Life's miracles

T minus 2 weeks

2010-04-12T10:21:00.004+02:00

Two weeks from now, I will be sitting on the beach, wiggling my toezies in the sand, drinking an ice cold...well, colddrink!! I honestly can not wait. We are only going away for a few days, but we intend to make the most of this precious time. I can't remember the last time hubby and I went on holiday alone...but it was a long time ago. We always ended up either going with family or visiting friends. This will be our first 'official' holiday as a family and girly's first visit to the coast. We've already said that we want to have the video camera handy for the first time she sees the huuuuuuuuuge swimming pool and sand pit. I predict it is going to be a face to remember!!

In other news, this is going to be a relatively busy week. Tomorrow evening we are doing a quick visit with the Cowleys, R will be taking a few pictures of our little family, with mom all dressed up in her graduation gear (as girly can't go to the ceremony with us). On Thursday it is the long awaited graduation ceremony, hooray! I'm a little in two minds about the whole thing, a little excited on the one hand, but also quite nervous about what chaos awaits us (we're dealing with Unisa, remember)...and VERY nervous that girly, not to mention her babysitters, will be okay.

Now usually, it would've been smooth sailing. 1) Phone grandma. 2) Give her the date and time of whatever function we might have. 3) Leave girly in ouma and oupa's capable care. But ouma and oupa are away on a photography course in Put-sonder-water or Gat-sonder-end or some other obscure small town. And the in-laws aren't able to come up from the lowveld to babysit. So I've asked one of my collegue's and her husband (that also work with us) if they'd be able to babysit. To which they said yes before I'd even completed the question, because they love girly as if she was family. Now, I know that she'll be in good hands (they are two amazing people!), but I'm still nervous. Normal, no? I predict though that she'll manipulate a chocolate or two out of them before dinner and that she'll probably still be awake and playing her little heart out by the time we get home.

On Saturday we are going to little N's first birthday party! I am very excited about this, the invites were gorgeous and I think it is going to be a blast.

And that, my dear friends, are the forthcoming events in a nutshell!

This and that

2010-03-24T20:43:00.007+02:00

My girly said her first 'sentence' this morning (Afrikaans sentence, that is, she's been speaking in full Chinese sentences for weeks...might even be Arabic, DH is certain she phones Osama once in a while...)!!! Daddy was in the kitchen and next minute she asks him "Pappa, maak jy?". Now, I know exactly where she gets this from, whenever I can't see her and I'm certain she's up to some serious mischief, I always ask "Wat maak jy?".

Also this morning, we had our first true 'vloermoer' (not full fledged yet, but we had the crying and throwing ourselves on the floor bit). I just stepped over her and ignored her and it was over very quickly, but I'm sure this was the first of many to come. Oh the joys :-)!

Last night, I had to put in a hell of a lot of effort to keep a straight face. After her bath, madam went to stand at the coffee table and immediately made for the remote, which she knows is off limits. So I give her a quick, stern talking to and she leaves the remote, stands staring at the TV and I just see the little finger inching closer and closer to the remote again... When I cleared my throat, she bolted down the corridor, laughing! It was so funny, wish I could've caught it on camera!!

My gorgeous girl is 18 months old today, a year and a half...... I honestly don't know where time has gone. She is getting cuter and cuter by the day, a real little clown, and I love her more every second! We are enjoying her soooooo much and can never thank God enough for blessing us with an angel like her!!

My brag for the day

2010-02-22T16:35:00.004+02:00

My girly has decided it's a good idea to start counting. Apparently 'een' is not very important, but 'twee' en 'drie' are tops!

It's official!!

2010-02-04T22:38:00.003+02:00

I am a graduate!!! I received a letter from Unisa today confirming that I have, indeed, completed my degree. Now, it might sound odd that I wasn't sure about that, but let me tell you a quick story: At the end of 2008, my sister got her exam results, passing with flying colours and was convinced that she was finished with her degree, as per the requirements stated in the yearbook. However, upon further investigation, she found that Unisa did not agree with her on this. Eventually she was told that she still needed to do two specific subjects to complete her degree. When, disheartened but eager to finish, she tried to register for said subjects...she was told that they do not even exist anymore! After lots and lots (and lots and lots) of time on the phone and e-mail, Unisa finally decided that she ís, in fact, finished with her degree. See why I don't take anything at face value when it comes to them? But now I have proof, now I can relax!!

A celebration of life!

2010-02-03T11:39:00.010+02:00

After a battle of 3 and a half years, my dear friend Ciska and her husband fell pregnant through IUI during May 2008. On 16 February 2009, Louie Auguste van Niekerk was born.

Unfortunately, his parents’ joy was short-lived, as the next day the paediatrician attending to him diagnosed a heart murmur and he was admitted to NICU. He was seen by a cardiologist who was confident that no intervention would be necessary and he was discharged from hospital on 20 February.

A tense few weeks followed in which the family undertook various trips to the paediatrician because of Louie throwing up, not drinking properly and overall just being a sick little boy. On 19 March, during yet another visit to the doctor, they were told that Louie had suffered heart failure. He was admitted to hospital immediately and later airlifted to Unitas Hospital where he would receive open heart surgery the next day. When the cardiologist informed Ciska and Frank about what the operation would entail, she told them that Louie is very weak and that there is a good chance their baby boy will not survive the surgery, words no parent should EVER have to hear! Family and friends started praying for this little guy immediately!

When I woke up on the 20th, I had an Afrikaans hymn in my head which, try as I might, I just couldn’t get out again: “Strome van seën”, which I suppose would directly translate to “Streams of blessings”. It was a cloudy day, ominous and scary, until a dear friend of ours sent through a prayer she had written for Louie, ending with “Let Your love, comfort and healing rain down today”. All of a sudden I started experiencing the rain as an incredibly tangible sign of God’s presence! (May I confess that I did absolutely NO work that day as I couldn’t concentrate at all and I spent the entire day silently praying for little Louie and his parents...)

Ciska smsed through updates as things went along: they’re waiting for the doctor, they’re preparing him for theatre etc. If memory serves, it was raining the whole time he was in theatre. At one stage, I had an incredibly foreboding feeling and all of a sudden it started really POURING down...which gave me an unbelievable sense of calm amidst the fear. Thinking back on this, I still get goosebumps. When I spoke to a mutual friend of me and Ciska later that day, I told her about my experience, also that I have a feeling that they came very close to loosing Louie at some point (hence the feeling of doom) but that God intervened in that operating theatre (hence the showering rain and the feeling of calm). She lives in Durban and went to her church during the time of the operation. It was raining in Durban... At some point during the operation she felt the same sense of foreboding, mixed with a feeling of total calm...

Words cannot describe the relief I felt when I received Ciska’s sms that Louie had made it through surgery, nor can I begin to imagine the feelings my friends experienced when they heard the doctor say those magical words! Of course the little man was by no means out of the woods, and the 48 hours following the operation was very critical. But in my heart I knew that this miracle boy was going to be just fine, that God still had BIG plans for his future.

On my way to work that morning I had been listening to a CD of Navi Redd and as I got into the car that afternoon, the last few words of a song was playing “Let it rain, rain on me”... The goosebumps where back! When I got to Shevaughn’s school, I told the headmistress how the operation went (I had the world and his wife praying for Louie!), I told her about the significance the rain held for me, the prayer Charné had written and she told me the following story: at some point, it had hailed a little bit, and after it stopped, some of the black assistants at the school took the kiddies outside to pick up some of the ice. They have a custom to eat the hail, they call it ‘healing rain’... I just cried!

On 29 November 2009, Ciska and Frank finally got to Christen their precious miracle boy. I have to admit that it was the most emotional Christening I had ever attended!

Next week Saturday, we will be having a very special party: we will be celebrating Louie’s first birthday!! I know that this past year has probably been the worst and hardest year Ciska and Frank has ever had to face, and hopefully ever will have to face. But God has blessed them with an amazing little boy, who in the first year of his life, has touched more lives that most of us will touch in an entire lifetime. Despite all the pain he has had to endure this past year, he is just the friendliest, happiest baby, forever smiling and laughing. Love you to bits, little guy!!

(Thanks to Ciska for allowing me to share their story and to show you what a gorgeous little boy she has!)

Just one last brag...

2010-01-04T00:22:00.002+02:00

...with my beautiful girl! I love her to bits!!!

My husband is a star and other news

2010-01-03T23:24:00.027+02:00

I have been so spoilt: my hubby bought me a laptop yesterday! Whoo-hoo, PC time just for me!! Have I ever mentioned I've got the best husband in the whole world? For Christmas he gave me perfume and the new Il Divo DVD which I hinted for long and hard, so I really feel like a queen.

Oh, where to start?! I've got so much news I'd like to share. First off, I have passed my last two subjects for my degree!!! Which means, unless Unisa has changed their mind again (which has been known to happen...), I am officially a graduate. I have decided to take a year or two off before continuing with my honours degree. I cannot wait to have some time for myself.

Even though we didn't go away, this has probably been one of the most amazing holidays of my life. Spending time with my hubby and girly has been so much fun! I do, however, think I am going to be more tired when I go back to work then I was when I went on leave, because that little lady of ours is BUSY!!!

The first two days I was on leave, we babysat friends of ours' 9 month old boy. Which was fun and hectic all at once. And of course Madam had to hit the poor guy over the head at least once... I promise it wasn't really that bad, though, it is just such a priceless picture, hehe!

Daddy bought a little blow-up pool and the two of them had spent hours in it already. She loves the water so much and has now taken to either ignoring you flat out when you say it's time to get out, or fiercely shaking her head at you with a very stern expression on that little face. She also does this when it's time to get out of the bath, when she needs to stop swinging long enough to have lunch or whenever you need her to do something that does not appeal to her.

We also had her ears pierced and it looks so cute!!! We had been uhm-ing and aah-ing about this for quite a while now, but we finally took the plunge and had it done. I have to admit that it was quite a traumatic experience...for mommy and daddy! She didn't like the idea of being held tightly so she doesn't move and risk having the piercings skew, but after that was over, she was fine. We weren't. We might seek psychological counselling in the near future!

Then of course there was Christmas and we had a great time, eating turkey and opening presents... We went to church on Christmas morning and my little angel was all dressed up in her white dress and wings, silver sandals and hair in ponytails. By the time we returned from church, the wings had been ripped off to be inspected, the feet were bare and my little angel had chocolate all around her mouth (at least the ponies were still in, which is a biggie as they usually don't last more than 5 minutes). She looked more gorgeous than ever!!!

New Years Eve was spent with our dear friends Jahni and Ruan and I can't remember the last time I laughed so much in one evening. We had an absolute blast, thanks guys (except when Ruan made us watch the stupid bloody horror – I'm still having nightmares!!!). (Oh, and of course I HAD to dress girly in her party outfit that she got from Granny – I know she bought it for that skirt, but hey, I love the shirt that says 'If you think I'm cute you should see my mum'.) The girlies spent the day chatting away in a language only they understand, and at one point Shevaughn walked away while Nicci was confined to her cot, which lead to some serious complaining by the latter.

Other events include daddy making her a swing from scratch (quite entertaining to watch, I can assure you!), visiting the zoo, a day at the airforce museum (as madam had apparently inherited daddy's fascination with airplanes), time spent with family and friends, discovering three brand new (back) teeth that we have no idea when they cut, and lots and lots of laughs, cuddles and our little family growing closer together. We also did a photoshoot with Ruan, but that is a post all on its own, because I really battle to choose which of the pics I'd like to share, they are all so stunning!

For now, I will leave you with this last pic of my gorgeous girl. We have gone from screaming blue bloody murder when there's bubbles in the bath, to absolutely loving the bubbles and blowing them up into the air (or trying to at least). Oh, and the dirty little face is from having to test out the new swing before it has been cleaned...

I have a friend...

2009-12-03T15:26:00.002+02:00

...who's bugging me about deleting my blog as I haven't done a post in sooooooo long! So, to keep said friend quiet, I have decided to write a little something :-).

First off, I would like to congratulate my dear friends Jahni and Ruan not only on their fourth wedding anniversary, but also on little Nicole's TWO brand new teeth! Congrats to the girlies, Nicci for growing such beautiful teeth and Jahni for not giving in to the urge I am sure she often gets to clobber someone with a Bauer pan... We love you guys and are truly blessed to have you as friends.

Secondly, I would like to congratulate a very dear friend of mine on her pregnancy!! As they have not yet told many people, I won't give any names, but you know who you are... I am so over the moon for you and B and can't wait to meet that little alien!

Thirdly: I wish Unisa would get a-bloody-move-on with the exam results!!! The suspence is killing me!

I have to admit that I have got so many things that I would like to write about, but time is a bit of an issue at the moment. Things seem to pick up speed towards the end of the year with all the loose ends that need to be tied up before we can all go and relax... Not so nice, as all I want to do at this stage, is...well...NOTHING! As little as possible! Play with my girly, spend time with hubby, read, sleep... Rest! I am on leave from 15 December to 11 January and look forward to spending quality time with family and friends.

I can't promise anything, but I will try and sneak in a post or two before going on leave.

To C or not to C...

2009-11-11T11:35:00.003+02:00

...section, that is. I’m sure most women come to a point in their pregnancy where they are faced with this decision. For some it’s an easy one: they want to be able to have control over the birth of their child, for example, maybe even a say in the child’s birthday, so they opt for a C-section. For others, the decision is made for them: they have low blood pressure, a history of stillbirths or their baby is breach.

For me, it was never even a question. I wanted a natural birth, and a water birth at that. Which would mean no epidural, which is just fine by me as I have a serious needle phobia (yes, still! Even after numerous blood tests and fertility treatments [read: lots and lots of needles].). Call me insane if you wish, but the mere thought of an epidural completely freaks me out! Why, oh why would I want someone poking needles into my back, risking the off chance of paralysis if something goes wrong?

So many woman fear normal birth, which I can totally understand, it’s a scary concept (even with an epidural). But get this: I gave birth to my (big!) girl, and half an hour later I got up, took a shower and walked to my room. From what I’ve heard of C-sections, you are in pain for days after the birth. I just don’t see the logic! Normal birth = a few hours of pain vs. C-section = days of pain.

I am so thankful though that we live in a modern world with advanced technologies. This meant that I could give birth to my baby the good old fashioned way, in a first class hospital, with a trained doctor and nursing staff at my side, sterilised equipment, only the best medical care at hand should anything go wrong... None of that ‘giving birth on the bed the cat was just lying on with a person calling himself a doctor digging a 9 pound baby out of me with something that bares a frightening resemblance to the braai tongs my husband made dinner with 2 hours ago’! Mmm, the good old days that weren’t quite as good...

As you can gather, I am not keen on scheduled C-sections, neither am I keen on inductions. I believe that God made us so that our bodies will know when baby is ready to be born and that tampering with the process is as good as tampering with God’s plan. Having said that, this is just my opinion and everyone has the right to make their own decisions.

Don’t ever let anyone bully you into doing something that you do not want to do. If you want a normal (even a medication-free, ‘natural’) birth, that is your choice (you wouldn’t let anyone else choose who you should marry, would you?). Remember that the mind is an incredibly powerful thing. My biggest fear was never about the pain of labour, I decided that I will handle that as it comes, my biggest fear was that I was going to feel nauseous during labour. However, I decided beforehand that I will be calm no matter what comes my way, I popped 2 or 3 rescue tablets during labour and I put my mind to just going with the flow.

Barring any complications, I will have a natural, medication-free birth with my next child as well. It was the most amazing experience ever, and I was so proud of myself to be able to say that I was an active part of ‘giving birth’ to my girly, as opposed to just lying there and the doctor literally taking my baby out. Oh, and the admiration I still see in my husband’s eyes is so worth it! I know that I gained a deeper level of respect from him and I know that he is also proud of me.

An interesting story: my sister had water birth with both her sons. With the second one, they had arranged that as soon as my sister’s labour starts, my dad would drive from Jo’burg to Bloem to help with the eldest brother. She phoned my parents to say she was on her way to the birthing clinic and when my dad got to Bloem approximately 4 hours later, she came out to the car to meet him, her and baby already back home from the clinic and on her feet!

Then and now

2009-11-11T10:08:00.026+02:00

As always, I am waaaaay behind the time. But here is how my girly has grown and changed over the past 13 months. Unbelievable!!

Growing so fast!

2009-10-23T13:31:00.006+02:00

I LOOOOOOOVE taking pics of my girly! And I love comparing pics of her and seeing how she's changed and how much she's grown (although it breaks my heart, as it seems she is growing with the speed of light!). I took a pic of her in her daddy's arms this weekend and as I was taking it, I saw a pic in my mind's eye that I had taken about a year ago. So I thought I'd compare the two...

That was then (2 months old)...

And this is now (13 months old)...

I have decided against giving any commentary on these, as it will just make me cry :-)!

I have to, however, just say that my gorgeous girl started walking all by herself this week... which also makes me want to cry for two reasons: 1) SHE'S GROWING UP TOO FAST (notice a theme here?) and 2) Oh man, we're going to need lots and lots of bioplus and red bull to keep up with her now! Not to mention nerves of steel, as she takes two or three steps and then lunges herself forward towards you, so you had better just be ready to catch her. Time to stock up on Arnica! It really is incredibly cute to see, can't wait to capture it on...film?...memory card?...

In other news, I am counting the days 'till i am finished with my exams. Two weeks to go. I.can.not.wait.to.be.finished!! (I almost wrote 'I can not wait to be fish'..... Sleep deprivation is taking its toll! In that case, though, can I choose to be sole? All backbone and none of those pesky little bones that gets stuck in your throat?) If all goes well and I pass both subjects, I am finished with my degree. Yeah!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

The day our lives changed

2009-09-23T15:50:00.004+02:00

On 24 September 2008, you came into our lives and changed everything! Definitely for the better, but still... Tomorrow marks a year from that date, and how you have filled our lives in this year with so much joy and love!! I can not imagine my life without you anymore and somehow it feels as if you have always been a part of our lives. I love you with all my heart, my angel!!!

The month from hell!

2009-09-14T11:33:00.009+02:00

Well, this month isn't even halfway and I already feel like calling it a day...month, whatever! This is going to be a looooooooong post, filled with lots and lots of venting and quite possibly some swearing, so bear with me!

It started out with a very unpleasant shocker from SARS. I'm not even going to go into it, you can figure it out for yourself.

On the 3rd, we came home to a flooded house (see my post). Were we stand with this little 'problem' at the moment, is that the carpets in all three bedrooms have been ripped out leaving us with these 'beautiful', 'rustic' cement floors, covered with bits of orange underfelt that stick to your shoes and in this way gets distributed throughout the entire house. Pretty..... Basically all the furniture from the bedrooms are crammed into the patio (thank goodness the previous owner had the vision to close up the patio, so we have an extra 'room'). I won't even begin to describe the frustration when you need something that was packed right next to the opposite wall, right at the back where you just can not get to (which, of course, as dictated by Murphy, WILL inevitibly happen).
But don't think the rooms are empty, ooooooh no! We are going to put in wooden floors and the Floor People (FP) were there on Thursday last week. Unfortunately, the Cupboard People (CP) decided to wait until Thursday to pitch for the first time, and promptly stopped the FP in their tracks, saying that the cupboards have to be replaced first. That leaves Bedroom 1 full of FP-stuff... Hubby decided that since we painted the two spare rooms last year before Shevaughn was born, he'll now paint our room while there are no carpets or furniture in the room. That leaves Bedroom 2 full of paint-stuff. And since hubby wanted to paint our room, our bed and Shevaughn's cot is currently in her room. (A big step up, as we were sleeping in the living room at one stage.....)
Then, of course I have to empty out all the cupboards so that the CP can replace the cupboards. Which, at the rate they are going, may or may not be before the turn of the century... The good thing that has come of this, is that I am in the perfect mood to throw away all the crap sentimental-little-me is always gathering!
I am happy to report, though, that at least the toilet has been replaced!

On the 7th, I was on my way home, when all of a sudden there were a number of lights shining on the dashboard of my car that really aren't supposed to be on (the airbag light, for example...). As I stopped at the traffic light (about 1km from home), I switched off the car (it's an Alfa, it sometimes helps to just 'clear its head' a bit when it does something stupid) and when I wanted to switch it back on again...NOTHING. Not even a stutter! So there I am, next to the road with a baby in the car (in Gauteng, aka Crime Capital), going nowhere. Luckily hubby was home already and got to us within 5 minutes. Diagnosis: dead battery. So beyond repair dead that hubby couldn't even jumpstart it!

But wait, there's more! Saturday morning, hubby noticed a wet mark on the ceiling and against the wall in the corridor.

Went into the roof to check, only to find that the geyser is leaking. As hubby didn't even know where to start to fix this, he phoned the plumber that fixed the loo, who told him that he'd suggest we contact the insurance and have it fixed ASAP as it sounds to him as if the bloody thing is about to pop! We are just soooooooo incredibly grateful that this happened when it did and that he noticed the mark against the wall. Imagine us two weeks from now, brand new cupboards, brand new wooden floors, furniture all back in its place...and the geyser bursts. I can guarantee you that would've sent me straight to the looney bin!!!

So, a recap on the past two weeks:
SARS - An unmentionable amount of money... Check
Cracked toilet - An unmentionable amount of money to the insurance (cleverly called 'Excess', as if we had it just lying around)... Check
Alfa - An unmentionable amount of money for a huge new battery... Check
Leaking geyser - An unmentionable amount of money to the insurance (oh yes, this counts as a whole new insident, so there's that 'excess' again)... Check

Budget? What budget?

I am hoping, praying, pleading that my house will be back to normal by the end of this week, but I am affraid with the standard of service we are receiving from the CP (or rather lack thereof), it looks to be high hopes.

Oooooeeee!

2009-09-10T16:11:00.008+02:00

My gorgeous girly has started going 'Ooooooeeeee' for anything that tickles her fancy, and this is what it looks like....

(Pictured here with my brother)

Water, water everywhere

2009-09-04T14:42:00.006+02:00

We had a bit of an unpleasant surprise when we got home last night. Sometime during the day, the cistern of the toilet in the main bathroom cracked... Which meant that we came home to a flooded house. We have carpets in all 3 bedrooms, which will probably have to be replaced as they were soaking wet (see the video) and we can’t get them dry!

Hubby went and hired a steam cleaner to try and vacuum out as much of the water as possible, but it is basically a lost case. He spent about 3 hours in our room... and half an hour later, the water just started seeping through again. Not exactly the best way to start the weekend, is it? But you know what, this just made me realise all over again why I love my husband so much: In the midst of this huge mess, we could still help each other to laugh about the whole situation!

I love you because...

2009-09-02T12:43:00.014+02:00

Irene tagged us to give ten things we love about our little angels. I'm not sure if I'll be able to stick to ten, because there is just soooooo many things I love about her, but let's see...

1) Oh, those eyes!! Those big, beautiful eyes with the long, long lashes that can stare at you as if you are the most amazing person in the whole world, with so much love and trust!
2) The way your whole face lights up when you smile or laugh, those eyes (again!) squinting until you can hardly see the eyes between the lids, wrinkling your little nose and then laughing and squeeling with delight... Makes everyone around you want to laugh with you.
3) The way you call for me from your cot if I take too long to get up and greet you in the mornings. "Mamma?" Soft and questioning, almost as if you don't want to disturb me if I am maybe still asleep.
4) Those magical hugs and kisses! No matter how bad my day was, I immediately feel 100 times better when I pick you up in the afternoon and I get a big bear hug from you (while patting my arm as if to say "It's okay mommy, I'm here now").
5) Every little inch of your cuter than cute body. Your feet (which, by the way, looks like a size-reduced copy of daddy's) with those cute little jelly-tot toes. The marshmallow-bum that has got cellulite even though you are quite a skinny-kiddy (okay, I confess, that part you got from me...). Those busy little hands with their gorgeous dimples that are always pointing, waving, blowing kisses... Granny says you have got the most beautiful hands she has ever seen, and I completely agree!
6) The way you get so super excited when you see yourself in the mirror. I don't blame you, I'd also get so excited if I were that gorgeous!
7) Your total enthusiasm for everyone and everything. You laugh so easily, at the doggies, at your grannies, at your cousins, at something as silly as me playfully biting your fingers to try and coax you into allowing me to feel your gums (with which I am having no success!). You love life, and I love you for it!
8) The way you very firmly shake your head when you decide you have had enough to eat. Since before you were born, you knew what you wanted and NO-ONE will make you do something you don't want to do.
9) The fact that you do something new practically every day! One of your latest things is to go "Oooooooooeeeeee" for something that tickles your fancy, pouting those lips like a real pro! I just want to kiss you when you do that!
10) The way you 'share' your dummy with me and daddy. The way you crawl. The way you walk. The way you stand. The way you love books. The way you sleep... You see, I can go on and on and on, I love every single thing about you! My baby, I love you with all my heart!!!

(I imagine you reading this blog 15 years from now and going "Mooooooooom!!! You wrote about my bum!!! How could you?!!! This is sooooooo embarrasing!" all the way rolling those eyes as you already do when you've actually had enough to eat, but is indulging me with taking one more bite because I don't think you've had enough...)

Friday fun

2009-08-14T15:19:00.002+02:00

My music

2009-08-07T16:27:00.004+02:00

I am so far behind the time that I can’t even remember who started this, I think Jahni...

I really had a difficult time with this one, because I absolutely LOVE music, I will go totally nuts without it. I couldn’t choose just 10, and even these aren’t all of my favourite-favourites. But here goes, in no particular order:

1) Hysteria – Def Leppard
2) Poison – Alice Cooper
3) Walking on sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
4) Sit down – James
5) Loosing my religion – R E M
6) Tears in heaven – Eric Clapton
7) With or without you – U2
8) Thank you for loving me – Bon Jovi
9) Gebed – Mathys Roets
10) Runaway train – Soul Asylum
11) Somebody – Depeche Mode
12) River of dreams – Billy Joel
13) Thorn in my side – Eurythmics
14) Remember - Josh Groban

I have a quite diverse taste in music, I am a big fan of classical music (I absolutely love Bach’s Toccata & Fugue in D Minor) which I mainly listen to when I am studying, love the so-called popera (Il Divo, Josh Groban), golden oldies, 80’s and 90’s music, love almost anything Andrew Lloyd Webber, a little bit of doef-doef, some ‘light’ metal (think Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters), the ‘older’ Afrikaans artists (Laurika Rauch, Matthys Roets)... You name it, I (probably) love it! But if you really want to torture me, make me listen to jazz!

(Three posts on one day!? Aren't you proud of me???)

Psalm 23

2009-08-07T15:17:00.001+02:00

I just read this in an e-mail and I think it is so precious (not to mention spot-on!):

A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, 'The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know.'

Hi, my name is Karien...

2009-08-07T13:39:00.021+02:00

...and I’m an Internet-aholic. I was at home for three days with a sick child and virtually no internet access (unthinkable! On both counts!), then had four (or five or six, I’ve lost count) incredibly busy days at work and I seriously feel the withdrawal symptoms!! I have come to realise that I can NOT go without OPM and I am seriously addicted to my friend’s blogs.

Which kinda brings me to my next point: I was given a “One Lovely Blog Award” by Marcelle from Making Babies. Thanks, skattie, I feel honoured…and really, really need to brush up on my blogging to actually deserve the award, hehe!

The rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award" are: Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I would now like to pass this award on to the following bloggers:

Jahni at Life starts here
Nikki at So, this is life
Mandy-Leigh at Where's my baby
Kim at God's test on life
Melanie at Life happened
Tammi at Our dream come true
Eve at My TTC life
Paula at The mommy van
Twinkles at The whole 9 yards
Irene at Belly perspective
Monzelle at Joshua Connor de Villiers
Zeu at Alizee - Our journey to here and beyond
Kerry at It's who I am
Erdna at Spoegie's grand entrance

And last but not least, our very own 'naked chef' at Good food, good wine, good living

You girlies rock! (Marts, you should’ve gotten one too, but you know why you didn’t, hehe!)

In other news, my little lazy-bug…ag, uhm, I mean ladybug has finally started crawling (forwards instead of backwards)!! I have to admit that it is the cutest thing I have ever seen (naturally!). Her daddy is ecstatic, as he had been patiently waiting to hear the clap-clap of her little hands as she comes crawling down the corridor since the day she was born. As for me: of course I’m happy, I need to shed a few more kilo’s. And with a little girl who can produce things out of thin air to put in her mouth and choke on while she is stationary, I can imagine just how wide open my eyes will have to be now that she is mobile!

Lastly, I have a little confession to make: I am a horrible mother!! I do not handle throw-up. At all. NO throw-up. I was always told not to worry, that I will be able to handle my kids’ throw-up. I don’t. Therefore, a great big thank you goes out to my amazing hubby, who last week did the cleaning up every time our daughter threw up! He is the most wonderful husband and father in the whole wide world. And I will always be a terrible mother because I don’t think I will ever be able to face throw-up. End of story!

My three...

2009-07-31T13:33:00.003+02:00

Three names I go by:
Kien/Kiena
Pops
Blondie

Three jobs you may not know I have had in my life:
Data-capturer
Planning assistant
PA

Three places I have lived:
Germiston
Potchefstroom
Centurion

Three shows that I watch currently:
Top Gear
Top Gear
Top Gear (not necessarily in that order and not necessarily by choice...)

Three Places I have been:
Germany
Netherlands
Uuuuuhm, Cape Town?

Three people who e-mail me regularly:
Adri
Jan
Eugene (My brother from another mother)

Three of my favorite foods:
Seafood in any form
Pasta
Anything my mother-in-law makes

Three bloggers I think will respond:
Not sure, think most of my buddies have done it already

Three things I'm looking forward to:
The end of winter...
My daughter’s first birthday in September
OPM family day in October

Monday again...

2009-07-20T11:42:00.006+02:00

I've never been a big fan of Mondays. But ever since coming back to work after my maternity leave, it's gotten much, much worse. It is as if weekends just aren't long enough, as if I never get to spend enough time with my little family...

Anyways, let's not dwell on that... Hope everyone has a wonderful week and that the weekend will be here again before you know it!

I want one of these...

2009-06-23T09:05:00.003+02:00

...so I can work on that road rage of mine, haha! No taxi or a$$hole in a BMW will ever cut in in front of me again!

Take note: the smaller one is a Hummer, just to give you an idea how big this beast is.

10 of my strangest characteristics

2009-06-18T21:56:00.002+02:00

I suffer from terrible road rage… Which makes me curse… A lot… (I do not even want to thínk what my daughter’s first words are going to be!)
I have rheumatoid arthritis (old, old woman).
Like Mandy, I cry when I am angry and are therefore really bad at conflict. I try and avoid it as far as possible and can honestly say that I can’t even remember when was the last time I had a fight with DH.
I am a pain-in-the-@rse-perfectionist when it comes to my job and studies, but my house permanently looks like the day before Creation. If you ever come and visit me and the house is tidy, do not, I repeat, DO NOT open any cupboards, you are bound to end up in a heap of whatever!
I suffer from verbal diarrhoea…
I can not function without music. The only time there’s no radio or CD or whatever playing, is when I’m asleep (but then I’m probably dreaming of music, so that doesn’t count).
I am forever colour-coordinating EVERYTHING, be it my underwear, my child’s clothes or the pegs I’m using to hang the clothes on the washing line… I think it’s called obsessive compulsive.
I hate exercise!! I am self-conscious whenever I do exercise, even if I am alone in my own house and no-one is around. I just hate it, I’m a real lazy-@ss (and I love chocolate, but I don’t think that counts as a strange characteristic…)!
I am terrified of needles!! Even after 100’s of blood tests and shots for the ICSI, I still can’t stand them. I would’ve loved to donate blood, and even got as far as the door of the place they were holding a blood drive at once…but started hyperventilating and shaking so badly that I wanted to pass out, so I didn’t even bother going inside. Which brings me to my last one:
I’m an organ donor. Seeing as I can’t help out while I’m alive, they can have whatever they can use once I kick the bucket.

(Wait, wait, I have a bonus one: I am a procrastinator of note! Right now, for instance, I am supposed to be typing my assignment... Shhht, don't tell anyone!)

Instruction manual

2009-06-11T14:06:00.002+02:00

Okay, this is actually my birth story, but as there is waaaaaay TMI for my male reader(s?), I decided to name it something else so that he doesn't read it,hehe!

My EDD was 15 September 2008 and we were certain that the young lady was going to make an early appearance... Boy, were we wrong!! On 10 Sept (39 weeks), my gynea’s receptionist said she was sure that baby’s on her way, as I was very ‘puffy’ and my bump had dropped almost to my knees (it felt that way, in any case). When I walked into the rooms on the 17th she asked me whether I had let baby know that the 15th had come and gone and refused to make another prediction as to when little miss would arrive. I reaaaaaaally didn’t want an induction, so when we walked in, I asked the doc if we can wait another week before thinking about it. He wasn’t toooo happy to wait, but after checking me and baba, he was satisfied that all was still well and said we’ll talk about induction on the 23rd if nothing has happened by then. And surprise-surprise... nothing happened!! (Now, up to that point, I had been driving myself to the doc [about 25km’s, a bit far, I know, but I wanted a water birth and that is the closest hospital to us that has the facilities] as hubby worked about 2 km’s from the hospital and it was senseless for him to drive up and down. But by the 23rd he HAD to come pick my up because I just couldn’t fit behind the wheel anymore!!!!)

When we arrived at the doc late afternoon on the 23rd, he did an internal exam and a membrane sweep and told me to come in to hospital on the morning of the 25th (as the 24th was a public holiday) for induction, if nothing has happened by then. When we got home, I had some spotting, which I knew was to be expected after the sweep. I phoned my best friend to tell her what the doc said and while talking with her, I realised that my top was a bit wet – apparently some colostrum leaked from my one boob (what the hell??? Anyone else had this??). I told my friend about this and she said she was sure baby’s on her way.

When I went to the loo before going to bed at about 10:40, my mucus plug came out. Lying in bed about half an hour later, my water broke (what a mess!!!). Luckily I was sort of prepared for it, cause the second I realised what was happening I was out of bed and on the loo, waiting for the worst of it to pass (not a drop in bed, just call me Flash!). Told hubby that I’m going to lie on the couch in the lounge and try to get some sleep (was scared of making a mess in bed) and that I’d wake him when I thought it was time to go to hospital. He still asked how I’ll know and I told him that according to everything I’ve read, you should go to hospital if your contractions are about 5 minutes apart if things are progressing slowly, and about 10 minutes apart if things are progressing quickly...

I got dressed and went to lie down on the couch and sms’ed my mom and sister to tell them that my water broke, that I had relatively ouch contractions, but they were still quite far apart (NOT!) and that I’d let them know when we were on our way to hospital. I timed the next contractions and they were 6 minutes apart! Even before hubby could fall asleep again, I was at his side telling him I think we’d better get to hospital. At that late stage, I decided to rather put my ‘stash’ (bottles of water and energade, sweeties, salticrax, yogisips etc... Labour is long, hard work, isn’t it?!) in my bag instead of in the cool-bag (???were you nuts, woman!?), so about 20 minutes later we were on our way to hospital. Thank goodness it was in the middle of the night, it took us only about 20 minutes (instead of the usual hour+!) to get to hospital, so we walked into hospital just after 12.

Luckily it didn’t take us long to book in and on the way to the maternity ward I had to stop every few steps and wait for a contraction to pass. When we got there, I was examined by the (amazing, wonderful, calm, supportive!) nurse, who told me that I was 5cm dilated and that my water hadn’t broken???? A minute or so later, she corrected herself and said that it was just a little ‘bubble’ of water that had formed, which popped with the internal exam. I was given an enema and after I did my thing, got into the spa bath! What bliss! Hubby was absolutely amazing, whenever I got a contraction and felt the need to lean forward, he would stand behind me and support my back. I think his muscles must’ve been so sore the next day as the bath is a little elevated, but still quite low so I can just imagine that supporting my back must’ve meant standing in quite an awkward position, haha! Things progressed rather quickly (of my whole ‘stash’, I think I drank one bottle of water and a bit of energade, hahaha!) and they had to phone my gynea twice as he fell asleep again after the first call...

When he arrived he said he thought it was best if I got out of the water as he would probably have to help babes out. I got out (hanging onto the bath for dear life half-way out as a nice big contraction hit me!), got onto the bed and 10 minutes later, Shevaughn made her grand entrance at 03:45, weighing in at 4,3kg (no, I’m not dyslexic, that is really FOUR. POINT. THREE. KILOGRAMS!!!), 55cm long, 9/10 on both her Apgar’s, only 5 hours after everything started. Hubby cut the cord (I was completely stunned, as I didn’t think he’d do it... afterwards he admitted that the doc just shoved the scissors into his hand and he was so in shock and awe that he didn’t even think about it twice) and she was given to me almost immediately to hold and cuddle while doc sewed me up (which was the most painful part of the whole birth for me, haha, I’m TERRIFIED of needles of any kind!). The pead arrived and she was weighed and examined, I nursed her, hubby got to hold her a while and then she was taken to be put in the incubator (standard procedure??) and bathed etc. I had a quick shower and walked myself to my ‘after birth’ room (private room, thank heavens!).

I remember feeling both horrified and proud of myself afterwards: horrified as I know for a fact I must’ve kicked my gynea quite hard in his ribs (NOT my fault, I can’t help it if he decided that’s the best place for me to put my foot so that he can get the suction-thingy in....) and I knew that I must’ve made one hell of a noise; proud as just before Shevaughn was born I felt sick and had the presence of mind to very politely say ‘I want to throw up’ and not to utter the (much more crass) words that I had actually been thinking at that point, hahaha! Have to share this as well: just before Shevaughn was born, Armand told me to hang on “jy’s in die pylvak” (you’re in the home stretch), I thought it was incredibly funny and to this day it’s a running joke in our household. He says he has no idea where he got it from, it was just the first thing that came into his mind at that point!

I couldn’t sleep at all that whole morning and when I finally got to hold her again, I just couldn’t stop looking at her! Shame, she really cried A LOT that first day or two and afterwards when the (new!) pead examined her, she told us that she must’ve broken her collar bone during birth (we noticed a little ‘bump’ between her neck an shoulder and asked the pead about it)! I’m still livid with the pead that examined her at birth for either not picking it up or just not telling us about it!!

Although I had really hoped that she’d be born in the water, I wouldn’t do it any differently! It was the most amazing experience!!

A procedure I'm considering!

2009-06-05T16:27:00.000+02:00

I couldn't resist...

Things I have done...

2009-05-28T16:13:00.013+02:00

Kim started this, let's see what the rest of you have to say:

This is a list of possible things you've done in your life...bold the ones you've actually done.
1. Started your own blog (Duh!!)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (Hated it!!!)
9. Been on a roller coaster (Hated it even more...)
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of Table Mountain (Hated it too!)
18. Grown your own vegetables (Tried to, at least...still waiting for it to come up, though!)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow man
25. Visited the Union Buildings
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Scored a goal
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited America
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in movie
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (One or two...didn't like it too much, haha!)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Given flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (At school, nothing sinister, though!)
85. Read the entire Bible (Does Shevaughn's Bible count?)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the sea
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Cried until your tears dried up
101. Rode in a race car (Hubby's Historic Racing car... topspeed is about 130 km/h, haha!)
102. Drove a race car
103. Cried when u were happy or received good news
104. Made prank calls
105. Gone to the moon
106. Got your heart broken
107. Broken someone else’s heart
108. Been to Mauritius
109. Watched the clouds flow by
110. Wished you were in someone else’s shoes
111. Had your ears pierced
112. Got a tattoo
113. Lied to a loved one
114. Bunked school/class
115. Smoked a cigarette
116. Consumed alcohol
117. Stolen something from a friend
118. Stolen something from a restaurant/hotel
119. Laughed until your tummy ached
120. Choked in a restaurant
121. Danced/sang in front of a mirror
122. Been to the zoo
123. Touched/held a snake (Creepiest experience ever, I HATE snakes!!!)
124. Own a pet
125. Visited India
126. Visited Dubai
127. Been to the pyramids in Egypt
128. Been at a stay awake
129. Been lost
130. Been to a circus

The story of Us

2009-05-28T13:50:00.002+02:00

Here goes: Armand and I worked together at Rand Water, which doesn’t necessarily say much, as it is a huuuuuge company. I used to see him in the canteen in the mornings and thought he was quite cute, but left it at that as I was involved with some other nitwit also working at RW (who turned out to be not such a nice guy).

A few months after I broke up with said nitwit, I was in the canteen with my friend, Joey (who’s old enough to be my mother, has never heard of the concept ‘tact’ and is everything but shy!), and in walks The Man. Sooooo, I point him out to Joey, saying I think he looks kinda nice... After almost sending my in underneath the table from embarrassment by completely turning around in her chair and literally STARING at the poor guy (afterwards he told me that he didn’t even notice), she reckons no, we HAVE to know who he is! So over she goes to their table, tells his one friend, Coenie, that she’s one of the GM’s secretary (which at least wasn’t a lie...), that she has to talk to him and that he must please phone her after lunch. Poor Coenie almost had a heart attack, thinking that he is in biiiiiig trouble if the GM is looking for him...

After lunch I am hanging around at her desk, in fear of what she is up to. When Coenie phones, she tells him that she actually just wants to know what his friend’s name and telephone number is, because I want to invite him out for coffee!!! I honestly didn’t think she was too funny at that point in time, but I have been so grateful ever since!

So, not wanting to uninvite someone who has already been invited, I send him an email saying that he probably doesn’t know me and he probably heard about Joey’s call and would he be interested in going for coffee. Much to my amazement, he actually DID know who I was and was very keen on the coffee-idea (afterwards he confessed that he had had an eye on me for quite some time, but knew that I was involved with Nitwit)!

The next day, Friday 7 June 2002, we went on our coffee date, the Sunday he came to church with us (and the poor guy was dropped into the deep end as the WHOLE family was there that day) and from then on we had been inseparable! We got engaged 9 months later and were engaged for 6 months before we got married on 20 September 2003 (on my grandad’s 90th birthday, it was very special, he even brought me in and my dad just 'gave me away'!).

I am more in love with my husband every single day! He is everything and more than I had ever hoped to find in a man and is the best thing that has ever happened to my (apart from Shevaughn, of course!).

Finally!

2009-05-25T16:29:00.002+02:00

You see, I should've written about our lack of pearly whites much sooner: we have a tooth! Well, we can feel that it's through, but Madam does not want to show us what it looks like... At least the months of eating biltong sticks and teething biscuits and everything-else-within-biting-distance and attacking mommy's fingers have finally paid off!!

I know, I know, this doesn't really count as 'A Post' because it is so short, but it has been a BLUE Monday and I seriously just want to fetch my ray of sunshine and go home...where more work awaits, but that I can handle!

xxx

To teeth or not to teeth...

2009-05-20T09:47:00.003+02:00

For MONTHS (I kid you not!) we (okay then, Shevaughn) have been having ‘teething trouble’...
Runny nose – Check
Runny tummy – Check
Restless nights – Check
Swollen gums – Check
EXCESSIVE drooling – Check
Pearly whites to date – Zero. Nothing. Zilch!

Then, two nights ago, she wakes up at 3:00 in the morning in total agony. Crying like I have never heard her cry before. Long story short, after some Panado drops and lots of rocking and singing (BAD mommy!) she finally falls asleep again at about 4:30. Yesterday morning she’s a bit off colour, but still smiling and chatting. At about eleven, the school phones me to say that she’s got a bit of a fever and asks permission to give her some Panado. About an hour later, her temperature hasn’t dropped, so I pick her up and off we go to the pead. Turns out my poor little girl has got inner-ear infection!!! She’s on antibiotics, probiflora and Ponstel, so let’s hope she’s her chirpy, happy, pain-free self in no time. Of course we were at it again at 3:00 this morning and I was scared to death of giving her an overdose Ponstel, but I eventually cave in and gave her half a dose. Needless to say, I’m pretty useless today...

By the way, I asked my cousin who is a pead this morning if I did wrong to give her the extra Ponstel and told her about my fear of OD’ing my child, she reckons that ‘too much’ would actually be if she drinks the whole bottle by accident, so I think we’re in the clear, my midnight-ly help didn’t do too much damage.

Back to the actual reason for my post, though... Still no teeth, although we were certain that this new restless sleeping might be a sign. I really want to complain to aunty Marina Petropoulos who writes in her book that it takes about 7 to 10 days from when the ‘symptoms’ start until a tooth appears... Liar, liar, pants on fire!

Old age and the memory loss that goes with it...

2009-05-18T11:25:00.003+02:00

I should really take a notebook to bed with me (if I remember...)! I'm lying in bed on Friday night, thinking about everything I want to write about on my very own blog (I know, I know, I've got a baby in the house, I should be sleeping every chance I get!). By the time I wake up Saterday morning, half of it has disappeared into thin air. By breakfast time, the rest is gone... Oh well, I'll try and dream it all up as I go along.

Of course the main things I want to write about, are the miracles in my life, which obviously means that I HAVE to write about my gorgeous, perfect, light-of-my-life baby girl (who almost had me in tears when she waved goodbye to me for the first time when I dropped her off at school this morning...it was so incredibly cute, but I felt a little sad, as if she was saying "Just go now, mommy, for crying out loud! I want to play!!"... Bittersweet!).

Ever since I can remember I wanted babies. Lots of babies! And I wanted to be pregnant! I remember I was about 10 or 11 and I had this long nightgown and a...oh, I have no idea what it is, a monkey-ish, orang-utan-ish soft toy that had a body that looked exactly like a preggy belly if I shoved it up my nightgown. So I'd walk around with my boepie, and eventually I'd give birth to my baby (by pulling the 'monkey' out from underneath my nightgown...if only it was that easy!) and of course, then would start the 'mothering'.

Thus BIG was my disappointment then when years down the line, I wanted to start having real babies...and nothing happened. Along with pills and needles and pokes and prods and doctors and waiting came tears. And heartache. And lots and lots of "Why's". And more tears. Bitterness. Fury. Jealousy. More heartache... And even more tears.

Our journey to parenthood is a different story for another day. The fact of the matter is, after 4 years of medicated cycles, IUI's and finally an ICSI, me and my dearest hubby are now parents to an incredible little person!! And though I do not wish to EVER have those 4 years over again, Shevaughn (which means "God is Gracious") is worth every single tear cried, every bit of heartache. She fills our lives with so much love and laughter and I thank God for giving her to us every single day.

I have so many friends that are still battling to fall pregnant with the bundle of joy they so desperately want, and to you guys I want to say that I am forever praying for you! I know that it's not something you like hearing, but I do believe that God has a plan for all of us, and He has His own time for everything. Hang in there, I believe that God WILL bless you with one (or two or three) of His most precious angels as soon as the time is right! For my friends who have lived through MC's or stillbirths: I can not begin to imagine what you go through every single day, but I pray for you too, for acceptance, for strength, that you'll have the support you need to face life without your angel-babies...

That's all for now!

Into the unknown

2009-05-15T13:50:00.002+02:00

Well, since everybody seems to be doing it, I thought I'd give it a try (my mom would've asked whether I'd jump off a cliff if everyone else did it...). Very new to this whole blogging-thing, so bare with me!

Actually wanted to start off with my background in a nutshell, but it is Friday afternoon and my brain has gone AWOL... Besides, I have just heard that I can go home at 15:00, so the one or two braincells that might have been hanging around, have decided to call it a day so long. Therefore, after having had to type 'nutshell' about 10 times (thanks to numerous typo's and spello's...), I have also decided to call it a day!

Watch this space!!