I got my Cricut Expression for Xmas last year from my oldest DD I had wished and hoped for one for sooo long! I'm still learning what I can do with it.I have made a chore chart so far and Valentines Day cards.
I have slowly been building up my cart library so far I have
Plantin schoolbook
Accent essentials
Everyday paper dolls
Doodle charms
Chore chart
Create-a-critter
Once upon a princess
Mini monograms
New arrival
Simply charmed
Sesame street font
Dreams come true
Toy story
there are a "few" more I'm hoping to add to the list!! I don't think there is such a thing as having "too many" carts LOL I really like the look of Car decals cart.
I just buy mine from eBay. I just yesterday won Tags,bags,boxes & more. seeing as its retiring soon. I was in a furious battle for it!! I had come across three of that cart and lost every time so this one was NOT getting through my fingers!!! cant wait for it to arrive.
I'm really loving my Cricut the only thing I don't like is how small the pictures are in the hand books sometimes,makes it hard to see where tiny pieces go. other than that everything is perfect.I don't know why P.C felt the need to bring out a new model. how can you improve on perfection??!!! I wont be rushing out to get it.I'm more than happy with this Expression.
I do have a hard time finding good thick smooth cardstock here. I have usually bought DCWV stacks from a department store here in Sydney but its all usually textured so it tends to rip while in the Cricut on intricate cuts. I like the stampin up cardstock but its a bit pricey. so I'm stuck for where to get some here that's not too expensive. I'd like to try Papertrey ink's C.S but postage is expensive too..well I suppose I could always start a jar to save towards a PTI order. Maybe every time I don't finish something I'm working on I can put $2 in the jar. I tend to get stuck with my cards and sometimes I just leave them unfinished and start new ones. might make me finish them.
Why is it that when you have to go for a "quick" trip to the store your kids always have other idea's??
my four year old DD thinks its sprinting through the mall time!! always in the exact opposite direction to where I have to go...Grrrr then proceeds to scream when I have finally caught up to her "LET ME GOOOO I DON'T WANT TO GO WITH YOU!" so that it very much looks like I am attempting to kidnap someone else's child! I don't think it will be long before she starts screaming "you're not my Mum!" she just seems to be that kind of kid to do that to me in public LOL
its worse when big DD and I are out with little DD and little decides she wants to go with whoever is going to get something from another aisle so it sounds kinda like "NOOOOO SISSY TAKE ME TOOOO!" or "MUMMMMM WHERE'S MUMMMMMM I CAN'T FIND HER!" so people think shes lost or something. its funny how checkouts magically open for us. I think its just to get rid of us faster.Me trying to hide from the girls because they are usually fighting or screaming like wild things so I'm trying to hide from them! Little is running up and down aisles pretending to be a fairy/race car dodging people with their trolley's surprisingly even in her haste she has beautiful manners "excuse meeee,vrooommm-thank you!"
and big DD is complaining "I'm HUNGRY can we go NOW??" they wonder why I all but collapse when we get home with the groceries!
thank goodness we only have to do it once a week is all I can say!!!
until next whinge...Colette
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
first one...
I suppose I should start at the beginning...I had my first Daughter at fifteen years old. a baby having a baby my Doctor used to say. I was destined to be a Mum. I have always loved kids,loved everything about them.
my pregnancy was an easy trouble free one.the birth not so. after a 17 hour labour I was exhausted so it was decided that I needed a forcep delivery which meant having an episotomy which of course meant lots and lots of stitches! Luckily I had some good advice from an Aunt about leaning all the way forward when having to pee so that it didn't touch the stitches.it was a life saver!! I got a lot of flack from nurses because of my age.just treating me like "a silly little girl" thankfully there aren't too many of them around these days!
I couldn't believe this baby was mine all mine and she was perfectly amazing. I was in love from the first moment I felt her flutter inside.
Her Father and I did not stay together so her and I grew up together.she taught me so much and I taught her.
its funny when I think back I think to myself "that poor kid raising a child all alone" but we managed just fine.
DD had always asked through the years for a baby sister,even asking Santa to bring her one!
Finally when she was 17 years old that jolly old guy came through!! she got her wish mum was having a baby! then we found out it was a girl(something I always knew somehow) and big DD was over the moon!
sadly after planning and wanting and hoping for a baby the Father decided he no longer wanted one when it was too late.He made an ultimatum "me or the baby" naturally I chose the baby! so big DD and I embarked on a new big adventure together. we were so excited we could barely sleep. all we could think about was this new tiny girl that would be joining our family. it seems alot happened in my pregnancy,blood clot in my leg with a huge scare four days before Xmas that it had moved to my jugular.thankfully after two days in hospital and a ton of prayers it was not what they had first thought. we were VERY thankful that Xmas to be together and healthy and whole. we had both been through an emotional few days full of tears and unknowns. we were exhausted but so happy. we sailed on until April where it was found that she wasn't growing as big as she should have been. I had developed pre-eclampsia with the swollen hands and feet and very high blood pressure. so at my next ante natal appointment my midwife decided to admit me and start an induction. as well as having medication for the blood pressure. my induction lasted three days. all through my pregnancy I had been terrified of the what ifs, a c-section,more stitches..and wouldn't you know it five hours into my labour dilated five centimetres I remembered to ask for an epidural before they got too busy or I forgot. being so swollen it took about twenty tries for the anesthesiologist to find the right spot.while it didn't hurt so much as it was uncomfortable and having to stop for contractions which were getting rather strong by this time. Finally numb, I had the fetal heartbeat monitor on when baby's heartbeat dropped to dangerous levels so my midwife called in the Doctor and they decided an emergency C-section would be needed immediately. All the while my big DD who was my support person was in the room with me cheering me on through contractions before the epidural. she had to gown up and follow me being wheeled into the operating theatre. I'm not ashamed to say I cried like a baby all the way to theatre,I was terrified that between my room where fetal monitoring had been done and the time it took to get her out she would not be ok. I shook the whole time until I heard a sound like a little kitten,she was out and breathing! big DD was asked if she wanted to cut the cord but she was in shock,everything happened so quickly. she did tell me that baby had "a roof for a head!" baby had been pushed and stuck in the cervix so her head had moulded to that shape but it went down later. Big DD did not let her little sister out of her sight for ANYTHING! I needed to go to recovery for a while(I don't know why,I was awake for it.what was I recovering from?!!) it nearly killed me to have to be away from both girls.
baby was born at 37wks 2150grms head circumference of 30.6cms about the size of my palm) she was tiny but oh so gorgeous!
Big DD and I fought over holding her.."you just got to hold her its my turn!"
then the next day it was noted that baby had jaundice. her SBR(serum bilirubin) was 468 which is really high.so she needed triple phototherapy and then had to be transferred to a different hospital for more therapy. it was the hardest thing I have ever done,watch my baby go to another hospital while I had to stay behind. Big DD and I cried, what made it worse was that the ambulance men that would be transporting baby had the nurses take all her name tags and clothes off and give them to me because she wouldn't need them in the other hospital. we were so scared we would never see her again..and that she was all alone.
Baby was gone for three days. it was terrible for us left behind. I was in a room by myself at first but then another lady and her baby were put in with me,which made it worse,to hear her baby crying and to see it when mine was so sick in another hospital.it was just heartbreaking for both DD and I. the poor lady must have wondered what was wrong with us,I couldn't even talk about it without breaking down.
the day she came back was the day after Mother's day. it was the best present ever. she needed to stay in hospital for three weeks all up. it was really hard leaving her every night when I was released from the hospital. big DD and I spent as much time at the hospital as possible,even though DD was still in school.I would pick her up in the afternoon's and we would spend the rest of the night at the hospital.
baby was finally clear to come home on her due date! big DD sat in the back of the car with baby while I drove at like five miles an hour!!! I had never driven a newborn before so every bump I was saying "whats she doing is she ok?" We made it home...eventually! we were so tired but so desperately wanted to show our new baby off...somewhere,anywhere! so we took her shopping. for months we had cooed over new babies while out shopping and we so much longed to have people coo over ours!!
I was still on medication for the high blood pressure.something I had never had a problem with before. the medication made me really sleepy I was so scared at night feeds that I would fall asleep while holding baby. I was happy to finally be taken off the pills.
Big DD has been a wonderful big Sister who adores her little Sister.
Baby DD is now four years old and she is a handful at the very least. strong willed,loud,feisty,stubborn,smart,messy,rough & tumble loves her food and is very much loved by us. Big DD and I are quiet,easy going,laid back but life was too quiet before "baby" we needed some noise and mess and rumble in our lives!
All those qualities will serve baby DD later in life. no one will walk on her,take from her what she does not wish to give,make her do things she does not want to do.
I have the strong belief that baby DD was always meant to be born into our family. things do not happen by accident, there was a plan set out by God. For making me the Mum of these two precious girls. even as far apart as they are in age there is a reason for it even if its not always clear to me. Having big DD so young maybe saved me from making terrible mistakes with my life.I had to grow up quickly,hit the ground running.
I have never regretted having a child so young.not once, as hard as it has been at times.
We have always been close,when big DD was little she couldn't sleep at her grandparents house because she missed me so much she got sick. now at twenty two we are still close. she lives at home,shes a mama's girl through and through! she is my best friend,something my beloved Grandfather in all his wisdom said to me when I was pregnant with her and I asked him in my hour of worry about the future with a baby "what if the baby doesn't like me?" and he said "you will be best friends I know" He was right. unfortunately he passed away just before Big DD turned two.
I wanted to start a blog because I have heard its very cathartic (sp) and I want to write things down about my life for me later. I'm not imagining that anyone else would be interested in my boring day to day!!!!! maybe my girls will like to read it one day.
that's about it for my very first very longggg post! LOL
Colette
my pregnancy was an easy trouble free one.the birth not so. after a 17 hour labour I was exhausted so it was decided that I needed a forcep delivery which meant having an episotomy which of course meant lots and lots of stitches! Luckily I had some good advice from an Aunt about leaning all the way forward when having to pee so that it didn't touch the stitches.it was a life saver!! I got a lot of flack from nurses because of my age.just treating me like "a silly little girl" thankfully there aren't too many of them around these days!
I couldn't believe this baby was mine all mine and she was perfectly amazing. I was in love from the first moment I felt her flutter inside.
Her Father and I did not stay together so her and I grew up together.she taught me so much and I taught her.
its funny when I think back I think to myself "that poor kid raising a child all alone" but we managed just fine.
DD had always asked through the years for a baby sister,even asking Santa to bring her one!
Finally when she was 17 years old that jolly old guy came through!! she got her wish mum was having a baby! then we found out it was a girl(something I always knew somehow) and big DD was over the moon!
sadly after planning and wanting and hoping for a baby the Father decided he no longer wanted one when it was too late.He made an ultimatum "me or the baby" naturally I chose the baby! so big DD and I embarked on a new big adventure together. we were so excited we could barely sleep. all we could think about was this new tiny girl that would be joining our family. it seems alot happened in my pregnancy,blood clot in my leg with a huge scare four days before Xmas that it had moved to my jugular.thankfully after two days in hospital and a ton of prayers it was not what they had first thought. we were VERY thankful that Xmas to be together and healthy and whole. we had both been through an emotional few days full of tears and unknowns. we were exhausted but so happy. we sailed on until April where it was found that she wasn't growing as big as she should have been. I had developed pre-eclampsia with the swollen hands and feet and very high blood pressure. so at my next ante natal appointment my midwife decided to admit me and start an induction. as well as having medication for the blood pressure. my induction lasted three days. all through my pregnancy I had been terrified of the what ifs, a c-section,more stitches..and wouldn't you know it five hours into my labour dilated five centimetres I remembered to ask for an epidural before they got too busy or I forgot. being so swollen it took about twenty tries for the anesthesiologist to find the right spot.while it didn't hurt so much as it was uncomfortable and having to stop for contractions which were getting rather strong by this time. Finally numb, I had the fetal heartbeat monitor on when baby's heartbeat dropped to dangerous levels so my midwife called in the Doctor and they decided an emergency C-section would be needed immediately. All the while my big DD who was my support person was in the room with me cheering me on through contractions before the epidural. she had to gown up and follow me being wheeled into the operating theatre. I'm not ashamed to say I cried like a baby all the way to theatre,I was terrified that between my room where fetal monitoring had been done and the time it took to get her out she would not be ok. I shook the whole time until I heard a sound like a little kitten,she was out and breathing! big DD was asked if she wanted to cut the cord but she was in shock,everything happened so quickly. she did tell me that baby had "a roof for a head!" baby had been pushed and stuck in the cervix so her head had moulded to that shape but it went down later. Big DD did not let her little sister out of her sight for ANYTHING! I needed to go to recovery for a while(I don't know why,I was awake for it.what was I recovering from?!!) it nearly killed me to have to be away from both girls.
baby was born at 37wks 2150grms head circumference of 30.6cms about the size of my palm) she was tiny but oh so gorgeous!
Big DD and I fought over holding her.."you just got to hold her its my turn!"
then the next day it was noted that baby had jaundice. her SBR(serum bilirubin) was 468 which is really high.so she needed triple phototherapy and then had to be transferred to a different hospital for more therapy. it was the hardest thing I have ever done,watch my baby go to another hospital while I had to stay behind. Big DD and I cried, what made it worse was that the ambulance men that would be transporting baby had the nurses take all her name tags and clothes off and give them to me because she wouldn't need them in the other hospital. we were so scared we would never see her again..and that she was all alone.
Baby was gone for three days. it was terrible for us left behind. I was in a room by myself at first but then another lady and her baby were put in with me,which made it worse,to hear her baby crying and to see it when mine was so sick in another hospital.it was just heartbreaking for both DD and I. the poor lady must have wondered what was wrong with us,I couldn't even talk about it without breaking down.
the day she came back was the day after Mother's day. it was the best present ever. she needed to stay in hospital for three weeks all up. it was really hard leaving her every night when I was released from the hospital. big DD and I spent as much time at the hospital as possible,even though DD was still in school.I would pick her up in the afternoon's and we would spend the rest of the night at the hospital.
baby was finally clear to come home on her due date! big DD sat in the back of the car with baby while I drove at like five miles an hour!!! I had never driven a newborn before so every bump I was saying "whats she doing is she ok?" We made it home...eventually! we were so tired but so desperately wanted to show our new baby off...somewhere,anywhere! so we took her shopping. for months we had cooed over new babies while out shopping and we so much longed to have people coo over ours!!
I was still on medication for the high blood pressure.something I had never had a problem with before. the medication made me really sleepy I was so scared at night feeds that I would fall asleep while holding baby. I was happy to finally be taken off the pills.
Big DD has been a wonderful big Sister who adores her little Sister.
Baby DD is now four years old and she is a handful at the very least. strong willed,loud,feisty,stubborn,smart,messy,rough & tumble loves her food and is very much loved by us. Big DD and I are quiet,easy going,laid back but life was too quiet before "baby" we needed some noise and mess and rumble in our lives!
All those qualities will serve baby DD later in life. no one will walk on her,take from her what she does not wish to give,make her do things she does not want to do.
I have the strong belief that baby DD was always meant to be born into our family. things do not happen by accident, there was a plan set out by God. For making me the Mum of these two precious girls. even as far apart as they are in age there is a reason for it even if its not always clear to me. Having big DD so young maybe saved me from making terrible mistakes with my life.I had to grow up quickly,hit the ground running.
I have never regretted having a child so young.not once, as hard as it has been at times.
We have always been close,when big DD was little she couldn't sleep at her grandparents house because she missed me so much she got sick. now at twenty two we are still close. she lives at home,shes a mama's girl through and through! she is my best friend,something my beloved Grandfather in all his wisdom said to me when I was pregnant with her and I asked him in my hour of worry about the future with a baby "what if the baby doesn't like me?" and he said "you will be best friends I know" He was right. unfortunately he passed away just before Big DD turned two.
I wanted to start a blog because I have heard its very cathartic (sp) and I want to write things down about my life for me later. I'm not imagining that anyone else would be interested in my boring day to day!!!!! maybe my girls will like to read it one day.
that's about it for my very first very longggg post! LOL
Colette
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