief bridesmaid) So far I have lost 4.5kg but I would love to loose about another 5kilos. Obviously I won't make that goal before the wedding but I'll see what I can manage. I am determined to keep on exercising too. Most of the time I can't be bothered but when I do make the time for it I feel so much happier with myself.

Things around here have been good. The babies now weigh a hefty 5.5kg and are doing great. We trialled coming off the antacid medicaton this week - what a mistake that was!! We have now gone back on it and we're waiting for it to kick in and take effect so that these whinging miserable babes can be replaced with my usual placid and non-demanding babies! The poor little men have been spewing sooooo much and screaming with the pain of reflux :( Other than that they have been really well though. I have been surprised at how tough they have been since coming home from hospital actually - they had a cold a week ago and I was sure it would develop into some sort of infection for them but both came through the other side of it fairly quickly with no further complications - I think we have some pretty tough little guys here.

Cody has been driving me batty. He is my most challenging child by far at the moment! I love him to pieces but sometimes I just wonder what is wrong with him - he is like a little ball of energy most of the time and he can't control himself, he just has far too much fun tormenting his siblings and making them yell! I think a lot of it might be to do with boredom so I am hoping that once he gets to kindy next year he might become a little more manageable. I am actually thinking af attending a triple P program to see if I can brush up on any strategies to help deal with him a little better. I am so sick of screaming at the kids all the time and I know that there are better (more effective) ways of dealing with them. *sigh* why can't they stay little babies forever - at least then they don't develop attitudes and talk back LOL!

Lachlan is doing school swimming lessons at the moment. He seems to be really enjoying it! He asked me to come down to the pools and watch but it is so hard to get out and do things like that. I did manage to have the four littlies looked after by Kim the other day so I could go and watch and he was so pleased that I was there - i feel guilty for not being able to give him the time that some of his friends mum's can give their kids :( I might have to see if I can manage it again this week at least once, even if I have to take all the kids with me and make them sit in the pram (although I can just see how well it will go down to take Cody and Niamh to the pool and not let them swim!!)

Oh well, I'd better get going and figure out what's for tea in this house - I promise to try and update a little more often!

M.

Things here have been pretty hectic - but nothing out of the ordinary :)

The twins are growing so fast now, I can't believe how small they once were. They are now 12 (nearly 13) weeks old and I'm not too sure how much they weigh. I am getting them weighed on Mon so I will know then but I am guessing over 4 kilo each now? The last few days they have been quite unsettled and chucky so I am hoping that it's just a stage they are going through

We had our friends over today and it was crazy but fun :) between the five of us we had 11 kids here (and that was with all the older siblings at school, LOL!) They all had a great day and my little ones enjoyed catching up with some other kids and having a play - sometimes I think they are going a little stir-crazy when I try to stay at home all the time (the effort required to load everyone up in the car and go out often outweighs the benefit of actually going!)

I am drowning in washing and struggling to get out of my PJ's most days but in general I am loving being the mum to five kids! I love the craziness and the noise, I love the playing and the fun, I love the fighting to a much lesser degree - but hey! You can't have everything :) I am finding that there are a lot of people out there prepared to pass judgement and make rude comments about our choice to have 5 kids but I am greatful for the few people I hear make comments like "double the joy" or congratulate me on my beautiful kids. I try to ignore those who make rude unnecessary comments - I tend to think they must be a little jealous! At least I will never be lonely or bored LOL! My friend had a great comeback today that I must remember - next time someone says "geez, you have too many kids" (like the rude lady in Target the other day) I should say back very loudly -" I guess one is too many for some people!" (with a tone that infers - I MEAN YOU!) I know I will never regret having any of my kids but if I hadn't gone ahead and had that fourth (and fifth) one I may very well have had regrets! Life is crazy, I am tired but I am HAPPY :)

Still here!

Gosh! where is the time disappearing to? The boys are now 10 weeks old and going great guns :) I had them weighed the other day and they were 3.6 and 3.8 kilos ( Blake being slightly bigger now) They are really filling out and losing that newborn baby look by the day :( I am sad that they are changing as I want to remember every moment of how they are now, all precious and snuggly and small - but at the same time I am so proud of them and how they have come along! They have already shown us what strong little men they are and I have a feeling that nothing is going to stop them now!

The other kids are all going really well too at the moment. We have finally gotten rid of all the flu and cold bugs in this house now (they were all seriously sick for about 8 full weeks - it was wearing very thin!) Lachlan is acting so grown up these days too. He is proud of his big brother status and spends a lot of time trying to show me how grown up he can be - it's really cute to see! He is so gentle with the babies too and loves to give them cuddles and kisses. Cody is a little more full on (that's just his personality) but he is so funny! He says the cutest things and I love to see how his mind works. He comes out with quirky little facts all the time - like tonight we were just sitting there and he says " Owls have big wide eyes so they can see in the dark and they wake up at night time and sleep in the day time" I have no idea where he learned that from but that's so typical of him - I think he is a pretty clever little guy and he'll do really well at school next year. Niamh is my little miss with attitude at the moment - she's just lucky she's so darned cute! She's a bit of a bossy boots and she knows her mind but she has such personality too! Mum and Dad say she is a lot like me as a child - god help her, LOL!

At the moment our day to day life consists of feeding babies and changing their bums 24/7. I am still waiting to see a smile from the bubs but Kim says she got one yesterday from Max and Dana was here and saw the end of it! The sad thing is that I would love to catch a smile but I am never sitting down talking or playing with them. I am always so busy trying to hurry up so I can do the next thing on my list that I don't get the chance to enjoy them. I really must try to remember to take the time to enjoy them both as they are because I know how fast it will all change.