How to prepare for your baby's blood test

A how-to post! This is actually not a how-to post because nothing on earth can prepare you for your baby getting a blood test. Babies should not have their blood tested. Ever. 

Last Thursday we had to take Dashiell in to get his second blood test. His first blood test was done when he was three weeks old by the most capable nurse I ever did see. She was calm and steady and used the tiniest of butterfly needles to swiftly jab our little baby. 

His second blood test was the most horrendous thing I've ever seen and I will never forget the experience for as long as I live. When we arrived at pathology we met with a few nurses. Within three seconds I secretly wished that there were more nurses behind the counter because these people just didn't seem capable. They told us we could only get it done when two nurses were available, one to hold baby down, one to take blood. We were also told that 'a fair amount of blood' was needed and that I should 'feed him really well' beforehand. 

Alarm bells. 

The blood test went a little something like - nurse pins down baby, baby screams, Mum tries frantically to distract baby, second nurse jabs baby with larger needle, needle misses vein, baby screams louder, nurse fishes around under baby's skin to try and find vein, baby thrashes around and screams a scream no mother ever wants to hear, Mum sees vein about to collapse, yells at Nurse to stop, ten minutes pass by, only half the amount of blood is collected, baby takes 30 minutes to calm down, Mum is never the same. 

SO!

If your baby needs a blood test, first of all, I am sorry. There's no way it will be a pleasant experience. Second of all, now that I have been through this horror; here are a few tips. 

• Trust your Mum instinct. If you don't feel like you're in capable hands, turn around and go home. Find another pathology lab, a different nurse and make sure you feel comfortable with the people taking your baby's blood. 
• Dress your baby really warm and cozy. Apparently it's easier to take blood when baby is super warm. 
• Feed them right before hand but have some milk/your boobies ready to go for after because this might be one of those times when only milk can calm them.
• Stay calm. Which, you know, is ridiculous for me to say seeing as though I shook like a leaf for hours after but it is important that baby knows the world isn't ending. The bigger picture is that the blood test is needed and they won't remember a thing an hour later. 
• Be confident and feel comfortable telling the nurse it's time to stop. If it isn't going to plan and you feel like something is off, don't be afraid to call it off. I'm one of those people who listens to doctors and nurses and mostly does whatever they recommend. However! If they're pushing you to keep going but you know your baby has had enough, just call it how it is and hightail it out of there. 
• Don't make any other plans for the day and get it done in the morning. We made the mistake of getting it done in the afternoon after a morning of shopping. Don't make that mistake! Make sure you and baby are as relaxed and well rested as possible and then go ahead and spend the rest of the day cuddling and smooching and nursing and watching netflix. 

I don't think I have any more wisdom to offer... Except maybe to just be the best parent you can be. If you can't stand to hold your baby down and have to step out of the room, don't feel guilty. If you can't stand to watch the needle, don't feel guilty about that either. Just do your best and your baby will love you anyway. 

Good luck! smooch your babies! Pictures of Dash in a sink cause I can!

The Fourth Annual Santa Speedo Shuffle

Disclaimer: this post contains photos that may or may not be offensive... I don't mind looking at my Husband and our mates in speedos one little bit but you might so I suggest doing the old quick scroll. 

The Fourth Annual Santa Speedo Shuffle was a roaring success. We raised over $105,000 as a community for the Cystic Fibrosis Association ACT and Nick's team raised over $14,500. Which won them second place and lit a fire in all of our bellies to come up with the goods next year. 

As the santas took to the start line, sleet started falling from the sky, hitting their bare red skin like needles. The wind was ridiculously rude whipping them from all sides and the sun was a bitch showing up for a second here and there but mostly staying put behind clouds. Apparently it was the first time the event had seen bad weather... 

Dash was so impressed he started crying uncontrollably, so badly in fact that the only thing that would calm him was a feed. So there we were, at the start line, facing 70+ santas and I had to whip my nipples out. Guess it's only fair considering every one else's attire. Anyway that explains the unimpressed look on my face up there.

You might ask what on earth I was doing with a 10 week old baby in the freezing cold. Well, people with Cystic Fibrosis can't mingle. To me that is one of the most devastating things about the illness because it can be so isolating. Being outdoors around other people with the illness reduces the risk of cross contamination so outside we stayed and no colds or bugs were caught. Thank goodness.

This year the number of Dash supporters was outrageous. He had three teams representing him full of 20 friends and family. He had the above turkeys working the start and finish line water station in his honour. He had his grandparents, uncle, our friends parents, nicks work colleagues and even his uncle's dog cheering on the Santa's on his behalf. He was also represented by Spongebob Squarepants and a lone Minion. 

To say Nick and I were overwhelmed by the amount of love and support we were shown is an understatement. We are so incredibly thankful to everyone who showed up for us and for the association, to everyone who donated and to everyone that wished us well. 

Yes we are running again next year. Yes there will be more of us. Yes we will have matching team Dash shirts. I even plan on running with Dash in the pram! Maybe actually shuffling/walking...

E I G H T weeks of Dash

I feel like the biggest goose ever, I have the foggiest brain. I was chopping up sweet potato to go in a soup I was making as a snack the other day (first sign there's a problem) and instead of plopping the pieces into the bowl I had out, I was plopping them into the bin next to it. I only realised this when I got to the end of the chopping sesh and realised there was no sweet potato in the bowl. Blogger should have emoji's cause insert a few here. Honestly breast feeding baby brain is way worse than pregnancy baby brain. Also more entertaining for family and friends. 

Whatever, babies don't really care if you have a foggy brain! Look at this kid, what a beautiful little potato with eyes. He is E I G H T weeks old now, can you even believe it.

Side note: Nick just made me run across the house to watch him say hello to the boy a few thousand times over. Dash giggled and kicked and made gurgly noises that sounded like hello back so, you know, he's a superstar. 

Anyway anyway! Some facts about little boy Dash at eight weeks old for you:

At eight weeks old baby Dash still has furry ears. He is becoming a champion fat roll producer but is falling behind in the hair growing department, save for the 5 or 6 strands on top of his head - imagine Homer Simpson. He is discovering his hands just like the wonder week app suggested he would, so clever that app. He's also discovered his elephant mobile above his change table! He saves all of his best smiles for that elephant with bells, his mother pretends not to be offended. The wonderful little soul has outgrown his baby, baby clothes. The 4 and 5 zero sized clothes are in a sad little pile in his room waiting to be sorted into keep and donate and trash (hello poo stains) bags. I'm missing opportunities to dress him in some pieces! I'm devastated and thrilled at the same time.

Since baby Buddha is growing out of his baby bath, he's been floating around in baths with us every night. One of us has a bath and supports Dashy boys head while he floats on his back and splashes to his hearts content. What a life. 

Basically Dash has taken over our lives completely (obviously) and I am now that Mum that goes out to brunch with friends and insists that they look at photos of the baby when he was just born, even though they're already looking at the actual baby. Don't worry I'm rolling my eyes at myself but I actually cannot resist. 

Smothers unite. 

curve balls

my favourite type of blog posts in no particular order:

- honest essays
- birth stories
- funny shit said by husbands and babies

This is one of those honest essay type posts, sharing more than I normally would and with a shade less sarcasm. Promise to get back to you with a birth story and some shit that Nick has said soon.

Our Son was born naturally, on his due date. He was made with all the love we could muster, on our wedding night. Apart from the morning sickness that followed me around Europe and joint/rib pain that plagued me as we grew, we had a pretty dreamy pregnancy. I'm sitting here with dogs at my feet nursing my little boy, something I was so nervous about doing but had no need to be. My supply is good enough to make my baby milk drunk after every feed. These feeds are full of love and little satisfied sighs and milk spilled everywhere and usually catch ups of Reno rumble or house rules...

Our son has ten really long fingers, ten perfect little toes, the cutest baby ears that still have little hairs on them and fluffy hair just like his daddy's. He sometimes dreams really loudly and more often than not will fall asleep while nursing. Our son barely stirs when his naughty dogs bark at birds while he is sleeping, despite having perfect hearing. He adores the car and going for walks and being passed around between all the people who so desperately love him.

On the Friday night, two weeks after he was born, Nick answered a call from the paediatrician. We were half way through watching an NBA playoff game with a friend and Nick was busy making half time snacks in the kitchen. Eventually he got off the phone, came into the living room and when he answered my question of 'who was it?', it felt like he literally punched me in the stomach.

Nick relayed that our paediatrician had told him that our son may have cystic fibrosis and that we needed to get to the hospital first thing in the morning. His words were so casual but enormously heavy. We spent Friday night crying, me uncontrollably. It was hard to believe, it was hard to look at my son and it was the hardest seeing my Husband upset.

I cried all the way to the hospital the next morning as well. I admitted to Nick that I didn't really want to be the parent. I wanted my parents to be there, to take charge and tell us it was all fine, just a misunderstanding. Once I'd said it though it sunk in that this was it. This was real deal parenthood, the previous two weeks had been bliss finding our feet with a baby but it was time to face our first challenge as a family.

I couldn't speak to the ER nurse who was trying to figure out why we were there. I usually can't speak when I'm upset which has always been frustrating but I was especially frustrated at myself because the Mums are supposed to handle business! Mums take charge and answer all the questions but I had to sheepishly step aside and let Husband take over and thank God for that man. I could write a post entirely about him and us and you know, I won't because you'll probably vomit all over your screen so I'll write it down somewhere else.

Anyway, anyway! Fast forward a little while and we're sitting with our doctor in a room that looks like its sole purpose is to be a place where you hear bad news. You know the rooms? Full of squishy old couches, a TV, calming artwork and practical things like oxygen tanks and tissues and a sink. Before we stepped into the room I still had hope that it was all a terrible mistake. It wasn't. It isn't.

We walked out of the ER in a daze with arms full of paperwork, prescriptions for our baby's new medications, brains all foggy from the shock and influx of information. On the way out we remembered that it was Saturday and our baby's birth announcement was in that days newspaper. We walked into the hospital shop, picked up three copies and spotted our baby's announcement among all the other seemingly normal babies.

In the car on the way home we discussed the importance of taking it one day at a time. The importance of treating our son just like any other baby, the hard task we had ahead of us and the fact that our baby seemed so incredibly healthy and happy. I called my family and broke the news to them and their response was wonderfully positive. Full of optimism for his future and the future of all CF patients but mixed with a little bit of shock and fright as expected.

We made our way to the local shops to pick up some now much needed supplies (we treated ourselves to lunch at our favourite cafe first though cause stress and shock make me hungry). The first chemist we went to informed us that they hadn't heard of one of the medications, another no longer exists, one more can only be dispensed at the hospital and the last was out of stock. I tried to keep my cool and made my way to a different pharmacy. There I met a lovely pharmacist who was able to supply two of the medications, some baby syringes and some advice. Six phone calls later and we had one more prescription and had ordered the last online. 

That night we surrounded ourselves with family. We regrouped, ate dinner together, spread the little amount of information we had, gave our baby his first doses of medication, his first taste of pureed apple and loved on him as much as we could.

Although he has cystic fibrosis, our son is just like any other baby. Some days this is all too overwhelming and my heart aches for him and for me and his Dad. Other days I feel like a normal Mama with a baby that just needs some extra special care.

We're just starting this adventure, we don't know how Dash's life will unfold. We don't know what will happen tomorrow. All I know is that we have a Son and that today he is well and happy and loved.

Our Cystic Fibrosis association is holding a fundraiser next month. I've only just signed our family up to be members of the association but I know the people behind it are going to have a significant impact on our lives. They will be our support system, provide us with subsidised medication, help us purchase equipment later on and I'm sure much, much more. 

If you'd like to help us help them, here are some links to our friends and families fundraising pages. 

Team Dash Fundraiser

Team Dashing Through the Snow Fundraiser

I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have my Husband, we are the luckiest parents in the world to have our Son and we are the luckiest family in the world to be surrounded by and supported by such incredible family and friends. This is just another curveball. 

22 weeks // Bumpdate

Bikini photos on the INTERNET!? whatever, I'm a mum now I can be all fancy free like that.

How far? 22 weeks! I skipped a couple on account of Christmas and eating and slothing at the beach and such things.

How big? Baby is as long as a cucumber! Still I take offence to these vegetable references because which two cucumbers are actually the same length?! So to be clear, Baby is about 28cm long and weighs half a kilo. It's really quite strange to think that there is a baby nearly as long as a ruler in my belly.

Cravings? Lemme tell you a story. It goes something like, pregnant girl, her husband and their two best friends go to the supermarket while they are on holiday. The pregnant girl seems pretty sane. Then her and her bestie stroll through the aisles looking for paper towel when all of a sudden the image of a perfectly salty and beautiful hot chip pops into her mind. Then she actually starts crying. Bestie runs off to find husband, husband is thoroughly perplexed, leads crying pregnant wife to the frozen chip section as a temporary measure and announces to friends that we're done here. Then they all drove to the nearest fish and chip shop and had lunch. The end.
Also pancakes.

Stretch marks? See above photo of stretch mark-less belly. Thank goodness!

How was this week? Since my last bumpdate, baby has been getting stronger and stronger everyday. They've now learned how to swiftly kick me in the bladder whenever they feel like it!
Another story? Ok
So I had this blinding pain in my left temple every time I bent over for a few weeks leading up to christmas. I wasn't too concerned since I suffer from random icepick migraine pains all the time. Boxing day however, that pain slowly started to build up. Finally being at the coast I thought it was just a little post holiday/finally starting to relax sort of headache. You know the ones? When you've been really tense and then you finally breathe and it just sort of hurts? Anyway anyway anyway, this pain built up over the next few days until I said DOCTOR! and off we went to spend a day in emergency where the drugs and doctors are. I made them let me go home when I was drowsy... I paid for it the next day. The worst migraine I've ever had ever. I've now given up chocolate and coke and am scared to death of getting another.

Weird pregnancy moment? As if story one and story two weren't weird enough...

The nursery? We're home for a few days to get some sneaky work done so we can head back down the coast for another week so I am using my time with the internet wisely and buying up in all the sales. We plan on buying the pram and hopefully bassinet this week and I am sooooooooo excited! I bought some aden and anais bamboo swaddles and a boon drying rack this morning and I am off to bunnings to buy shelf brackets this afternoon.
You know how everyone always tells you babies are expensive?
I was always one of those people who thought, they are only as expensive as you make them, you do not need to spend thousands.
I was wrong.

Christmas 2014 // traditions

 

This Christmas we're shifting. We're settling, we're growing, we're taking it all in, we're preparing. This is our first Christmas with the same last name and the last Christmas as a family of 4. 

Husband and I have been living together for a few years so we've been slowly making our own Christmas traditions (or at least talking about them) but this year especially I am thinking about it more, about what I want our children to remember. I want there to be consistency, I want them to have traditions to look forward to and eventually I want them to maybe even carry them on. 

Around our home this year are the beginnings of our family traditions and it makes me so happy I can't even tell you. 

On the walls I've hung some stockings that I fought the sewing machine over. My family never really did stockings but Nick has always had one and I think they're a wonderful addition. 

Inside the stockings are another new tradition. My family always celebrates Christmas Eve, it's bigger than Christmas and it's so special to me. We would always go to my grandparents place, sing carols, eat a delicious dinner and open a few presents. I want to keep doing that, make Christmas Eve special with my family, let my children open the presents that are in their stockings and make sure there are always a pair of new PJs in there.

We aren't a religious family. Nick especially isn't religious but I still have some love for the church. We always had a nativity scene or advent candles in our house when I was younger and I want to carry that on too. I love the message of Christmas, the one that makes family and giving and peace and new beginnings important. I want to teach that to our children, to sit around the dinner table with our advent candles lit and tell stories of Christmas and maybe even of Christ.

I think most families have this one but putting the tree up on the first of December will always be a tradition at our house. I so love a colour coordinated tree but I'm dreaming of a tree covered in hand made ornaments and memories of Christmases before. Also there must ALWAYS be a hedwig watching over us from our Christmas tree. 

Making our dogs apart of Christmas will always be important to us. With Baby on the way I get worried now and then about how they'll cope and if they'll feel neglected. We've made the decision to make dogs a big part of our lives and I don't ever want to go back on that. You hear that Noodle and Muggsy?! We love you long time.

I'm such a traditionalist. Give me wreaths on the door and candy canes hidden in real trees, gingerbread houses and Christmas cookies, presents for everyone and food for days. I'm off to bake something and make a Christmas candle or two.

18 weeks // Bumpdate

18 weeks (so far) is the best week ever. 

How far? These were taken at 18 weeks and 5 days. 

How big? Baby is as big as a capsicum at 18 weeks... and then is as big as a big tomato at 19 weeks... I mean honestly isn't a capsicum bigger than a tomato? Or is that just in my world? Anyway, I got bigger! I have a proper baby bump! I can walk around and people can be like ooohhh a little baby bump! instead of ohhh I wonder what she ate for lunch... 

Cravings? I don't want to talk about food. I'm really trying to be better at eating well. 

Stretch marks? Not yet! Still crossing my fingers and toes. 

How was this week? The best. At 18 weeks and one day I woke up and lay in bed avoiding getting up and showering/moving because it was early we were supposed to be rushing off to the coast but I do not like rushing anywhere right now. ANYWAY Noodle was laying in the lovely little crack between my bean pillow and my belly (mostly on me) and I felt baby kick! Apparently they don't like getting smooshed by their siblings. Every day since then my belly has been growing and the little kicks have been getting stronger and more frequent. They can get so strong that Nick can put his hand on my belly and get a high five. 

Weird pregnancy moment? I no longer fit into any of my clothes but I don't yet fit into full on maternity clothes. This weird still in between stage is ssuuuuppper annoying. Buying clothes two sizes bigger so I can wear them for a month makes me a little cranky but it has been really nice shopping with my husband who picks things out and sits in the change room with me and tells me I look pretty in sack dresses. What a champ. 

The nursery?! Is the christmas present dumping ground!! I will make a move on wrapping them and organising the house next week :)

help me find a coffee table?

We bought this coffee table a while ago see, then we painted her some awful green colour. We quickly gave up on the green and spray painted her black. If it didn't look absolutely dodgy when we bought it for $100, it really, really, really does now. To be perfectly honest I could have ignored it for a little while longer... But now! A baby is coming. We can't have no unstable, flaky table around when theres a baby that's going to lick it and bite it and try to pull itself up on it. Also it hurts my eyes to look at it. I've searched high and low for a new one but I've had no luck so far. I just need a really big and heavy and baby proof table with a little industrial feel. I'm not asking for much, honest. Also, please excuse the dog toys, ipad and dog in this perfectly styled photo, we live in our living room.

Colored furniture / Flynn Coffee Tables Set/2 - Coffee Tables | Interiors Online -... / Ellipse Coffee Table / Coco Republic San Fran Deco

Something like all of these, minus some of the price tags, plus some length and width here and there and with the approval of my Husband who swears he doesn't care but actually I think he sort of does. 

I'm so over the coffee tables. 

Look! Chihuahuas!

Aren't they sweet pretending they're not interested in the camera when really they are. I was trying to take photos of our new plant, they were trying to be on the dogs of instagram page. 

This is the plant by the way. Found him at Aldi of all places! for less than $10, then I found his brothers at Bunnings for $52 and I thought I was very clever. 

We bought two of these cheeeaaaap shelving units to surround our TV unit when we got back from our honeymoon. They make us feel like adults. Our friends agreed, also they make the room feel all super homey. I love that I can hide all of husbands shit in the cupboards and eventually, I'll be able to hide all of baby's shit in there too! I throw his backpack and sports bag in this here basket everyday, I love it. 

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago when I had snuck out some of our christmas gear. The room looks pretty different now that I've covered every surface in something to do with christmas. I'll take more photos soon, it'll be thrilling. 

16 weeks // Bumpdate

Hi! I'll be a better blogger, promise. Working from home I thought I would ACE blogging. SO much time to take photos! So much time to create things... But alas, I want to work harder for my businesses and my house is actually a bit cleaner due to all the tidying so blogging falls by the wayside. Anywho, I'll get there.

How far?  Well... this photo was taken at 16 weeks and 2 days but today we are 17 weeks and 4 days!

How Big?  Baby is neeeaaarrrlllyyy over a really big growth spurt. Apparently they double their weight between weeks 16 and 18 so right now baby should weigh about 170 grams and is 13.5cm long. I was just thinking that is still sooo tiny and then I picked up a ruler and held it on my belly. It's a decent size... haha.

Cravings?  During the day, more coke zero please. At night, I want all the milk.

Stretch marks?  Not yet! I think my obsession with coconut oil and coco butter is paying off. I do smell like a cake most of the time though.

How was this week?  More like two weeks... have been mostly OK! Had a killer week long migraine, had our first appointment at the hospital with the midwives! I tell you I felt like the biggest fraud. Like husband and I were just watching a reaaaalllly vivid episode of one born every minute. Still doesn't feel like this is real life even when listening to baby's heart beating away. Cannot wait to feel some fluttering baby movements. Also we put the tree up!! and the rest of the christmas decorations soooo best week ever.

Weird pregnancy moment?  So I have to go to the beach this weekend with Nick's work, right? So I tried my swimmers on. If only you could have seen my face. I am all for embracing new curves and admiring a changing body and buying new swimmers even but at the same time... aaaaaaaccckkkkk.

The nursery?!  We have three spesh chairs in our house. One amaze armchair from Ikea, currently housed in the bedroom, one armchair we thrifted and I made new cushion covers for, currently in the living room and one glorious little eames rocker, a perfect wedding gift from Emily that's hanging out in the nursery. We are going to play musical chairs and give them new homes so the thrifted armchair will live in the nursery - the cushion covers are easy to wash if you're picking up what I'm putting down, the rocker will move to our bedroom next to the moses basket and the cream armchair will move to the living room where we will continue to cherish it. Longest pointless story about chairs over.

Also little side note, this mama got a hair cut! The biggest cut in nine long years. I feel like a new woman.

14 weeks // Bumpdate

It's growing!

I want to do a bumpdate series cause I'm all about originality. More importantly though, I'm all about documenting for our babe. That's why I started blogging the first place anyway!

Hold onto your hats now.

How far ?   14 weeks (and 4 days)

How big?  Baby is as big as a lemon, I feel like I am getting bigger by the day. I was on a pretty good pre wedding diet only three months ago. Now I eat when I can and what I can. I'm trying to be as healthy as possible and walk as much as I can but there is a lot more I can do.

Cravings?  Chocolate milk. Thick shakes. Vanilla marshmallows with raspberry lollies. Mushy apples. Oranges. Why on earth can't I just want salad!? Sorry bout all the crap food baby.

Stretch marks?  Not yet thankfully but my skin is prone to them! I've been slathering up with both flax seed oil and cocoa butter daily for the last 6 weeks so lets all keep our fingers crossed. I'm looking for more/better products to use though!

How was this week?  Good! Made progress with the Etsy store, started Christmas shopping, spent some lovely time with family, had the best time warming Em's new home... It was also painful. After just 2 months of wear my wedding ring lost a diamond! I didn't knock my hand or damage the ring, it just fell out... Now I just want move on with a different ring but it'll be a hard process and I'm already so disappointed. But really, it is just a ring.

Weird pregnancy moment?  I've heard that the second trimester is the most glorious time of all and I am SO excited to feel these glorious feels! I haven't been so lucky yet but I am less nauseas. I've had a whole lot of stretching and growing pain but I'm not complaining about it, I'm glad baby is growing.

The nursery!?  I have so many ideas! I am so not about the pink or blue (or yellow/green) themes and we aren't finding out what we're having anyway so that's a good thing! I want to create a space that's peaceful and relaxing and inspiring and baby's safe haven. Lot's of hand made love, not just from my fingers but from my Mum's and grandmothers and Husbands too.

I don't know that this will be an every week sort of thing because really... but I will try! If I skip a month though don't be too surprised.

Love you BD

That one day in Rome

Lemme tell you a story of this one day in Rome. 

September 5th 2014 if you like to be exact. 

We woke up in our villa on Via Guila (such a lovely villa by the way) with the biggest day ahead of us. 

We started by walking in the wrong direction for 30 minutes - we were trying to find breakfast on the way to the Roman Forum. After a big round about circle, we found a little cafe and the Roman Forum all in one. We had a breakfast hearty enough to sustain us for a couple of hours and a break long enough to recover from our walk. 

As we walked through the ancient ruins, listening to our audio guides, I had a few thoughts. 

One; I felt like shit. Real proper just want a lie down, a cold drink and Harry Potter shit. I considered the weather, the amount of travelling we had done in the past few weeks, the dodgy place we ate at the night before... 

Two; A little tiny part of me kept remembering I was a week late.

I perked up a little bit at the promise of a big lunch before we hit the colosseum. Despite the little hint of nausea, I could have eaten 5 pizzas, 3 plates of spaghetti and 10 ice creams once we had walked around that forum.

We soon enough found this weird mix of a restaurant/nightclub/bakery that over looked the colosseum. We waited about 15 minutes for these terribly obnoxious German women to squabble over spare change and then finally we sat down. One enormous burger, three diet cokes and a plate of chips later I was sort of ready to tackle the colosseum. 

Can I mention that while it was hot and we were walking for kms and kms, I didn't have to carry a thing and my husband even took over the camera while handing me bottles of water and letting me rest in the shade whenever we could. Such a wonder. 

From the colosseum we decided to smash as many monuments in one day as possible, I think this was my Husbands idea... I didn't thank him for it. We wondered through the streets of Rome and found our way to the Trevi fountain. It was under construction and such a shame because that thing is one of my favourite things about Rome. We then walked on over to the thoroughly unimpressive Spanish Steps (sick of my whinging yet?) and off to find our next pit stop. 

We were going to walk home again. Through some big important square I couldn't care less about. My husband and parents could see something was wrong though and thankfully suggested a taxi. More thoughts struck me. 

One; something really was off

two; I just needed a great big enormous delicious ice cream.

We had one of the best rated ice cream joints in Rome right next to our Villa which we visited everyday. On this day our taxi dropped us off right outside it and I near ran inside. Ice cream in hands we remembered we needed toilet paper from the store of all things so slowly made our way over. 

I spotted a pregnancy test in the grocery store. Just chilling out among the bandaids and sewing kits. As I picked one up I said to Nick, this is happening, he replied with a cool 'I know'.

Back at the house I went to the bathroom straight away, I couldn't wait until the morning to take it and I knew what it would show anyway. I did the test, left the bathroom to get my phone from the bed, walked back in and there it was. 

Two dark pink lines. 

What a scary thing to see when you aren't expecting it. When you're in a different country, on a different continent. When your wedding was three weeks ago and your life is far from sorted. When you are three weeks and thousands of kms away from your doctor and solid advice. What a scary thing to see even if you are at home and expecting it! What an instant life changing, wonderful thing.

You know what's happened since this fateful day? The universe sorted us out. We made it through two and a half more weeks of travelling Europe, getting sicker and sicker by the day and when we made it home everything fell into place.

Sometimes the universe just gives you exactly what you need at the exact right moment.

We're so excited about you BD and we couldn't love you any more.

He made it!

Tuesday 22 July 2014, Nickdew completed his last piece of assessment for his masters degree. After two years, he's done! We made it. We made it through two years of living on our own with our two little dogs on one income. We made it through without too many scrapes and bruises. We've been waiting so patiently (or not so much) for this chapter in our lives to be finished so we can start the next. We can get married, earn more money, not worry about university... 

And somehow a little part of me thinks we might miss these years one day, because really even though they've been a little stinky, they've been oh, so happy and fairly uncomplicated.

I'm so proud of this man for what he has accomplished. I may grumble about having to support the family in this job but there is no way that I could have done what he has done, let alone how well he's done it.

I can't even spell physiotherapist most of the time... 

We're going to be alright, us nearly Dewberries. Just as long as I go to someone else for my physiotherapy, he goes to someone else for his haircuts and we go to the local thai place to celebrate every family milestone. Somebody say curry puff and a Heineken? 

Also this dog. 

Serves us right for trying to take family photos at dentastick time. What a ham.

I love you old dewberry mcgee! Thank you for working so hard.