What Kisses did.

We took the T@B away on the weekend! I don't suppose you can actually classify it as "camping" when you book into Cairns Coconut Village and there's an abundance of conveniences on hand and Macca's a kilometre up the road for breakfast! The Cook Island and Samoan football team were staying there as well, so there were lots of well defined, smooth, tanned and tattooed bods to admire while lounging around the pool - lucky Anakin had his floaties on with my wandering attention! JOKES!


Actually getting away was so much effort for my poor body. I'd worked Thursday and Friday too (waking up at 3:30 for a wee and not getting back to sleep again is not the greatest way to start a working day). Friday arve after picking up Anakin from Nick's I came home to pack and organise the caravan, after over 2 hours of that my back was totally Fu-barred. I curled up in bed in the faetal position whimpering. It sucks being lame.

I got to go op-shopping Saturday morning and then Izzy (who was in Cairns with his dad) came to hang out with us once we had the camp set up. (Our latest conversations together are like a competition on who can say "corporate sellout" the most in one sentence.) We swam in all the pools and played basketball (well they did) and the boys rode around on their scooters. We ate watermelon and I even had the fine china packed for when Tiff came around for a cuppa.

Saturday night Anakin fell asleep on the way to a friends 30th, themed, "80's Glam Rock". The birthday boy "Hairy-Dan"* had downloaded a huge collection of filmclips from the era - all the stuff we use to play at high school socials, and everyone was dressed up Poison-Whitesnake-Guns-n-Roses style, it was deadly. He lives in a beautiful "boogie nights" style house way on top of a hill with the best views in Cairns. Anakin stayed asleep for a couple of hours but woke up when a drunken, rowdy "Happy Birthday" was sung. We left Greg and his mates to their revelry after that and we took the truck back to the caravan park where I spent the rest of the night half awake waiting for his return (at a very eventual 4am!)

* It's funny. Some of our friends have special names we use so the boys know who we're talking about. We'll be like "Blah blah blah Trent blah blah blah". And they'll go "WHO??" And we'll be "You know. Shaved-down-monkey." And they'll go "OH Yeah." The kids have got new nicknames in the last year of so. Izzy is know as "Squidly" or "Squidy". I rang him when he was suppose to be at the Youth Club one afternoon and he was swimming in the Banyan Creek instead, one of his mates answered the phone with "SQUIDY'S IN THE WATER!!" Now when he's in the shower I creep up to the back louvers and sing out "SQUIDY'S IN THE WATER!" Jack's known to family as "Skinhead" or "Skinned Pig" (very foundly I might add.) And Charlie likes to be know as "Charred Piglet". For reasons unknown. Maybe because we call him Char for short and he is the Skinned Pig's little brother...

One of the pools at the caravan park has a big novelty whale with water squirting from it's spout and a kiddies slide going through the middle. Anakin kept climbing inside and saying "Mum, watch me! I'm in the whales gulp!" Ha ha. He mistakingly says "Gulp" instead of "Gob". Makes more sense anyway... He often makes up his own meanings for words or sayings. Today he was telling me "Do you know what Chop-chop means? It means: Let's fight." I said "No. It means: Hurry up; Get moving." I know he'll stick with his own definition.

We had Izzy home with us for three days last week. He needed time off school and we nursed him back to health (with chopped-up pineapple, watermelon, french-toast and all his favourite dinners) after picking up a cold. (Well, the Swine Flu, according to him. I'm sure if he could think up a worse case scenario he would!) It was Anakin's turn this week and my sister and all her family. I'm amazed I haven't gone down with it - with Anakin's fixation on licking my face and the amount of big-slobby kisses he insists on giving me all the time. I try to tell him Daddy's the only one that's allowed to give me big wet kisses and that he can give his girlfriend toungies when he's old enough to have one. He reckons "You're going to be my girlfriend Mum!" No, but I'll ALWAYS be your Mumma.

Should be lesson planning..

Well I suppose the one good thing about limping around on a permanantly cramped calf musle all day is that it takes some of my brain's focus off the excruciating back and hips and pelvis! Geez, now I well and truly identify with the way they portray pregnant women on tele waddling around, easing themselves awkwardly into chairs .... You should see me getting around! I look like a car wreck. I remind myself of Nana swaying to and fro on her little bowed legs. I think I need some magnesium in a big way, I get cramps in my toes, calves, hips and intercostal muscles. I hurriedly reach down to try and ease one cramp in the middle of the night and end up giving myself another one somewhere else! It's bloody ridiculous! Greg's been very generous with his massages, the sweetheart.


I'm going to do two days a week at school for a few weeks so I can finish up about a month early. Greg's parents should be back in the North by then too, I'm sure they'd love to look after me a bit.

Anakin is so keen for his "Little Brother". He's such a sweet boy. He was just waking up yesterday morning and we were all snuggled up in bed. He had his legs draped over my big fat belly and all of a sudden he sat up with this look of absolute wonder on his face. He could feel the baby's hiccups and he was transfixed. Last night he had a real good giggle before bedtime feeling the Bubby's little heel/toes jutting right out and sliding backwards and forwards just under the surface. I wish I had that particular laugh recorded on my phone as a ring tone - that'd be so cool. He's always cuddling my belly and cooing "You are SO beautiful Baby." He gives a nudge when he can't feel any action and says "Wakey, wakey Little Brother."


I had the ladies back for hot date scones, shortbreads and tea yesterday morning. It was much more relaxed with the big kids in school and just the littlies here. The marchies have eased right off now, so we were able to hang around out under the shade of the caravan annex too.

I've modified and redrawn the floor plans for the virtual house on the block a few more times lately. We actually managed to talk through a few issues without arguing last night!

Silence is Golden.

A couple weekends ago when I was flicking through the real estate guide I came across a photo of the inside of a house that looked really familiar. I quickly worked it out to be the house in Edge Hill where I went to a "Heaven and Hell" themed Halloween party 9 years ago, the party where I met Greg!! The picture even showed the "leafy indoor atrium" that our very first conversation revolved around! That is wild! Here it is:

It's an urgent liquidation sale. Imagine how romantic it'd be if Greg and I ended up purchasing the very house we first laid eyes on each other. I keep day dreaming about it!

Anakin is having his third sleep over at Mum's. Greg and I actually got the bed all to ourselves ALL night. Woot woot! Of course we made the most of that situation ;) Pity another calf cramp jolted me awake at 6o'clock and I didn't get to sleep in.. the joys of pregnancy.

I must of had about 50 braxton hicks contractions when I was shopping in Cairns on Thursday. It's so bloody exhausting. I have them every time I bend over! And sometimes I wake up with sore abs when they've persisted all through the night! I'm going to love my uterus being a normal size again! How can it stretch so much anyway? What is it latex?

The boys where sitting on the couch the other day and I overheard Anakin saying to Izzy "I smell something burning." Izzy goes "Yeah, I smell something burning too." And I'm like "Well if you can both smell something burning I better go check around." Then Izzy's sniffed a bit harder and gone "Oh Poh! Anakin! That stinks!" Ha ha ha. Anakin was just testing out one of his Dad's fart jokes. Greg was really proud too.

On marriage - Greg and I have picked a date next year - our relationships 10th anniversary. (I might have already said?) But whether or not it's just a registry office jobby is yet to be seen. Everytime I log into those wedding planning websites it just spins me out and scares me off. The thing is we can't really afford a huge wedding but when we think of all the people we'd love to celebrate with us - it adds up to about 100! I'd like a big party where everyone gets to dress up as a bride or groom. That'd be fun.

Anyway I better go do something else with my alone-time. I'm going to try to avoid everything I should be doing and focus on what I want to do... just after I hang up the washing..

30 down, 10 to go!

Anakin and Izzy are up at the shed doing some "weights" - the house is peaceful and quiet for a change but I can see this lasting for all of about 2 minutes. Yep - they're back. I have the T@B set up outside, with the annex and a big woven camping mat and all this comfy outdoor furniture - all the duplo is out there for Anakin to play with but the marchflies have just become CHRONIC all of a sudden and it's a ridiculous exercise in torture being out there for any length of time. Anakin has the bad habit of scratching too much and making his bites flare up so I LOATH him getting bitten even once. Usually I'm encouraging them to go out, nowadays I'm like "Quick!! Get back inside!" But the two of them together inside is a recipe for instant rowdiness. They chase each other up and down the hall screaming, wrestle on every bed and mattress in the house. ATM Anakin is imitating a peacock with a peacock feather on his head - have you ever heard a peacock call? They're f#>kn ear piercing. But that's my fault - I taught him that one.

I've been struggling to manage my Symphysis Pubis Disorder - if that's what it even is (Whoops -better uncross my legs..) I had a morning tea on Monday, a heap of ladies came over for cuppas and pastries etc except being school holidays the kids here outnumbered us about 3 to 1.

(Izzy's having a tantrum because Anakin keeps licking him - I'm getting up him for overreacting and he's trying to tell me that I'm the one who overreacts about everything.. now Anakin's stepped on his iPod - Izzy stormed off to get away from everybody and Anakin is blasting the recorder right at my side..)

Plus another school mum came with her "Learning Ladder Books" display. So I found myself flat-out all morning and up and down the whole time everyone was here. (A snapshot would have found at any one time something along these lines - toddlers tipping fish food all over Anakins room, siblings in the lounge room fighting over lego blocks, a kid ringing the dinner bell in everyones earholes, Anakin brawling with babies to try and get them to keep the door shut... you get the picture.) I hope it was relaxing for everyone else coz I didn't even get a chance for a cup of tea! (Actually considering the amount of racing around I did to keep the teapots hot and sorting out everyone elses kids, I'm pretty sure it was!) Monday night my lower back and pelvis and the tops of my legs were that sore I cried myself to sleep. It was horrible! Yesterday I tried to take it easier. Today I'm pottering around getting some housework done but not about to overdo it again that's for sure - I suffer.

The baby belly is doing okay. I'm 30 weeks today and measuring 97cm's round. He gets the hiccups everyday and it makes him run amok. Sometimes he goes bizerk for ages (usually while I'm relaxing in front of the footy) and I worry that he's having a fit in there. He hangs out on the right side, leaving the left quite empty, it's pretty uncomfortable and I try to push him over and get him a bit more centred, doesn't work. I sleep with about 4 pillows propping me up every-which-where, the hardest thing is clamouring over everyone to get out for a wee. I usually end up in Anakins queen bed for a few hours sleep on my own. His is the comfiest bed in the house anyway. I can just see me and Greg are going to end up in separate beds with one little boy each. When I'm having my early morning stretch I always need to remember to pull my feet up and NOT down - otherwise I end up with horrific calf cramps that leave behind bruises and really snap me wide awake, that's been a painful lesson to learn


(The boys are drawing quietly behind me - an absolute miracle!)

I've been sorting through 4 years worth of digital photos, making up folders for printing so have been looking at all Anakin's baby photo's again. Man, he was just the cutest little mugwai. I can't wait to have another one of these:





Izz had an awesome time on his ski-trip and came back safely in one piece. Thank the Lord. He loved snowboarding and his Dad reckoned he was a real natural at it too. He is getting so tall and has the thickest bones! He's never going to break an arm or leg that boy, he's got concrete bones! Even though I packed him all the necessary toiletries, in appealing little mini travel sizes he came back with the GREASIEST hair! I sent him into the shower and he washed it three times to even be able to get a lather! So much for what I thought was an increased interest in personal hygiene!



The holidays have been good. We had a family BBQ out at Dad's last week coz I had my uncle and cousin up from Brissie. We love going out to there, tramping through the bush and getting all down to our roots. My brother has a place out there too (kindly donated by Mum) and has just started renting it out to a guy about my age who has a son who's six months older than Anakin. He came up to introduce himself and the two little boys hit it off really nicely. It was so cool. Anakin still thinks of Reuben as his best friend and Reuben moved away like seven months ago :( He needs a good little buddy. Speaking of "Buddy" that's the last boy's name Mum came up with for me. No thanks. He's got a name! Unless he actually turns out to be a girl..!


Had another beautiful day at the "mushroom pools" too. Anakin was frantically working his way from one of the four pools to another. NON-STOP! Luckily I had a couple of extra sets of eyes and hands to relieve me so I could actually stop and drink my flasked tea. (Me and green tea are back on with a vengeance!) And luckily one of the four pools was heated otherwise he would have been hypothermic - not an inch of baby fat covering that little boy's body. Takes after his dad!


Greg's been working overtime while he can - the cane crushing season is set to be a real short one this year and we've had two lots of rates, power bill, rego - heaps of stuff to pay for lately, so he's been working hard and is only home on Sundays :( I can't wait for it to end - I'd rather be broke with him at home!

I went for a cuppa at a friends house yesterday and during one of our conversations she called me a CONFORMIST!! I had to ring her back later to straighten it out. Surely she was looking for "conventional" or "conservative", both of which I know myself to be in particular areas but CONFORMIST!!?? C'MON!

Update on the 3 Little Piggies.

Izzy's heading to Perisher Valley for some snowboarding with his Dad on Wednesday - so I won't be seeing him on his 13th birthday :( He's just spent the last 5 nights here (he's become addicted to Facebook and his Dad has no internet) It was a nice, incident free stay, thank the Lord! No tears or tantrums from anyone! Although he did blame me for "killing his buzz" a few times when lecturing him about, eating healthily for longevity. Actually I was pleasantly surprised he took my suggestion this morning and ate a big bowl of Just Right instead of Crispix before school this morning. And snacked on strawberries and nashi pears all weekend. (In between glasses of milo I must say.) I don't think he ate even one packet of Mi-Goreng noodles the whole time he was here!!


I measured him on the wall and he has grown 10cm's in under a year! He is a whole 5cm's taller than me now. He's actually cleansing his face, washing his hair and brushing his teeth these days - makes me think there might be some interest in girls starting to spark.. I know he's good mates with a few but if their interested in him is anything but, he's still describing it as "an unfortunate turn of events", or, "sad, but true".


I'm hoping he comes over for his favourite dinner the night before he leaves, so I can make him a birthday cake too. I ordered him the 5th generation iPod for his birthday, he picked out a green one with the inscription "If you can read this you're too close to my iPod." I thought "I rock therefore I am" suited him better, but he didn't get the cross reference. It got shipped today so with any luck it'll be here on time for him to download some songs onto it and take it away with him. He's right into this heavy metal band In Flames and I seriously need to get some footage of his headbanging prowess. He belongs on stage.


Anakin's growing up right before our eyes! Last weekend we took him for a walk up the creek out at Dad's place and he just went totally berserk with joy. It was SO difficult making him understand how dangerous it was! He just desperately wanted to run helter skelter across every slippery rock surface, slide head first into every rock pool, slip down every rapid... I couldn't let go of his hand, it was CRAZY. It was him and 4 adults (mind you I was the only responsible sober one) and he still managed to go underwater a couple of time. He was just SO EXCITED and FULL ON! I kept having to remind him "Bubby! You can't swim!!!!" Greg slipped over on the rocks a few times but thankfully Anakin came away shivering with cold, but otherwise unscathed.

He loves the library and he loves playgroup at the moment. He likes engaging any one he can in a conversation and last week was going around telling all the mums "My Brussy went on Speed did you know?" It sounded terrible and I kept having to explain "he means the ride "Speed", at the Show.." Shame. For ages he's been totally absorbed by comic book Superheroes, all day he's raving on about Sandman and Juggernaut, Green Goblin, Wolverine, Cyclops...

He's developed his first phobia too - he HATE HATE HATES being left buckled in the car, if I have to race back inside for my sunnies or jump out to pay for some fruit on the side of the road he totally freaks and sobs these huge tears rolling down his poor little eyes. The first couple of times I told him he was just being silly, but he can't even stand me closing his door and then walking around the car to get in my side!! Plus one late afternoon a couple weeks ago he was sitting in the boot of the car reading some books while I emptied the scrap bucket and picked some carambolas just nearby. The phone rang so I raced inside for it and spent about half a minute talking - by the time I got back outside he'd closed himself in the boot and was screaming out for me and banging hard on lid. It was SO terrible! He'd peed his pants and was trembling with fear when I got him out but recovered really quickly and reassured me he was only in there for a little tiny while (even the total amount of time he was trapped like that could have only been 30 seconds or so - I was worried it would've felt like an eternity to him!) I asked him if he felt squashed or if he was scared because it was dark in there, or stuffy, but he reckons he was worried that monsters were going to get him. I'm wondering if knowing that he can't get out of the buckles in his carseat reminds of being trapped in the boot. Poor kid, I'll make sure nothing like that ever happens again!! At the moment he's plucking away at this little coconut instrument we've got singing me "Billy Jean's not my Love, she's a just a girl, who says that I am the one.."

The littlest brother in the family feels so humongous inside me already. But is still managing to do full somersaults - so painful! Actually I don't really know what he's doing in there but my God, sometimes I have the hardest ridges sticking right out - I think maybe his butt and back. At night I wake up so painfully tight and bulging out in really odd shapes. My belly is square like a box from side on - just like it was with Anakin! I've had someone comment "you can't have too long"!!! Weve only just reached the third trimester!!

Anyway I better go - this chair is killing my back and the floor's not going to vacc itself, unfortunately...

Tagged.

What is your current obsession? My fringe.

What are you wearing today? I bone coloured rayon tunic pleated in the centre of the neckline so as there's lots of room down below for the expanding tum. With espresso coloured Seafolly drawstring pants.

What's for dinner? Raw beans, carrot, snow peas, sugar snaps, red capo, broccoli, cauliflower, corn off the cob, cabbage, celery, parsley, sunflower and sesame seeds and whole egg mayo. (Coleslaw! - That took me an eternity to cut up.) With something - I dunno what??

What's the last thing you bought? Fruit and veges at Woolies.

What are you listening to right now? The budgies. And Horton on tele "It is clear you are no match for my technique. I see you have not mastered the ways of the snapping branch. I will make monkeys of these monkeys!"

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour where would you go? With Vanilla, where she's going.

Which language do you want to learn? AUSLAN

What do you love the most about where you currently live? Great big yard. One neighbour and I can't even see their place. Peaceful and quiet.

What is your favourite colour? Purple. Lilac is nice.

What is your favourite peace of clothing in your own wardrobe? The seafolly pants I'm wearing I will live in until they become rags.

Describe your personal style? Dress like a pirate day. Everyday.

If you had $300 what would you spend it on? A convertible booster seat for Anakin, ('cept I might need a bit extra).

What are you doing after this? Finishing Anakin's drawing with him, making some phone calls for Greg and getting the sheets off the line.

What are your favourite films? The Man in the Iron Mask, Boogie Nights, The Beach, Blood Diamonds, The Wedding Singer, Anchor Man..

Do you collect anything? Baby teeth.

What makes you follow a blog? Relatability. (That's not even a word is it?? But you know what I mean)

Do you like to comment on blogs or just lurk? When I write a comment I always seem to be talking about myself anyway, so I figure it really belongs on my blog.

What's one thing you dream of doing? Building.

What is your biggest regret? Failing to finish a librarian traineeship because I was too preoccupied falling for the sweet talk of doomed love.

What is your favourite thing to do on a rainy day. Swim. Read and snuggle.

Do you have a tattoo? One in memory of a beautiful friend. A peacock feather on my foot would be nice.

What are your favourite books? The one I'm reading at the moment is INCREDIBLE! You're probably sick of seeing it over toward the side there but it's like 0ver 700 pages and it's taking me a while. I love books about interesting characters in realistic predicaments. True to life stuff like, Tattoo, Things Without a Name, Featherstone, War Boy, Candy ...

Describe your ideal holiday? Something that doesn't involve food preparation or cleaning up!! Lazy, lazy, lazy days. Staying somewhere obscenely luxurious. Reading, swimming, sunbathing, shopping, exploring, eating out, dressing up, undressing..

Consuming kids.

I'm suppose to be at an anti-natal check up right now. I'm wagging. It was such a farcical last time I couldn't be bothered.

Plus me and Bubby took the new truck (Woot! Woot!) to Innisfail yesterday to visit Granddad. Before stopping at Brumbies to pick up some bruffins to take, I made a drive past the bench seat my Great Uncle Dick hangs out at, sure enough there they were - And Granddad was there too, with his neighbour Dutchie. Uncle Dick's posse of home boyz has grown! So me and Bubby joined the oldies for a yarn before going up to the house for a cuppa.

We were on a mission to buy Izzy some new clothes and boxers. I have to shop in the mens section for him now! Spent a small fortune too. I bought him 3 pairs of shorts from Jay-Jays, a couple T-shirts and a pair of shorts from Target and 6 pairs of boxers from K-Mart - nothing much was on spesh either. And for Anakin a Walt Disney lipgloss set he couldn't live without.

Issy and Jack worked on Rowan's farm on the weekend, unblocking sprinklers in the lychee paddock. They made a hundred and ten bucks each. Their first serious paid work!

Him and Greg had a big shitfight the moment I picked him up. So I drove him all the way home to his Dad's to get them out of each others faces, and cried all the way home because I was looking forward to seeing him and then all night long at our screwed up situation. Izzy and Greg have always struggled to get along, they just don't relate. Izzy's a smart aleck teen at the moment and has always been real emotional and sensitive. Greg's always scrutinising everything he says and does and doesn't know how or when to exercise his rational adult brain. I feel like I get on his case enough without anyone else doing it and wish Greg could just be this neutral, calming, influence. Anyway this is depressing, isn't it? God.

The little berry belly-dweller is getting heaps bigger and stronger! I feel massive! Yesterday he gave me such a swift kick to the bladder I nearly peed myself at the checkout. Anakin loves to feel his little brother in there and fights his dad off for the best vantage point. He tells everybody "Andre's in there!"