Out with the old

Warning: Today's post is VERY self indulgent and not in the least bit modest. If you can get past that, please keep reading.

So, it's almost 9am on New Years Eve 2012. I'm in a reflecting kinda mood today. I'm looking back on my 2012 and what I have achieved. So here it is

• We got to bring Darling Daughter (DD) home at 22 days
• Even though we had no end of trouble breastfeeding, she had EBM (Expressed Breast Milk) for at least one feed a day for 7 months
• She was baptised on her 7 month birthday
• I realised that YES! I can do this
• I learnt that DD's spew down the front of my shirt at 3am while watching Charmed isn't that bad
• We've taught DD to say Mum-mum, Daddy, Hey, Bubba, Boo and the new ones Pup and Puppa Peh (Peppa Pig) oh, and Hoo hoo (Hoot)
• It IS possible to get excited about poop
• Some baby foods taste pretty good, others pretty ordinary
• We've started raising one bloody awesome kid
• I've done a bloody good job to get her as far as she has come (and so has she!!)
  
  and
  
• Being a mum is the best job I've ever had
  
  

Sure, there are times when I get frustrated when DD does things she knows are wrong (you say No! and she gets sooky).

One of my workmates summed it up best on Melbourne Cup day when we went to visit, "Sarah, when you said you were pregnant, I really couldn't imagine you as a mum. Now, seeing you with DD, I can't imagine you any other way."

This statement, from someone who I count as a friend, sums up exactly how I've felt every day since finding out I was pregnant. 

I'll most likely sleep through the New Years celebrations, so will hubby and DD. But for those of you who will see it in, please have fun and stay safe.

Here's to you, my followers and readers. You've made a new blogger feel very welcome. This is post 21, so it's like my 21st all over again.

Wishing you and your friends and families a very happy, prosperous, safe and exciting 2013. See you on the flipside! 

Done for another year

Wow. What a huge few days. Darling Daughter (DD) turned one on Saturday. It was a great day, but also a bit emotional for me. We woke up before her, but made sure all her presents we had were out before we went to bed. We were very careful to only get her a few things, knowing that our families and friends would spoil her. 

I have a radio station that I listen to, every day, with DD (it's our TV off time) and she loves dancing to the music, so I contacted the host and he added in her details for a birthday announcement. I'm that sentimental, I got out my phone and recorded it. And I got a bit teary. 

We simply spent family time together (except for my two trips to the supermarket for bags of ice) until it was time for her birthday party. The weather was pretty good considering weather reports said we had an 80% chance of rain. 

DD was placed in her playpen, in the middle of all of us, and as people arrived, the circle got bigger and so did the pile of presents. I can say that we know the most generous people! 

We did things a bit different - we didn't have games or nibblies, just sat around for about 30 minutes to allow all of our guests to arrive (my cousin had to work late) and once everyone was here, we cut the cake. 

And it made me sad to do so. Why? Well, DD is obsessed with Giggle and Hoot. Mainly Hoot. We can be anywhere in the house, and if she hears the theme song, she gets so excited and starts trying to say Hoot and dances. 

So the lovely mum of a girl (I can't stop calling us girls, sorry) I went to school with made us a butter cream, chocolate mudcake Hoot. I thought a marzipan icing Hoot might be a bit much for a one year old to handle. Hubby and I ate Hoot's legs, which were wafers. Hoot has been so awesome, that a week after picking him up, we still have a little bit of his head/face! It has lasted so well! We let DD have a bit of cake to mush in her fingers (a normal serving size) and to eat. She even loved sitting up in her "big girl" Disney Princess camp chair, because our other young guests were doing it. 

I cracked a bottle of Chandon Vintage Brut (2008) that I bought on our honeymoon in 2011 and was saving for a special occassion. I figured after everything we had been through DD's first birthday was special enough.

Having Christmas just three days later was huge! Again, family and friends spoilt all three of us rotten. Our house looks like a toy store, with ALL sorts of things, from baby pianos, to walkers and stuffed toys littering our lounge room floor. But you know what? I wouldn't change it for the world. I think inside I like having them so close together because I know I don't have to worry about any of it for another year. 

I do wonder what DD will think when she is older, but if she says anything, I'll just remind her that she was the impatient one who couldn't wait to meet Mummy and Daddy.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that you have a safe, happy, healthy and prosperous 2013!

Thank you for sticking by me for the first couple of months!

Another award? Aw, shucks!

Tegan at Musings of the Misguided has kindly nominated me for another award - the Liebster Award. I am feeling very special lately, as it's the second one she has nominted me for.

What is the Liebster Award, I hear you ask.

"The award  is given to support and recognise up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers (on their blog) or likers (on their Facebook page). The word “Liebster” apparently has German origins and is reported to mean sweetest,  kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. By following some basic rules (answer 11 questions set by your nominee, write 11 questions of your own and pass the award onto 11other  bloggers to answer) it enables readers to get to know new bloggers and connect  with a wider audience."

Now herein lies a problem. I don't know 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers. I know Ann at Help!! I'm Stuck!! has already done her Liebster Award post, and all the other blogs I follow are quite popular. I feel terrible that I have no one else to pass this on to, so if you stumble across this post, and I haven't liked your Facebook page or follow your blog, please post the link in the comments, or find me on FB at Just One More Chapter and post your link or page there.

My question from Tegan are:

How long have you been blogging? Honestly, about 5 minutes. This is only post number 19 for me.

What was the first Blog you read? Musings of the Misguided.

How did you come up with the name for your Blog? I read a lot, and always tell myself to read "just one more chapter" before bed.

Summer or Winter? Winter - I hate feeling hot and sticky, I'm not a pool person and airconditioning costs a fortune to run. At least in Winter, I can just chuck on some jeans or trackpants and a jumper and be happy.

How do you start your day? Some days with a trip to the gym, others I get up to my one year old daughters babbling.

One thing you couldn't live without? My family

If you were stuck on a deserted island, who is one person you would like to be stuck with? Macguyver - he could get me out of any mess we find ourselves in and back home quick smart, with just a stick and a palm frond. And Richard Dean Anderson was kinda hot back then.

Your favourite indulgence food? Chocolate. I think. Or any food that I go out and eat that I don't have to cook or clean up after

Do you blog to a schedule? I usually always try to have an IBOT (I Blog On Tuesdays) post, but missed this week. Otherwise it's just when I get the fancy to do it.

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? With my husband and daughter in Tasmania

Are you ready for Christmas? I think so. We've got a first birthday to get through first!

Food for the soul

I have to admit that I love eating out. I love it when someone else cooks and cleans up for me.

My Darling Husband (DH) has a rep who always used to take us out. Since bub though, we've only been invited 3 times and able to go once. Darling Daughter (DD) was sick twice.

It was great. We have sampled so many of the restaurants in our town, that I admit I am missing it. 

And now we are on a single income, it's even tougher. So, of course, I jumped at the chance to have lunch with the lovely Tegan, from Musings of the Misguided. Our first choice of venue was fully booked out. It was our own bad luck, as we hadn't booked a table. But luckily a new place has opened up in the last few months, so off we went.

I have to admit, I think in the hour or so we sat there, I must have talked her ear off. 

I left our little lunch feeling so calm, happy and refreshed. She had organised to go to lunch with me on the hardest week so far, and managed to keep my mind off the 'bad' stuff. 

If I could afford to do this all the time, I would. There's something about good food, great company and the fact you don't have to cook or wash up afterwards that is just so soothing for the soul. 

I've linked up with Tegan today for her reader's choice. Plus, look out for my second post today! It will be up soon, so only a short one now.

And so it begins

I need to get this out there. I need to talk about it, but when I've tried talking to Dear Husband (DH) he just shoots me down, telling me to forget about it, don't think about it. 

He doesn't realise that it's just not that easy.

Today marks 12 months since the scary rollercoaster started. It's when my waters broke, when we thought I'd just wet myself.

When we presented at the hospital. For the midwife to look at me with sad eyes and tell me that my waters were gone.

That agonising wait for the doctor to show up.

The doctor giving the midwife a signal to say I was dilating already.

Waiting with my mum for DH to come back from picking my bag up.

Knowing that I was only allowed to walk to the toilet, and even then I had to go slowly.

Going into the Special Care Nursery (SCN) for the first time to see where our baby WOULD go, regardless.

Back to the wondering what had I done wrong? Why was my baby coming early? Would he/she be ok? Had I eaten something? Had I caught something? 

There's a part in the back of my mind today that's replaying everything I did up until it all happened. From when I was at the shops, to helping mum, talking to my aunt.

Occassionally, it get's too overwhelming and I need to shake myself, and look at my precious little girl and focus on the awesome day coming up on the weekend. Her very first birthday. 

I want to know if other premmie parents go through this, but I'm too scared to ask because as much as I want to know, I guess I don't want to know. I really hope this year is as bad as it gets. This is why my Christmas shopping is all done and dusted and all my presents wrapped. 

That's it from me today. You know that my mind is addled, I'm a bit scattered and scarred. But we will be ok. You can bet on that!

Sunshine Award

Wow! Thank you to Tegan at Musings of the Misguided for my Sunshine Award

I feel so very honoured to receive this after such a short time blogging. 

“The Sunshine Award is an award given by bloggers to other bloggers. The recipients of the Sunshine Award are: “Bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogsphere”. The way the award works is this: Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them. Answer questions about yourself. Select 10 of your favourite bloggers, link their blogs to your post and let them know they have been awarded the Sunshine Award!”

Now for the fun part, the questions!

1. Favourite Time of the Year? Spring or autumn... Not too hot, not too cold

2. Favourite Festive movie? A Christmas Carol - the Disney version. What can I say, I'm a big kid at heart

3. What is your Passion? My family. Making the world as best of a place as I can for them. Does that count?   

4. Favourite Colour? Purple... We have LOTS of purple.

5. Favourite time of the Day? Anytime Darling Daughter (DD) is happy

6. Favourite Flower? Oriental lillies

7. Favourite Non-Alcoholic Beverage? Well, you can get this Mt Franklin Sparkling Mineral Water with hint of lime. It tastes just like a vodka, lime and soda, without the voddy.

8. Favourite Physical Activity? Getting on the treadmill or BodyStep classes

9. Favourite Vacation? Tassie, Melbourne, Great Ocean Road and the Grampians. We want to take DD as soon as we can afford it.

Now, I've tagged you! So let's go!!

1. ISophie
2. Little Bento Blog
3. Adventures of a Subversive Reader (And Baby Squirm)
4. One Mother Hen
5. always Josefa
6. Teapots and Tractors
7. Francesca Writes Here
8. Learning to Play and Playing to Learn
9. BeckyandJames.com
10. Heart Mama

My abbreviations

This post is in response to a comment I have received. I'm going to try and think of all the abbreviations I use and may use whilst I write my blog. This will be short and sweet.

IBOT - I Blog On Tuesday - I team up with a lovely lady, Jess, who has her own blog at Essentially Jess

DH - Darling Husband but occassionally I think it's otherwise

DD - Darling Daughter

Honestly, for the life of me, I can't think of anything else at the moment, but if there are others, please reply in the comments and I'll get back to you!