Easter!

Izzy left for his new home in Cairns. That kid has a very definite version of reality - not necessarily based on any semblance of the truth or steeped in any fact. I'm sure though that the more times he repeats his version of the way things are, the more firmly he'll believe them, he might even create whole new memories - how inventive! Man, I gotta laugh when the other alternative is brokenheartedness.

But anyway, it's Easter Sunday today and he got a lift back here with my brother Nicholas. We had a barbie at Nick's last night (my sister - yes they're both Nicks!) And a big easter egg hunt there this morning. The kids will all have excess chocolate induced diarrhea soon. I managed to get an apple, a grapefruit and a wheatbick inside of Anakin for breakfast this morning and he had a couple of nori rolls for lunch but other than that it's been Lindt bunnies for him! (At least it's good quality chocolate!) I was reading a book at Nicks all about the benifits of cold pressed coconut oil as opposed to all your trans-fatty acid, soy bean alternatives, it made me feel like being healthy for the entire time I was reading it! But as soon as I put it down it was like "where's that caramel tart?". Yesterday I made a batch of scones and we ate half a bottle of Rose Petal Jam! Man that stuff's good Tiff!

I'm still 7 kilos heavier than what I was 2 babies ago, but I don't really care too much. The less Greg looks at me the better!! Except it doesn't work! Poor guy's hard up most of the time and then I go around half undressed with my breastfeeding boobs out and he follows be around with his eyes boggling out of his head...

The Easter Bunny bought Anakin a great big box of Faber Castel colouring pencils and some tools for his playdoh. André got a new rattle (he loves his toys!) and this cool mesh contraption that he can suck fruit through. He's been showing a real interest in food lately and he's tried a little bit of pear and mulberry and this morning he had grated apple through his new sucking device. Izzy got a mini lime green colander to strain his noodles and pasta. That'll come in handy.

Last weekend we took all the kids to Coconuts with my sister's family to celebrate my nephews' birthdays. I love that place. Anakin kept saying "Can't you believe it?? We're finally at Coconuts!!" I had a ball with him running around and chasing one another around the slides of the new waterpark. We stayed for two nights and got a late check-out on the third day so it was a great old time. Greg took Anakin to see "How to Tame Your Dragon" on the Sunday and it was the first time he went to the movies!! He LOVED it! He sat up on his Dad's lap eating popcorn with his eyes glued. I wish I was there with him. But I got to stay back at the resort where Andre had a long sleep and I managed to paint my toenails and sharpen all of Anakin's pencils for him - he was very grateful. He always is the little darlin!

Plus I got to go op-shopping TWICE! I bought this whimsical little MinkPink dress that makes me feel like Carrie Bradshaw. The top section is just like a cream racer-back tank that finishes right under your boobs and attached is a pleated lined viscose skirt that balloons around - apricot with a cream, bird print - so dahling! But maybe not everyones cup of tea. Another find was a classic looking Jacquie E black dress and a sweet white frock I might wear to the "Bridal Couture" engagement party I'm planning for me and Greg. Can't wait to hit the op-shops when we go back up this week! The ladies have been bugging me to take Anakin. They miss him!! And they're interested in seeing the new baby too. The other night I dreamnt about the ultimate utopian op-shop experience - everywhere I looked there was cool garments - cool hats! cool shoes! Too good to be true!

André has been enjoying being passed around the family with Nan and Pa up for Easter. Mind you his eyes follow me around and he just beams big smiles at me whenever our gazes meet, which is pretty much the whole time, because I can't keep my eyes off him either! We got him up to go to the toilet last night and after his two early morning poo-poos he was "coo-ing" and "garr-ing", the SWEETEST talking sounds I've ever heard. He has a BEAUTIFUL, mellifluous voice, just like his great-Nanna. His movement have become very deliberate now. He reaches out to touch my face (or grab a big handful of hair! OUCH!) and can handle all his rattles quiet well. I lay him down over the top of a pillow with all his duplos and play things in front of him and given that his well rested and in a good mood, he can entertain himself on the floor for ages. (Well, ages being 10 minutes or so!) It's a bit scary but he LOVES the telly! He's stayed up 3 Friday nights in a row just to watch the footy ;) (His favourites are the Broncos ;) Neither of my other two even focused on the TV as infants, but this one fully twists around to check out whats on the tube!

Anakin has been a boy of extremes lately. He either thinks that it's been "The best day of his life!" or the "The best day in the whole world!" or it's "Humph! I hate this day!" (Usually when you tell him he's had enough Playstation and to turn it off. And usually on the same day!) He's always saying "I love my family. I love you guys so much." But it's always "I HATE Uncle Christo"!

I'll come back and add pix when Greg gets home with the camera!

Should be sleeping..

What I shit day this ones turned out to be. I woke up totally depleted and fragile after having a migraine all night and after one too many battles over Izzy's school work I packed up every last book into the car and drove him to his Dad's a whole week early. We're constantly at each others throats. He drives me up the freakn wall! He pushes all my buttons and makes me miserable and then wants to know "Why are you such a stress case? Why are you angry all the time?" It's like beating someone up and then asking them why the have a black eye and blood on their face! He accuses me of caring about him too much.. " No more puppy-cradle-death-syndrome for you" I told him as I dropped him off.


He hates school so much but hopefully he lands on his feet one day, he's got enough personality and confidence but I mean who wants to do school work when you're perfectly happy watching re-runs of Flight of the Concords all day?

Anakin is my saviour though, for as many times as Izzy tells me "you annoy me, I don't even like you.." I have Anakin telling me what a beautiful Mum he thinks I am and how much he loves me. Thank the Lord for him, if I only had Izzy to listen to I'd think I was a complete failure as a parent!

My sister had her second miscarriage at 9 weeks pregnant on the weekend and the poor girls relationship with Chris always sounds like it's on the rocks. My two little boys bring her lots of happiness though. They are darlings. Her oldest child gives her all the heartbreak too. She turned 16 in January and then by February had run away from home to Townsville with her 20 year old boyfriend. She texts her Mum photo's of all her new piercings! At least she enrolled herself in school. That'd be the last thing on earth Izzy would do!


André is thriving. I never thought Greg and I would have a blue eyed baby, but they never ended up changing colour much. He's got these beautiful eyes - the colour of denim. A thick band of dark denim around the rims and stone wash around his pupils. He's got long eyelashes like Anakin but they're ginger just like his Dad. His nose is just like Jacob Blacks and has been ever since he was born. His chin is like a little doughnut. He's got the loveliest personality, I think he's going to grow up to be a gentle and patient boy. He talks to us all and gives everyone big beaming smiles. He loves to roll and if the surface is right he can roll from one side of a room to another if you let him! He loves his rattle and loves chewing on his fist and sucking his thumb. I have to bath him so much to keep the smell of spewk and spit off his little sticky hands. He gnaws away at my knuckles all the time, he gets stuck in really furiously and dribbles all over the place - little fella will have teeth popping up all over the place before too long. He hates going in his car seat and basically being in any reclined position (rockers, trolley seats..) - he does a continuous stomach crunch to try and sit upright just like Anakin used to! His been a real little wiggly worm lately. My arms are constantly fatigued trying to keep him under control!

Anakin's a 'busy boy'. We bought him a wooden desk and chair at the markets last weekend and I set it up in our room so while I'm putting André down to sleep he can colour quietly close by us. He sits there colouring three pictures at once. He's moved on from dragons to pictures of Naruto Uzamarki and Charizard. (Those Japanese cartoons have given him a whole new vocabulary to muck around with. He's always rolling words off his tongue, he repeats something over and over and then asks "What means that?") He's renamed himself "Dragon Jujitzu Wasingahn". Nice name. While he colours he sings to himself quietly. I often overhear "S'cuse me.. while I kiss the sky.." ... "Welcome to the jungle, we've got fun and games... it'll bring you to your nana nana knees nacaknees!" He's learnt to operate the CD player and knows which discs he likes. He finds the one with the eagle on it when he wants to listen to "Jimi Hendric" and then he puts on a big dancing performance on the bed for the entertainment of Andre and I. When he's finished he says "Your turn Mum". His memory is incredible. He can here something a couple of times and remember the tune days later. He watched Pokemon on one occasion and could recall so many of the critters' names - totally made up words that you can't even relate to anything! He doesn't need any help putting on the playstation anymore either and navigates his way through all the menu's and folders like and old pro. It makes me laugh to watch his tiny hands operate the toggles and buttons so deftly.

Me. Physically - My hair has just started to fall out now, was hoping to avoid that this time round. I've still got a big fat guts. It doesn't really worry me too much coz I'm just so glad to be pain free again and I'd rather have a bit of extra padding than to be sickly, which I'm definitely not! (Cept for the occasional migraine from hell.) Zumba has been excellent fun, I just go on my own, don't even talk to anyone there - just straight in and straight out - always in a hurry to get back home asap! But it's so great to do a bit of dancing again. I love it!

Sexually - my libido has vanished into thin air. While I was pregnant and super smokin hot to trot I told Greg to store all the good times in his memory bank, that it'd be fairly likely he'd need to draw on them in the barren times that lay ahead. I wasn't joking. Nah, but I'm fairly generous. Just as long as he doesn't expect me to go all crazy about it and doesn't mind me talking, laughing, yawning or rubbing my eyes.. like it's not even happening.... He doesn't.