Blog This ... Baby Love

Baby Love.....
I love their soft chubby cheeks. So plump and round that you just want to pinch and kiss them. My little Jacob was one of those chubby cheeked babies and I just adored the way his face would almost double in size when he smiled with those cheeks. He still has some of that adorable baby chubbiness but with each active month he is growing up more to be a boy than that baby I once cradled in my arms. A toddler with an mind for exploring and discovering his world and getting bigger all the time .... a sometimes Mr Terrible Two but not really he'll always my baby.

My all time fav photo with his blonde wig. It always makes me laugh.  

 Fully focused on the camera

Jacob and Ash

Double cheeked and a dimple too.  

Chuckling with laughter.

Blog This is having a photo challenge and this one is called Baby Love. Come and join in the fun with your adorable baby photos.

Lily Bag in Lorenza

I recently got this beautiful fabric from Alexander Henry's Lorenza collection. It's been on my wishlist for so long and I finally my hands on some of it. The first thing I love about this print are the bold colours and I'm always a fan of retro looking floral prints. The design just makes a statement with this print and you can use it for day or night.

So to start off my first handmade bag using this fabric, I came up this this design which is quite similar to my Dahlia Bags but using a zip as the closure and having an adjustable strap so that it can be used as a shoulder bag or a message bag. 

My newest bag .... the Lily Bag using Lorenza in Onyx by Alexander Henry.... and so named Lily after an aunty and also to go with all my other bags named after flowers!

I've use Lorenza in Onyx by Alexander Henry and black cotton drill for the contrast. It is fully lined with beige cotton drill and interfaced to make it sturdy and all seams are reinforced. It has 2 inner pockets for your purse, ipod and phone; and another inner pocket with a zip and a swivel clip for your keys. The bag closes with a zip closure.

Measurements:

Width Top: 13"

Width (Widest): 16"

Depth: 3"

Height: 12"

Adjustable Strap Length: 21.5" - 36" nickel sliders

Interior has 2 pockets and 1 zip pocket

1 x Zipper Pocket: (W)9" x (L) 6"

1 x Pocket: (W)8" x (L)5.5"

You can win this bag by entering Blog This - Challenge 72 If I Could Change The World

"If you were boss of the world, what is one thing you would change? Just one."

13 years ago on the same day

13 years ago on the same day I was suppose to have one of the best presents of all my Valentine's Days. It was the due date for my baby girl, a beautiful gift that for 9 months we had felt move and grow, a face which we were yet to see but was so familiar to us. 


The day came and it was filled with anticipation for our new member of the family. The bags were packed weeks ago, the cot was made up and all her new clothes had been washed and arranged in the drawer. Our baby was on her way home and all we had to do was wait for her arrival.


I had read all the books and was given lots of motherly advice to prepare me for this day but I guess nothing can prepare you for an event such as this. Nothing really goes to plan and there's always a few hiccups along the way. So the day passed and I was scheduled for a check up with the obgyn just to keep track with our weekly appointments and if today was going to happen then it would. 


Nothing happened that day and everything was going smoothly but today was just not "the day". So we waited over the weekend and the following Monday on the 16th I gave birth to a little girl with hardly any hair just a fine spray of golden brown, and a tiny little nose, the smallest hands but with the longest fingers and the daintiest feet. All so sweet and perfect in our eyes, my little girl Ashley.


I always remember Valentine's Day for this being the due date, a day held with so much anticipation for our first born. Even though she wasn't born on this day we had put so much into waiting for this day and it is still a special day for the ones we love the most. 


Our daughter is now an almost teenager and will be officially one this coming Wednesday. She's been my best friend over the years and I'm so amazed to see her growing up and moving forward with what lies ahead in her future. She is not with us now but has moved back to Sydney to go back to start highschool. Embarking on a journey without us but holding up so strongly on her own with the things we have taught her and blossoming into her own person. 


We sent her to study and live with my family and to have an experience of a lifetime. It was a decision that was not made lightly but one with a heart of love for her to grow to her best potential. I made that same journey at age 10 when I was sent back to Australia from Holland and my husband was 12 years old when he was sent to boarding school. In a perfect world we would all be in the same place together but she is in the right place now. 


She loves her new school and has made many new friends and we spend everyday chatting away as we have always done but now on a mic and using Skype to exchange gossip, advise and a window to connect us when we are so many miles apart. I'm happy for her and can't wait to see her everyday. She always puts a smile to our faces and today is one day that I just want to say how much I love her. Happy Valentine's Day Ash. We love you. 

It has been a long time since a joined a challenge for Blog This and I'm happy to reconnect with this piece for Blog This: Ghosts of Valentines Past.


... I've been away for a while, a break which I thought would be short but I'm back again and moving forward with a whole new year ahead of me. A new beginning but one I look forward to sharing. 

The Good Deed

Blog This Challenge 39


So friends, tell us about a good deed you have done for someone or vice-versa. Or how someone elses' good deed that you have learned about has affected you.. did you learn from it? How did it make you feel?  Was it a disaster?  Did it uplift you?

Fifteen months ago I had a baby, a beautiful baby boy, my youngest child. From the day he was born I have been so overwhelmed with love for this little boy, Jacob, warm and snuggled in my arms. On day 16, Boxing Day 2008, my 35th birthday he was admitted to Neonatal ICU at our local women and children's hospital.

Before Jacob was born I had an AFP (alpha fetal protein) test which came back with abnormal results based on the levels indicative of an increased risk of having a Down Syndrome baby 1:120 and a possible need for amniocentesis. I was crushed.....We decided not to have an amnio with all the risks associated with it and would accepted Jacob as he was. Our dr was very supportive and conducted an diagnostic ultrasound to check for any of the DS markers; spinal defect, nasal bone, etc and there were no abnormalities but he continuously checked on these every time he took an ultrasound. It was a blow to us emotionally when we first got the results as we had gotten to know Jacob thru his 3D ultrasound, esp. seeing him sucking his thumb and feeling him move inside, and so when I gave birth to Jacob and everything went well it was a joyful time for us.

When we brought Jacob home from hospital, his bilirubin test spiked to a high level of 188. It was stressful time once again with daily trips to the clinic for blood tests. We were relieved when his results improved but concerned when his hourly feeds and weight didn't add  up. He was looking thinner each day and I could tell that something wasn't right. He never complained, never cried out of hunger but his body was wasting away losing all his baby fat. We naturally thought at first that it was post baby weight loss and when I got the community nurses at the clinic to examined him they said he was fine. 

At day 12 he had lost 400g and to me that was too much. The days passed and Christmas came and still Jacob grew thinner. My sister-in-law, J, an RN was gravely concerned when we met up for Christmas and asked us to get Jacob re-examined the next day. 


On the morning of the 26th Jacob was taken by ambulance to ICU, he had lost a total of more than  900g since the day he was born, 1/3 of his birth weight. I was deeply worried when he was admitted to the hospital. I completely broke down riding in the ambulance with him and cried for him, feeling so utterly helpless that I couldn't do anything for him. It was an emotional rollercoaster for all of us.

So when Jacob was admitted, we were so taken to heart when we were met by the paediatrician Dr F, and the other doctors and nurses. Some would come by to after their shift to see him and just stop by to talk. The all seem to go out of their way for Jacob and everyone knew about him. They were so giving with their encouragement, kindness and understanding for what we were going through. It made such a positive impact on us and Jacob's recovery.

Jacob was in NeoICU level 2 for 10 days and I was roomed in with the other mothers at ICU. . He never made a fuss when they were taking blood from him everyday or examining him and he always had a smile in his eyes. Jacob was tube feed, and later I was able to breastfeed, and supplement feed him. He had numerous tests, blood cultures done, and xrays to rule out any abnormalities. His little hands and feet were constantly pricked with IV cannulas for antibiotics.... so many tiny holes in such little hands. Daily weighs and the ups and downs with his weight, a cheer for every gram he gained. I think he just knew he was in good hands and when he was diagnosed with "failure to  thrive" he changed that to "thriving to survive".

Several times during Jacob's stay in hospital my sister-in-laws, Josephine, Judy and Bree all took  turns coming in to help with feeds and just be there for us. My SILs took care of everything for my husband and me, the older kids were looked after, home cooked food was brought in and they were my rock for my many melt downs I had in hospital. They took charge amongst themselves and gave so much of their time from their busy schedules to be there for this little boy. I was totally taken aback with all they had done for us, it brought us closer than before.  They had gone out of their way to show us that through their selfless good deeds that family is everything. They never asked for anything, no recognition, they were just helping us out when we needed it the most. 

I look at him now and see a chubby little boy with an infectious smile, and a body so full of energy to taste, see and explore his little world but some times I remember how his young life started out. It is still a raw moment in time and one day I'll tell Jacob his story and all those wonderful people who gave him a start to life. I hope that this will inspire him to cherish the life he has and that all acts of kindness is a light in this world for those in need.

 I started to take pictures daily documenting his every move from the time Jacob came out of hospital, sometimes a dozen at a time. I guess I wanted a reminder for myself that he was doing well each day....that he was ok.

Under the Green Mango Sky

Blog This - A room with a view.

Take a photo and/or share a photo of your favourite view. Is it from your bed, a holiday a local lookout? Why do you love it?

This side of the island is green and lush; of tropical pink purple orange hue sunsets and a thousand scents and sights only the eye can see.

I live on the top floor of 80s inspired apartment block, right at the edge of the city, where the city lights end and green jungles of life collide.

I wake up daily in the early hours of the morning with sleep still in my eyes and a crying baby in my arms. The air is still cool from the night's slumber and the life outside is about to come to life.

The birds are chirping amongst the mango trees and the cars steadily starting to hum with daily goings.

I draw the curtains back as I hush my baby to sleep and graze and marvel at a sight so natural and sweet.

My green mango sky.......................................