A celebration of life!

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...

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

My husband is a star and other news

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...

...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...

...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

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!

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!