Adverse Reaction

In New Zealand very few things are celebrated here. And from most I get the idea that that is how they like it and anything new or out of the norm is just lunacy or over the top. I like Halloween. Ok, no, I LOVE Halloween. I loved it as a child and I love it now since I have children. My problem is that this country as a whole views Halloween has a bad evil day and shouldn't be celebrated in anyway. Let's get back to the root of Halloween (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween). It's All Hallow's Eve, the day before All Saints Day. Nothing bad about that. Besides, for me it has nothing to do with saints or demons or god or evil! Why can't something be purely celebrated because we love it or we enjoy it? I love Halloween because we got to dress up in our favorite costumes, have parties and go trick-or-treating. And I love it for the same reasons even more so now because I have children. I don't believe in god/jesus so that must mean Christmas is evil to me because after all Christmas is about god/jesus. Ya know I give up. I don't think I should have to justify why I enjoy Halloween. This country really needs to step back and maybe pull their heads out of their asses and realize that there doesn't always have to be something bad or imply evil connotation because we enjoy celebrating something that isn't the norm in this country.

***And yes, this all comes from a work get together last night where I was outnumbered, 3 to 1, that Halloween is BAD! One lady doesn't mind handing goodies out but makes sure they pray over the loot bags before giving them away to save the children from the ghosts, goblins and gouls. OH YEAH, and she makes sure to include something about Christianity in their loot bags too. HAHAHAHAHA! Nothing like pushing beliefs. If you have that much of a problem with Halloween then don't do anything for it. But also don't say you don't want to put the kiddies off so you give something anyway along with Christianity shoved down your throat! How twisted is that????***

Thick!!!

Ok, Lauryn is back to her old self! And I cringe at people's reactions to posting this or the fact as to why she is back to happy Lauryn. Just keep in mind, we as mother's shouldn't judge lol and we can't remember everything!

Here's the story:
Hugh was on the computer (in the same room as Lauryn's bed and very small so right next to each other) and Lauryn was carrying on like she has been for the past week. Finally Hugh had to stick his hand in her bed so she could play with it before nodding off in a sitting position. After she fell asleep he came and told me how he managed to get her to sleep. And I said 'awww, poor thing'. Then Hugh responds 'it's a shame she doesn't have something to comfort her'. I said 'I know'. I couldn't for the life of me think of anything she took interest in that would help. Then Hugh says 'she does have that star blanket'. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was right! This is the blanket she had from day dot and always used it to go to sleep while sucking her thumb. I took it out of her bed when I went to a scrapbooking show so she would have it to fall asleep with. And I just left it in the car for a week!!!!!!!! I didn't really think she depended on it that much! Well guess what??????? Now she is back to her old self and hasn't cried once when put to bed since having the blanket back! *&%@!!! How bad do I feel that I couldn't even figure out what she could have potentially been missing! I feel really really bad. And can you imagine what she has been thinking for a week???? How can a mother forget such an important thing?

Growing Up Orang-utan!

This morning I was watching Animal Planet with the girls and the show was 'Growing up Orangutan'. I was only catching bits here and there in between crying and mommy requests! It was about this sanctuary that takes care of/raises abandoned Orangutans whether the mother has been killed or died. It was great as the Orangutans attended 'schools' in the forests and aren't kept in cages rather in 'homes'.

One story really tugged at my heartstrings. A mother was captured with her baby. The capturers had sprayed her eyes to prevent her from attacking. The lady that owns the sanctuary took both mother and baby in but had to separate them until the mother was better. On later inspection they found that the baby had a broken arm. So again the baby couldn't be returned to it's mother until his arm was better. After being with his 'human' mom for 3 weeks they tried putting him back with his mother as that is the goal. The goal is never to keep them from their mothers and to return them to the wild once they are rehabilitated. When he went into the cage, he was crying for his 'human' mother. And just cried and cried and cried. I felt bad for the poor little guy. Then the mom finally opened her eyes from sedation and grabbed the wee little guy as if she hadn't forgotten who he was in them 3 long weeks. She was hugging him and holding him and I just bawled!!!! How awesome that she hasn't forgotten him with him being away for 3 weeks even if the baby wanted nothing to do with her. After 4 days of being together, the baby finally came around and tried nursing but the mother's milk had all dried up and he was starving. Here I was hoping for a happy ending and the baby had to be taken away again. After trying to use hormones to stimulate her milk, they were unsuccessful and had to release her back into the wild.........without her baby :( Man, I cried! How sad that she was ready to care for the wee guy again only to be disappointed by not being able to nurse him and the ultimate rejection of being let back into the wild without her baby. So yes, I was a blubbering idiot for the morning. And Kamryn was saying 'don't be sad, Mommy'. I know it's only for the best but it doesn't make it any less sad. People should just leave these animals alone! It's just good this sanctuary exists to aid in their survival.

Still Crying

Wow, I think I have had enough crying for a lifetime!!! Now on Plunket's advice, we have pushed back the nap time to 12/12:30 and she sleeps for 2 hours. Two hours on the dot. Not even 2 hours and 10 minutes! Surely for an 11 1/2 month old, 2 hours isn't enough to survive on during the day??? So come 4/4:30 she is tired again but will she sleep??? Um, no. Will she happily sit in her cot and play or entertain herself for an hour??? Again, um, no. And now since Plunket suggested dropping one feed and only giving her 3 bottles during the day, she has been waking at night. So I'm not going with Plunket's advice on that one and I'm going back to giving her 4 and see if that makes a difference. The last two nights she has been waking at 12/1AM and 5/6AM. Then I hop into bed last night at roughly 11:30 (exhausted!!) had to wait until then to take Kamryn pee, and Lauryn wakes an hour later. Hugh says 'can ya just go this time?' Um, no! I just got to bed and I'm exhausted and I feel sick and I'm cramping!!! You bloody do it! So peace has still not come to our house. And I'm telling ya, when she started crying last night you should have felt my heart, it was beating 100 mile an hour! This is how the anxiety is effecting me. Watch this space for heart attack news!

Crying Crying & MORE Crying!

Lauryn has turned into a crying monster!!! She has spoiled us by not being that baby that cries alot. Well for some reason the tide has changed. I'm blaming it all on teeth! And I'm not happy. I don't have much patience and what I do have quickly goes out the window when she is whining to be held or cries when she's put to bed. I've just had enough. I'm tired of crying kids. It seems to go in cycles too, so if Lauryn is having a 'crying' day then so is Kamryn. I just can't win. Lauryn is waking early, not eating much, crying after being up for about an hour (to which I reply, 'you shouldn't have woken up at 7AM!'), not napping long, etc etc etc. It's just constant. And the crying really grates on my nerves and the thing I want to do most is leave. And the other day I did cause I had an absolutely enough. And her crying doesn't stop. So she isn't like Kamryn where she would cry for max, 10 minutes and then nod off. Um, no, Lauryn just cries and cries and cries until she gets the attention or up or whatever it is she wants or thinks she needs. Like now as I type this, I know she needs a nap and is tired. She is crying. She'll stop for 2 minutes, then continue crying where I know she is going to continue for 10 damn minutes or LONGER!!!!!!!! At this stage, I really need a gun or a noose! Her crying is way more intense than Kamryn's ever was. Stress seems to be my first name these days and Hugh isn't picking up much of the slack either. So I'm stuck in days where I am yelling and screaming and about to pull my hair out! And all he can say is 'she can't help it'. NO SHIT! But that's not to say it isn't bothering me that I have to listen to it! All I want is for him to go away and take the kids with him for a nice couple of days and he can deal with it like I do. It doesn't help that I haven't had any me time in nearly 2 months; so no scrapbooking. I feel like it's constantly kids and cleaning, that's it! Surely a person can only take so much? This is why people snap and I'm really close to that happening!

Dry Nights

I know we are told to wait to go without diapers overnight once the child is having dry diapers in the mornings. Well Kamryn doesn't have dry ones at all. Not even on the off chance. So while I was watching Supernanny on Thursday, she had the mother taking her daughter to the toilet about 2 hours after she fell asleep. So I told Hugh that maybe it would be worth a try to see what happens. I'm really tired of buying diapers and let's face it, them overnight ones aren't cheap either! Last night before bed I told Kamryn she didn't need a diaper tonight and she looked at Hugh with amazement and happiness and said 'I don't have to wear a diaper tonight, yay!'. So she was pretty happy she didn't have to wear it. And she really enjoyed being able to leave her panties on for the night.

Roughly two hours after she nodded off, I went and picked her up to use the toilet. She wasn't happy. It wasn't as easy as it was on Supernanny and she cried/wimpered the whole time (I think mostly cause she was still half asleep). She said 'mommy, I don't have to go pee'. So I said ok and picked her up and put her back in her bed and said if she needed to pee then she needed to call out for mommy or daddy and we would come and take her. Well about 1AM she woke up crying so I had Hugh run to take her pee. She went but then she wanted to come into our bed and didn't want to be in her bed. She was screaming and carrying on so I got up and took care of the situation lol. Again, I think she was mostly asleep but knew she had to pee. After I left her room she went to sleep.

This morning she came to my room roughly before 9 and said 'mommy, I need to pee'. So she used my bathroom. When I got up, I said 'did you pee in bed last night'. And she said 'nope, I didn't pee'. I told her what a good girl she was and she said 'I don't need diapers any more, yay!'. LOL, so we are keen to keep up with it and see how it goes. She has been very proud of herself that she went the whole night without an accident. I realize there will be accidents but I love that she now feels she is in control of it and doesn't have to wear the yucky diapers anymore!

Idol Final

Well last night Emma and I attended the Idol final. Not the results show as that is on Monday but we went to the final taping for Sunday nights show. Very interesting indeed. This time we sat 5 rows behind the judges which I think is probably the best view. Then shortly after we were seated the eliminated 8 idols showed up and sat 2 rows behind us and about 5-6 seats over! And Steve was closest to us!!! Couldn't believe it. I wasn't close enough to ask for an autograph but I could turn around and stare the majority of the night and had a perfect visual lol.

Everytime I see Rosita and Nik together I truly reckon they have something going on. Good for them if they do but it really looks like it in the studio when we are there. However, I do question his sexuality. Maybe he just swings both ways ;) And last night when they came out to 'do the autograph' thing, they were holding hands.

I'm also not too happy about the Idol single either. I know I am supposedly bound and gagged, ok well maybe only gagged lol. But the single seems like it is really made for Nik versus Rosita. It's like they didn't even take her style of singing into consideration when this song was written. Pathetic! Now I hope she comes second just so she can do what she wants instead of what the Idol is to do and perform. I would love to attend Monday nights show but that's up to Emma ;)

25 Things

Following Hannah's trend, I've decided to do a list of 25 things about my girls. I did set a few rules for myself though. I didn't think I'd be able to come up with many for each so I wanted it to be done in a set time limit and I didn't want to 'think' about it. So I did just that. I easily managed 27 for Kamryn but struggled with Lauryn after 23. So I just made an even number of 25 for both. I was glad this didn't take long as I would have worried about how in touch I was with my girls. I'm sure I've missed a few key points ;)

25 Things about Kamryn Alesia Nelson:
She loves to sort and organize.
She likes getting her nails cut as long as she gets nail polish!
She has a double crown.
She was born under water.
She has a freckle birthmark on her finger; left pointer.
Her nickname is Pookie.
She was 3 days overdue and weighed 8lbs 9oz.
She loves all animals and plant matter.
Her favorite movie is Cinderella.
She drinks grape juice; which is really 3/4 water and 1/4 Ribena (blackcurrant).
She counts to 24 and recognizes some numbers and letters especially her name.
She loves her books.
She has a blanket known as 'animal blanket'.
She's taller than the average 3 year old.
She breastfed for 6 weeks.
She dresses herself.
She was always going to be named Kamryn from the time I was 18.
She loves singing especially to songs on the radio.
She never sucked her thumb but had a pacifier affectionately called 'Pappy'.
She's constantly asking 'why?'.
She will happily hellp herself to food if she's hungry.
She doesn't like participating in group activities.
She loves her baby sister.
She makes us laugh with things she says.
She treats her favorite toys like real things; her baby and My Little Pony.

25 Things about Lauryn Amelia Nelson:
She was 9 days late and weighed 9lbs 10oz.
She has 2 birthmarks; the obvious strawberry (or misplaced Hindu dot lol) on her forehead and a port wine stain on her left foot.
Her nickname is Chubby.
She breastfed until 6 months.
She sucks her thumb but only when she's tired.
She holds and rubs her face on a blanket when she's tired or going to sleep.
She was born by emergency c-section because she was breech.
She has the cutest and widest smile ever!
She started crawling a couple of weeks ago.
Her name matches Kamryn's; same endings and number of letters.
She's average height.
She loves her big sister.
She follows Kamryn around.
She loves the water.
She only lost a small amount of hair after being born; at the back and her widow's peak.
She's a mommy's girl.
She sleeps in a porta-cot in our room for naps.
She loves attention.
She's nearly always happy and smiling.
She has 2 naps and sleeps through the night.
She's just as laid back as her daddy.
She loves her food and tends to eat more than Kamryn at dinner.
Her birthdate of 11/11 is special in numerology.
She loves cuddles and being tickled.
She gets incredibly upset when she's told 'no'.

It's a Sad Day :(

All of New Zealand must have heard me shriek in utter disbelief last night as Steve was eliminated from NZ Idol!!!!!! It was not good! I was lucky enough to attend the show last night with Emma as she had won tickets that morning to Monday nights show after calling the radio station. I was glad I got to go. And Steve sounds even that much better in person. And I swear he was singing 'Burn for You' to me lol! I tried getting an autograph but was unable to. They only stayed outside for like 5 minutes! Next week I should get to see all of them at the final so that should mean seeing Steve again. I do hope he makes a CD. I will be buying it. I'm not keen on Nik winning. He doesn't sound so great to me but Rosita sounds awesome! I'm thinking a move to Invercargill is in order to mend my broken heart lol!

On the flip side though, Lauryn is 11 months old today! Time is going too quickly. I am often bothered by the fact that my baby is mobile and moving around and will be a year old in a months time. Where has the time gone? When I look at things in different perspectives, it's amazing how we view time. Like exercise for instance or losing weight. A year to lose weight seems like it takes forever. Hell, even 3 months is a long time to me. But 3 months in my baby's life is nothing! It goes quickly! I do take comfort in the fact that we will have another baby one day. That is what is helping me to handle Lauryn growing up. Otherwise I would be a complete mess! I find there are no more quiet cuddly times as she prefers to be crawling and into things. I still try to give as many cuddles as I can even if it's in a play manner just so she knows I still enjoy them and hopefully she'll be back to enjoying them. She still is a mommy's girl though and it shows!

Wind & Kids

I don't know what the weather is like in the rest of the country but here it stinks! I'm not even sure what it's like in the next bay but there wind is fierce! I'm waiting for trees to break in half and our house to go blowing down the hill! I remember only weeks ago enjoying lovely spring weather now it's turned to custard. I feel like I'm living in Wellington at the moment ;)

My kids have been annoying. Kamryn more than Lauryn. Kamryn has been annoying Lauryn to no end and when Lauryn starts to cry or fuss you hear Kamryn going 'shhhhhhh'. But Kamryn likes to sit in front of Lauryn while she is crawling, takes toys away, sits on her and now is picking her up! The best I can do is separate them. And Lauryn is cutting her top two teeth so she is a right bear!!!!! I mean it, she is a pain to deal with. I feel I am constantly doping her up with teething powder and bonjela. And that is all that seems to do the trick. Her clothing is drenched after she has only had it on for 4 hours. Kamryn's teething wasn't like this. I can't wait for this stage to be over!

OMG!!! OMG!!! OMG!!! OMG!!!

Ok, those that have read my post about missing out on NZ Idol tickets will know how upset I was :( I cried for days over not getting to see Steve lol. Ok, no I didn't but I am such in the mood for drama! Well last night before heading off to bed, I looked at their website and entered the comp for the second time in a row (you can only enter once a day). While I was off picking Kamryn up at daycare, Hugh got a phone call from TVNZ saying I had won tickets to the final show!!!!!!!!!! BLOODY HELL!!!!!!!! I am over the moon and can't wait now! So every New Zealander has to make sure Steve stays in cause I'm not as keen to go if it's Rosita and Nik, again sorry Hannah. Don't get me wrong, I will still go but would much rather go there to see Steve lol. Maybe he can sweat my way!!!!!! Now I'm wondering if I can drop 35kg in 10 days?????? What the hell will I wear???? Who's going to watch the kids????? Is there anyway I can get Hugh distracted long enough to sneak backstage???? Is a snog with someone who is famous bad when you are married???? I'm not so sure it is lol!!!! Come on when does this opportunity ever come around???? Not only that but I don't win competitions. I actually have to compete and work my butt off to win. And funnily enough my husband is even hoping I get to see Steve. I think he knows I want to see him so he is hoping Nik goes next week too. I get my tickets on Tuesday. I'm curious to know where our seats will be and don't really want to be on TV. We'll tape it though just to see if we are lol.

*FYI* Did anyone read Woman's Day this week??? So Steve is a virgin????? Hmmmm, I've been known to entice many a man lol so maybe he won't be able to resist me???? Ahhhh, I can dream..........if only I was 16 again ;)

I Am Sad :(

Ok, I have to confess that my obsession with Steve has been taken to an all new high lol!!! I did a search on TradeMe for the NZ Idol CD and didn't find anything. However, I did find an auction for double passes to Monday nights show. I WAS SOOOOOOO THRILLED! I really didn't care about who we would get to watch the kids, I just wanted to see Steve before he gets eliminated on Monday. Ok, we all know that Nik and Rosita are going to be the final two left so this would have been my last chance to 'see' him! I definitely want Steve to win but come on, what kind of chance do I have with him once he becomes famous lol???? Anyway, back to the auction ;) It ended this morning and last night before I went to bed it was up to $60. I was willing to pay $60 for two tickets. Then this morning when I checked it was up to $90. Hell, I was even willing to pay $90 for the damn tickets!!!!!! But guess what happened? I FORGOT ABOUT THE DAMN AUCTION!!!!!!! I was soooooooo pissed as I was willing to pay that for them. It ended up ending at $93 without me being the winner. It's ok though as I am trusting the people of New Zealand to do the right thing by at least getting rid of Nik, sorry Hannah lol!

I Have a Crush!

OMG! I *feel* funny posting this but must share! How many have been watching NZ Idol (http://www.nzidol.com/contestant_bio.php?id=9)???? I am sooooooooo head over heels for Steve!! I'm sorry ya'll but I feel like a teenager again. Something has been sparked inside of me lol! And last night when they sang the song by Zed, I just melted everytime the camera went to him! I'm naughty though cause I'm thinking of his youthfulness and inexperience! And I won't fill ya in on the details running through my head lol! All I know is if I weren't married I would probably be a groupie! I have asked Hugh to indulge in my fantasy by dying his hair blonde and letting it grow long lol! I'm also drooling over James Blunt too! Here's a link for those that aren't too sure on who he is http://www.musicremedy.com/audio/3616. You will have to download the video to see him but it's well worth it ;) and the song is great too! I say keep the sexual fantasies coming lol!!!!!! I will take all that I can get and I bet ya all know who I am voting for on NZ Idol???

The 'Why?' Stage

Kamryn has officially started the 'why?' stage and it's already annoying me lol. It's only been for about a week but man is it driving me nuts!

Me: 'ok, we have to go home now'
Kamryn: 'why?'
Me: 'cause we need to eat dinner'
Kamryn: 'but why, mommy?'
Me: 'because we are hungry'
Kamryn: 'why?'
Me: 'quit asking why, we are going home!'

And this sort of thing is going on every day. I don't know how long I can take it for. I suppose after a while it just becomes second nature answering her 'why' questions. I asked Hugh last night if it was annoying him and he said not yet but I'm not around it all day long. I didn't think this stage started for a while like 4 or 5 but I guess not. Oh well, at least she is asking and let's just hope I don't put her off to much with her 'why' questions ;)