oh. my. god.

So, we get back from Christmas, and Max is better. Then on the following Thursday (so the 3rd?) Max starts running a temp. That lasts for a good 5 days...then came back. The diarrhea started on day 3 of temps, and lasts for a god damned week. Seriously, it was so bad, that at one stage we changed the poor kids nappy, and there was more blood than poo. I started up with the temps and poos on the Monday night/Tuesday. Sam had temps on and off for a week....but he fought the diarrhea until late last week. He still has been having the odd gross poo. Max did a solid poo today for the first time in 2 weeks. It was hideous...having us all sick at once. Clydey was a champion and took some time off work to help out, and when he was at work, he left early etc to get home to us. I was so exhausted, and poor Max just screamed for days. Sam did sick really well - just was miserable, but happy to lie and sleep or watch tv.

Turns out it was food poisoning. The Dr took a stool sample the day we took Max to see her, and on Monday she rang us to let us know the results. I have no idea what from, as it's almost 2 weeks since Max first started with the temps. I can't believe we all had food poisoning. Anyway, we are pretty much over it now, although I think we are all still a bit exhausted.

So, poor Max celebrated his first birthday being sick. I had big plans to celebrate it with friends, and to make a lovely post on here. But no way. I was too tired, and the kids were too sick. Ah well, Nat is home tomorrow, and Cas next week, so we are going to have a first birthday party for Max when they are around to help us celebrate.

And so much for me posting once a day with a new photo each day. I've actually managed to take one each day...so I will start posting them.

Days Two, Three, Four, Five and Six:

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that!

Long time between posts, yet again! This year though, it's my New Years resolution to be more organised. To start the year off, I've done a bit of spring cleaning. Haven't completely finished, but come on, it's only day 2 of the year! I am determined to stick to this...I need to stick to this. For the sake of a clean house, and a happy mummy!!

So, christmas. Was lovely. Quiet, but lovely. Poor Max was sick, so there was a lot of screaming and crying from him. He's much better now, thank god. Poor Meggie and Doylie had to put up with his crying for the whole week we were there!

The kids got spoilt rotten, as usual. This is the present list:

Sam

a sit on excavator from Santa

a blower and a whipper snipper (with the handles like he wanted) from Mummy and Daddy

a t-shirt from max that says "I love Tractors, Diggers and Dirt"

a remote control excavator from Nanny and Doylie

a little car and a book from the Buckleys

a CD of African music from Granny and Poppa

a lion pencil case thingy from Kelly, Grant and Trent

and plenty of things in his stocking - books, stickers, play dough, lollies, clothes, pj's etc

Max

a sand and water table from Mummy and Daddy (had to be cos Sam had already seen it!)

a pull along elephant from Santa

some books from Sam

a rash top and swimmers from Nanny and Doylie

one of those push along thingsy with blocks in it from The Buckleys

a CD of African music from Granny and Poppa
a zebra pencil case thingy from Kelly, Grant and Trent

and again lots of stuff in his stocking - clothes, books, lollies, pj's etc.

I got spoilt as well. From Clydey I got 10 pairs of undies (had asked for some - was in desperate need!), and a photography book, and the first season of Gilmore Girls on dvd. From mum and dad I got some hair stuff, which was desperately needed and some lovely new coffee cups. From the Buckleys I got some lovely shorts....which I haven't been able to wear because it's still too bloody cold! Go figure. From the boys I bought myself a bag and some singlets.

New Year's was quiet - just homemade hamburgers, a movie and some chocolate for us!! Can't risk hangovers these days!!

The boys loved having Daddy home from the 21st..and he's gone back to work today. Of course it's still raining, so we are housebound. Might have to hit the the shops later just to get out!

Well, I've decided to do the "Photo A Day" challenge again for the month of january this year. I did it last year and had intended to put all the photos into a photo book....which of course I never got around to! This year, however, I WILL be more organised and I WILL do it!

So, this is my first photo. Day One!!

For you Bev

So you can see Sam's haircut!!

Alone

So, Nat left on Thursday for 5 weeks overseas. She's currently on her way to Sweden as I type. I'm so thrilled for her, but we'll miss her, and I will most certainly miss her help around here!! Poor Sam was sobbing as she was leaving - as she went down the escalator (towards customs, so we couldn't go) he was just sobbing into my shoulder cos he "just want to give Nat a cuddle". It was so cute....but I think poor Nat had some tears too!

I was telling Cas about it later that night, and she made me realise that the poor kid probably doesn't understand that people actually do come back from Sweden! Hakan left last year and Sam hasn't seen him since. Cas left in Feb, and Sam hasn't seen her since. I ended up asking him if he knew that Aunty Nat would be back in a few weeks and he said "yeah, but I don't like her now cos I just want to give her a cuddle". The logic of a 3 year old.

Max is walking full time. Has been for a few weeks now. He still looks WAY too small to be walking - I am still struggling to believe that I now have 1 little boy and 1 toddler. No babies in this house anymore. It's a bit sad, but I'm looking forward to this next step in being able to enjoy the boys interacting together. Sam can be the sweetest big brother sometimes. He can also be awful and rough....but Max doesn't seem to mind too much most of the time.

I am up to date with proofing at the moment, so I've enjoyed 2 nights away from the computer. First time for over a month!! I've just got a shoot tomorrow at the coast for Phil, Shamus and Finn - and they want them for xmas, so I will have to rush them through! Nothing like stress, huh? I actually think I've lost a bit of weight from being so stressed and busy! It's a good stress though, not a bad stress.

On another note, Clydey told me today that I should just go ahead and get the camera that I want. I was talking to him about how I am starting to feel the limitations of my camera, and that it really underexposes a lot, so I think there might be something wrong with it - and he told me just to go do it! I'm very excited...but have decided to sleep on it. I can't get it for less than $1800 unless I buy it online, and if I do that, it would have to be on my credit card, and I'd really prefer to do interest free terms. Will sleep on it and see what I think. I know I've got enough work over the next few months for it not to be a problem in paying it off.....but I really don't want to have to put it on the credit card.

Anyway, not much else here. Looking forward to a xmas break - although we have to sort out what on earth we are doing with the dog??????? I imagine the kennels will all be booked out by now (mum and dad don't have a fence at their house so she can't really stay there with us).

I am thinking of starting the new year with a post for every day with info on me starting with the letter A, then B, then C and so on. Get me posting regularly again.

Ok, best I leave with some photos then:

Yeah I know...

long time between blogs!

I headed out to mum and dad's the other week and had 6 photo shoots lined up - was so busy getting myself organised for that, then there for a week, and now home proofing....ridiculously busy! In a good way though.

You have to slip over to my work blog (link to the right) to check out my Trash the Dress session - OMG how much fun was that? I still have hundreds of photos to go through, but have banned myself until I get these family ones done first!!

Boy, I just went searching for photos of my boys to post here...and had to go back a LOOONNNGGG way. Seems I've been taking heaps of everyone else and none of Max and Sam! Max is pretty much walking now - he will easily walk across a room - but still only when HE feels like it! Esther thought I was lying about him walking - he always refused to show her, until yesterday actually! I'm glad she believes me now!! It's so cute when they start walking, isn't it?

Speaking of Max, I realised the other day that he is going to be JUST like Cas - clumsy as hell, and a drama queen to boot. The worst possible combination, I think (sorry Cas!!). Lucky he's so bloody beautiful though!!

Ok, photos.

photos

Just a few of Nic's boys I haven't shown off -

He amazes and surprises me.

Sambo. He really does amaze me. I don't give him nearly enough credit for what a gorgeous boy he's become.

We've been talking about the chance of leaving his "buddies" (dummies) out for Santa to give to some little babies who need them. He wasn't really keen on the idea - "nah, Mum, I think I need them more". So, I thought I'd change track and tell him that I'd buy him a lovely big present if we threw all his buddies in the bin. He thought that was a good idea, and that he really, really wanted an excavator (the boy is obsessed with all things boyish!). So, the 1 dummy that he always has, that is the only one that has a clip on it went missing on Sunday. I looked EVERYWHERE for it Sunday night. He went to bed with about 3 other dummies, but I was worried that he would wake up looking for it if it wasn't clipped on him. I actually barely slept on Sunday night trying to work on where on earth I'd put this dummy. Turns out, Sambo threw it in the bin. He told us Monday morning.

Wow, I thought. We might be onto a winner here.

So yesterday we were at the shops. And he spots this toy whipper snipper. Now, as I've mentioned, the kid LOVES all things boyish. In fact, he has been obsessed, and I mean OBSESSED with mowers and whipper snippers from a very young age. He has turned anything in our house that might have a long handle type thing into a whipper snipper. So, you can imagine how excited he was to actually find a proper whipper snipper that makes noise etc! So...he decided that he would throw ALL his buddies in the bin, if I got him the whipper snipper.

So he did.

I was dreading last night. Really, really dreading it. I was tired to start with, and I thought I would be up ALL night with him.

Come bed time, he got a little anxious and told me he didn't want the whipper snipper anymore. I told him that we had thrown all his buddies in the bin, so there were none left. I said he could lie down on the couch and watch some of the Jungle Book (current favourite) with Thomas (the Tiger - also a favourite) and his whipper snipper (a BIG favourite!)...and there he fell asleep. I put him into bed and he slept all night with no problems.

What a little champ, huh? I'm so proud of him, but also kind sad that he's not a baby anymore. Within the space of a few short months, he's toilet trained, and thrown out his dummy. He's getting so big now...and having proper adult conversations.

Way to go Sambo.

Now....onto other stuff - Max has taken his first steps. I can't bloody believe it. At 9.5 months of age, and he's decided he wants to walk. Sob sob sob. Even my baby isn't a baby anymore!

A very big Happy Birthday to Nat and Cas for last Monday.

A very big Happy Birthday to Sal for last Sunday.

A very big Happy Birthday to Doylie for last Wednesday.

A very big Happy Birthday to Michael for last Friday.

Boy, October is a busy month for birthdays for us, isn't it?

Ok, now to leave you with a few photos: