Love, bubs and life on our little farm

We like to visit display homes to gather inspiration for colours, tiles and fittings for our extensions. The other week we were wandering through a nice home. As we went to leave, we had to pass the salesman who as usual tries to corner us to pin down our interest. We don't want to be rude or lie but we are naturally not looking to buy or discuss prices. So we normally just smile and explain that we are only looking at this stage, thanks very much.

This salesman was a little pushier than normal and so I politely say that I thought it was a very nice design and my favorite that day. He states the price and then goes on to say to expect another $50K or so on top to get it at the level of fittings of the display. I smile and say, oh sure OK and turn to leave. He then looks me up and down and gives Jase the same scrutiny. He then changes his manner and says "well that is our top of the line home, we do have a budget range if you would prefer". Hehe I smiled politely and we walked out before cracking up laughing.

Clearly we failed his visual estimation of our income! What made us laugh was the cost of the top of the line home with deluxe fittings was about what we are spending on just our extension! Hmm seems we might need to dress up a little more for our next lazy Sunday wander around display homes ;)

I have survived 8 weeks :) - 8 weeks of toddler and baby juggling and almost 6 weeks of house extension chaos. 8 long weeks ;)

But at the same time, I barely remember the pregnancy discomfort anymore. It is as though that was a lifetime ago. Although the stretchmarks around my belly button are taking their time to fade so I do get a nice reminder!
Here is my 8 week post pregnancy shot - my weight on the scales hasn't budged from 63kg for weeks (pre baby weight was 57kg) but I am getting slimmer through the middle. The same thing happened post-Elka - I think I replace flab with muscle so my kg's stay much the same whilst breastfeeding... I can't quite get that last little tummy paunch to go yet, despite nightly pilates and sit ups - I think those muscles are just too stretched to bounce back completely yet!


My sweet Bronte-baby is doing well. She is much more settled now and likes to play and kick for her awake time. She sleeps from 7-7.30pm until 4-5am ish in one go which is great. I am working on her day sleeps as she only does one sleep cycle at a time. I am trying to gently move from rocking to sleep to self settling. She feeds mostly 2.5 hourly during the day. I am still undecided about using the routine we put Elka on - it worked so well for her but I can't help but wonder if there is any point this time since we are always out and about entertaining a toddler...
Bronte loves her sister despite copping a few hits and knocks from a boistrious Elka. Bronte beams at her and they lie together on the play mat and Bronte will copy Elka and kiick her legs. She has just discovered sucking on her hands. She loves to beam cheeky big smiles at her mummy though and I love the gooing and cooing noises she makes as she stares at my face, makes me feel very special and the centre of her wortld (which helps with a bruised ego caused by a very independent bossy toddler!)


Elka is a neverending source of equal delight and frustration. She loves being a big sister but then mucks up to draw as much atttention as she can. She locked Jase and I out of the house the other day - defintely pushing boundaries. But she is doing well for 25 months - she speaks in long multiple sentences even to strangers and to the builders who she loves to chatter to. She is learning her letters well and can spell her name and recognise some written words like "mum", she counts to 13 and is learning the concept of time and clocks. She uses the toilet at daycare and sometimes tries at home - she likes the pull up nappies at the moment, we are slowly getting there... She loves play school and Hi5 at the moment and likes to dance to CDs (she can load and play CD's all by herself! scary!)

The construction is going well and will be an update in itself..
but life is busy, loud and currently muddy but pretty fun and intereresting!

HOT

Seeing our decking timber being delivered this morning - how I can't wait for drinks on our big raised deck :)

Discovering that our ceiling fans throughout our house have reversible blades so that I can flip from the the ugly cane decorated side to lovely modern plain white blades - has made my week to see the fans looking so good without spending a dollar! hehe its the little things sometimes

Big Bronte smiles and coos and her sleeping 10 hours at night - how I love a 7 week old who sleeps that well!

The awesome mummies group that I have joined up with - 3 days out of the 5 weekdays having activities together and so much in common with other country mums - great mental support!

Getting offered two days of guest lecturing at a university

My husband ;) - news to be shared when I can


NOT

Us owing the taxman money! Jeez we never get cut a break from the government - how I would love to get paid some money for having kids like so many others do!

The rotten rat that has figured out that with our house missing external walls it can get into the dry wall and scratch at night, driving the cats and I equally crazy!

Finding that everyday lately, my right eye keeps getting make-up smeared under it and only discovering after hanging out with people - not a good look!

The rain we are getting - great for the paddocks and the tanks but not so great for our construction site - its mud from one end to the other.

Feeling quite rested (thank you Bronte) but people greeting me with "You are looking tired" boo!

Elka's new favourite trick of running away at the shops to hide -not enjoying that one much!

We have a house and carport slab! As well as all footings and the verandah stirrups concreted in. It was an amazing pour, starting at 6am in the dark. We had concrete trucks rolling in one after another, I lost count after 7 trucks as I left to go out - they kept going for another 3 hours!





Our decking timber and hopefully the pine for the frames are being delivered on Monday so next week we should see some vertical action which will be nice... Can't wait to see our big deck start to take shape!

I try not to dwell too much on the disruptions but we still have the trenches for the downpipe catchment to the tanks and the hot water pipes to be installed so there are lots more holes to be dug.. looking forward to Spring to try and get some grass to grow again! Getting out of the house to the cars (which are being parked in the paddock away from the worksite) in mud and dirt with a toddler and a baby is not fun - its a test of my arm muscles and patience!

I love reading Mamamia - Mia Freedman's blog. She does a great job of discussion interesting, fun and pertinent topics (in my humble opinion!).

This one really caught me.

"Does feminism have a place in weddings? Do women give it all up for the one day they want to be treated like a princess in a Disney movie? Did you have any modern touches at your wedding or was it traditional all the way?"

I am pretty non-traditional - I work despite having small children, not for the money but for my career. And despite being on maternity leave and therefore being full time at home currently, I don't do all the housework - as I have mentioned before I don't even know in which of my husbands clothes drawers are his socks and undies. We share housework and we share farmwork - I still did farmwork 36 weeks pregnant.
I have a great deal of respect for where feminism has gotten us. But I like to think these days that us Australian women don't have to fight for rights anymore etc, I just expect them. If salaries and numbers of women at the top tiers of careers increased, then I would be one happy non-traditional woman!

For my wedding - we did have a lovely princess-esque wedding. I did wear a big dress, we married in a little stone church and we put on a gorgeous reception at a winery. It had its traditional elements but now that I think back, I did add my non-traditional flavour. We married in a church despite being athesists but it was simply as it was the cheapest wet weather option (I have a knack of holding special events on days of insane rain downpours), and I was banned from talking at the meetings with the minister as I was so anti-Christian elements that Jase was worried I would put off the minister. We stripped the ceremony down to the bare minimum of "god mentions" and there was no way in hell I was uttering different vows to Jase so there was no "obey" in my vows.

I did wear a big dress but it wasn't white - it was gold and I had the highest spikiest gold and diamante stilletos on underneath (not that anyone could see them but they were there for me!). I didn't need to look virginal in anyway.

My father walked me down the aisle but did not "give me away". I was not "his" nor now am I "my husbands". My father walked me down and we met my mother - they gave me a hug and kiss and I walked to my husband-to-be's side. This was important symbolism to me at the time.

I did not change my name - I am a published scientist and I love my name and all that I have acheived under that moniker. My children have my husbands name and it confuses people no end. Jase is often referred to as Mr "my name" as people meet me first and just assume my last name is from him. I do not use Mrs - I use Ms or my PhD-earnt title of Dr.

We drove away from our reception in our own car - and we unloaded our wedding gifts from the car into our house before heading to our hotel. It was lovely and down to earth.

Did you add some non-traditional elements to your wedding?

We have had a brand new fancy pants biocycle septic and grey water recycling system hooked up as a requirement of the next steps of the extension (our old septic tank had to be knocked in to make room for our wrap around verandahs on one side).

I love having non-smelly cleaner water (than our old grey water system) coming out in multiple sprinklers in one of our horse paddocks, I have plans to sow some rhodes grass seed there to reap the benefits of constant watering.

But in order to set up the new system, the water and septic had to be disconnected over two days and the entire backyard dug up. Hmmm not what I wanted to experience with a newborn and a toddler, so I packed up and headed to my parents lovely farm in the Byron Bay hinterland. Good choice it turned out as Bronte had a wonder week growth spurt those days and I was exhausted!

However I came home to this
This is our current entry to the house as the front verandahs have been ripped up to be replaced so we can't use the front door. The dug up ground was deep and not safe for poor Elka - her swing set was moved and it was all a little chaotic. However they filled the trenches the next day and the bob cat driver (who turns out is a nearby neighbour) even did some landscaping for me. So for once out of the last 4 weeks, I got something returned from messy to somewhat tidy! A nice change.

Bronte is 6 weeks now and has been experiencing a good "wonder week" - feeding often and grizzling (actually screaming is a better description) a lot. But the growth spurt has done its work and left her with some lovely new skills. She is cooing and making sweet noises and is a huge smiler now. She isn't too good at day sleeps, prefering cat napping in my arms but I am sorting out her sleeping in the basinette whenever we are home enough to make it worthwhile (I spend a lot of time out to avoid the construction noise). However, she still amazes me with her night sleeping. She goes down at 7pm as though she just knows that is Elka's bedtime and that Jase and I deserve our adult relax time! And I don't hear a peep from her until 1-2am, and last night it was 3am, then she quickly feeds, snuggles back to sleep and wakes at 6amish. Which means I am getting decent amounts of sleep. Very happy with that!

She still feeds well - prefering 2.5 hour gaps during the day but I try to stretch her to 3 hours as she gets colic from too much feeding otherwise. She loves her aquarium bouncer and playing on the activity mat with the flashing lights to stare at. She flinches when Elka swoops into speak loudly into her face but then beams at Elka with big open mouth smiles - I am desperately trying to catch this on the camera! Elka declares "that's my sister" and "I love her" whilst nearly launching poor Bronte with the violent bounces she produces from the bouncer.

Bronte had her 6 week check up with the paeds which went well, she has put on 1.2kgs in 5 weeks and is now 5.4kgs and 58cm long - a good grower as the paeds said! He isn't too concerned about her possible hearing problems as she clearly reacted when the muted office phone rang whilst he was examining her. However, this remains to be clarified - I am still waiting to be contacted for her follow up hearing tests. If she does have mild hearing problems rather than just conductive hearing loss from excess fluid from birth, then we will support her through it :) and I will feel blessed that its only mild hearing problems.

I had my 6 week check up with the obs - nothing remarkable either, he was pleased with my stomach muscle repair, as am I. I thought it might have taken longer than 6 weeks for the massive abdominal separation to join up but as the horseriding post previously contests I managed to fix it with the exercises. My pre-pregnancy jeans are fitting much better now - one pair are even getting loose around the hips thanks to Bronte's non stop feeding most likely, it does take it out of you!

However, thanks in part to the construction and to juggling two kids, I am getting a little stir crazy and am dying to do more exercise. Its difficult in a rural setting as there are no footpaths to walk along and our roads are rough, have no shoulders and are high speed - not safe for a toddler and a pram! So we walk up and down our driveway.. but again I can't do that with all the construction vehicles coming and going as well as taking up a lot of the paddocks. So its the impatient wait for the weekend, in order to have Jase mind the kids so I can ride :)

5 weeks post birth and I felt ready to jump into the saddle. Spech has had his ground work to build up his back and neck muscles for a few weeks now and I have built up my core muscles and let my pelvis recuperate. And finally, I fit back into my jodphurs...

I won't lie, mounting for the first time was not pretty! But it all felt pretty good once I got going, although it makes you realise how weak you truly are. But I know it will all take time.

I like to keep a diary of our training progress, so here goes. Spech was stiff to the right but happy to do turns on the forehand, rein backs and a little resistant leg yield to the right. He is over bending a little and needs to be pushed forward from behind. I need to concentrate on straighter posture, shoulders down and back and my hands need to be shorter and higher. I need to keep my leg contact low and firm. I copped a buck in the trot which is normal for Spech when he is fresh and not going forward properly. But overall a very good first workout for having 10 months off!

Yep so far, the house extension has involved more destroying of our existing house and verandahs then anything else. But its all for good in the long run.

We briefly panicked when the footings went in and we could see outlines of rooms - they didnt look nearly big enough! But we got out the measuring tape and measured the room dimensions out and compared them to our existing living spaces and no the rooms are still generous sizes and we are just struggling to visualise them properly from flat footings.

This is what we started with, the left side is where the extension is going, it will protrude at right angles from the existing house so this front garden will be more like a courtyard (as the shed is perpendicular on the right side of the house)

This is the side of the house that the extension is coming out of and the deck will be on piers off this hill. We had the excavator that did the cutting of the fill, move those fruit trees to our top garden where we are starting an orchard.


Goodbye back verandah - half of it is being replaced as well as new verandahs being added around the extension. That window is Elka's room and she is still living in it!


Digging the footings, this area will be our walk in robe and ensuite bathroom


Concrete pouring for the footings



The footings poured - this front area is the double carport and the study. Also shows the view that the deck will have over the dam.


Todays work included knocking out the existing brickwall to make way for the new living area and to join the slabs together

So much to go but its getting exciting (and oh so messy!)

We have officially been a family of four for a month now. I have loved having Jase home for this time - he has been able to provide order to the chaos that has been all that we have had to deal with.

The extensions are moving along well, despite some delays thanks to the complications of living rural and having septic and grey water pipes throughout the areas we need to dig footings. Once they are sorted we will be able to get cracking with the exciting stuff like a full slab and frames! I will show some pics soon.

The construction site is not fun to live in the middle of. However we haven't suffered as badly as our animals are. The horses are permanently locked out of their favorite (and largest) paddock which means that during the hardest time of year for grazing, they are missing out on decent feed. Furthermore, anytime we have a large truck come in, they need to drive across our paddocks which involves pulling down two fences and banishing the horses to their most hated top paddock. Our ducks are creatures of habit and are not dealing well with their walkways being blocked by a big extension. We dug the 5 foot deep pier holes for the new slab and verandahs and Jase and I joked that we hoped our blind duck Albert wouldn't end falling down the hole in the early morning when they come up to the house from the dam for their morning feed. Sure enough the next morning, our builder knocks on our back door and asks if we are missing a pet duck. There he was stuck down this narrow deep hole, poor boy. They were able to scoop him out and he recovered some dignity with a good shake before quacking off. Apparently wasn't enough to dissuade him from coming that way as the next morning he had fallen down the hole again!


We also have had council trying to trap some foxes on our property for the last few weeks (humanely of course). We have seen the foxes quite happily ignoring the trap and walking past it. We did however manage to trap one of our almost tame magpies, who wasn't too impressed!

We had a nice break down at my parents farm near Byron Bay although it was freezing cold and Elka picked up a chest cold. Bronte has had her 4 week growth spurt and was feeding every 2-3 hours throughout the night which was tiring. She has thankfully gone back to her 7hrs and then 4 hrs night sleeps now and with some wind medicine she is seeming alot more settled in general. We are encouraging sleeping in the cot rather than in our arms in the hope that my life will be easier next week when Jase goes back to work. She is very aware now and giving us big gummy smiles which are just beautiful - she started the open mouth smiles just 2 days before Elka did..


I am feeling quite well in myself after getting over a lovely head cold. Some women just love havign a pregnant belly, I am the opposite, I just love having a waist! I have been working on my ab exercises and getting back into the paddock work (shoveling horse poo and pushing wheel barrows is just like a gym workout with the added benefit of being free and getting work done around the farm!). I am hopeful to start riding again next weekend - Spech is responding well to his lunge work and I might be soft and lacking muscle tone but the best way to get it back is to get back in the saddle, its going to hurt at first!



Elka has settled into her role as a big sister - she loves to pat Bronte and kisses her endlessly. She was rocking and shushing her baby today just like I have been with Bronte. She tells kids that she meets at the park about Bronte, I have to laugh watching her tell the disinterested kids as she points frantically at Bronte in my arms. She has loved having four weeks of lots of Daddy time. This is her today pushing her wheelbarrow with Daddy coming back from feeding the horses their morning hay. Gorgeous!


Life is good but set to get a lot crazier next week as Jase works long hours and I will be here keeping the farm going, liasing with the builder and juggling the two littlies. Not to mention I have things booked in for everyday next week except Monday. Oh well life is never boring!