Where have I been since then?  In the feeding chair, the laundry or the kitchen. Not many other places!

I’ve been eager to get back here to document the pink arrival and share some little newborn stories.  Time has passed so quickly.

The first few days in hospital were lovely considering where I was and what my body had been through.  Lots of nice presents, flowers, drugs!…as far as hospital rooms go, we had a fairly nice parenting suite in the RNSH.  Day 3 {Caesar} and home I go.  Silly me.  It was so cosy there, not sure what I was rushing home too, oh yes, my lovely mum {who came to help me for a week}, daddy deer and the older two little deers.  No one really missed me though, they preferred me hooked up to the drug machine, ‘whatever you want’ was the new mantra at home!

Audrey was an angel, just sleeping and feeding, sleeping and feeding. She smiled a lot the first week and even had a belly laugh in her sleep.  Day 5 and I was back at the school run, Audrey obliged and slept through all the transfers.  Thank you darling!

Week 2 and I contracted Mastitis, only to be trumped by Daddy Deer who came down with the dreaded man flu.  He seemed to have symptoms in sympathy with me.  Chills, aching body, exhaustion, he couldn’t do anything but lay on the lounge for three days.   The Man Flu disappeared just in time for work on Monday morning. hmmmmm.

Week 3 and Daddy Deer still seems more tired than me too.  Anyone would think his body was recovering from major surgery, producing milk and running up and down three flights of stairs all day looking after our little ones and all the general house duties.

He comes home {from work or working on his boat} and doesn’t have the energy to ‘help’, he lays in one of the boys beds around 730pm on the pretense that he will read books to the kids and is snoring in a matter of minutes, heading into a blissful 8 hour uninterrupted sleep.

So who wins…Man Flu or Mastitis. They both do!

Man Flu wins in the ‘Who Gets to Lay on the Lounge & Watch TV’ category, but there is a flip side.  I am awake more hours of the night to enjoy comforting My Little Deers, which wont be for much longer, phases changes so quickly with children.

I win in another category, ‘Don’t Expect Anything More’ {and you wont be disappointed}, which are the wise words a VIP has shared with me many times and it’s my mantra in the middle of the night!

Was daddy a big help at your house when a new baby came home?

We love our husbands and they love us, but they cannot begin to understand what a woman does, what her priorities are for her family and herself.  No idea about what is needed when you are sick, that’s because we are usually the ones doing everything, on automatic, keeping it all going.

Our true girlfriends can step in and step up.  They know what needs to be done and can do it in record time.  No wonder we choose our friends so carefully, they are pseudo husbands. So thank you my darling friends for being just a phone call away and to those who offered but I didn’t have time to take them up…just give me two months and I will be handing in a rain check!

Not being able to stand up and move around for just one day drove me crazy. I couldn’t fix a snack or tidy up after my children, I couldn’t put on a load of laundry or tidy a bed and while I sat there in pain all I could think is how everything is piling up in the background.  Only six weeks till the baby comes {if she’s not early} and I have so much ‘nesting’ to do.

Cupboards to clean and rearrange, baby clothing to wash and press, linen and hospital lounge wear to purchase…hoping there are no birthday’s to consider between now and then, better check the calendar!  Work to get ahead on for Stylish Little Me, paperwork and accounts, blogs posts to ponder….I need another six months baby!

Another pressing and pretty important thing on the To Do Before She Arrives list is a name for our baby girl…a stylish, glamorous, pretty name, please think about it…I am calling for help next week!

How have your nearest and dearests rescued you lately?

Personal Blog by Megan Boross, My Little Deers

also blogging at www.StylishLittleMe.com.au/Blog

follow me on My Little Deers Facebook or Twitter

The Littlest Deer has a minor condition that may require little boys surgery.  We arrived at our appointment, on time, to find the private waiting room overcrowded and incredibly hot.  I imagine it was a lot like a public medical centre in Delhi.  The receptionist frowned after asking had I filled in THE form, ‘no I hadn’t', but how could I after I had just walked in? I was confused.

We waited 45 mins after watching patient after patient taken in before us and the ‘specialist’ walking around with a large take away coffee. After half an hour in the unbearable heat I inquired as to how long we would need to wait and what amount of time is allocated for each appointment.

The uninterested receptionist informed me that she didn’t know, she didn’t make the appointments, they were made somewhere else and there were two more before us.  SORRY?  She didn’t make the appointments? They were made elsewhere…

I’m not sure what type of admin the medical system uses, I don’t really care to know, but when I put the words PRIVATE and SPECIALIST together, I expect to  pay {$$$} but I also expect Valet Service!  On arrival I expect to be ushered directly into a child friendly suite with a smiling doctor waiting to answer all my questions.  Is that just me?

At my OB {on the same floor}, I seriously never wait more than 3 minutes because that’s when I arrive before my scheduled appointment. Only the next patient is ever flicking through glossy magazines when I leave, there’s no queue or agitated clients looking continuously at their watches.

That’s professional. That’s what I expect.

In the consultation for the Littlest Deer, I was given two options, no advice as to the better alternative and basically told to try a cream {which our family GP had said would probably not work} for six weeks and then come back and do the op if required.

What was specialist about that?  Only the price!  Return in six weeks…not a chance this Pediatric Surgeon, who did not even apologise for keeping us waiting, is coming near my son with a knife!

I’m switching ‘Professionals’!

Guess what arrived in the post this afternoon?  The Form, required to be filled in for our appointment, they only had 6 weeks to send it to me!!

P.S  When we got finally got inside that pokey office, there was a stand alone air conditioner blasting at 25 degrees on heat! With the unbearable temperature everyone, including other receptionists, were complaining about, you’d think he might set it to cool and reduce the number of red faced screaming children coming out of the consultation room {not to mention the mothers!}

What medical service has made you ‘hot under the collar’ lately?

Personal Blog by Megan Boross, My Little Deers

also blogging at www.StylishLittleMe.com.au/Blog

My Little Deers FaceBook or Twitter  

All I see is pink, peach, coral, blush…it’s exciting and scary all at once to be having a baby girl.  Luckily Ikea has joined in and had a huge offering to satisfy my new splash of colour {tea towels, glass coffee mugs, serviettes, storage boxes}.

After two boys I wonder what it will be like.  I hope it doesn’t divide the family dynamics into boys and girls. My Little Deers still like putting on the Chanel nail polish when I do!

So now what should I add to the nursery colour palette?  {I will have to tone down that rug} maybe olive green and cream…

Any suggestions for me?

I have been taking a good look at my family and trying to assess each one’s happiness.  As bedtime approaches lately you can usually find Daddy deer playing with his new iPad 3, the eldest deer would be on my iPhone, the youngest on my iPad 1, and there I’ll be tapping away on my MacAir.  We have become the complete Apple Family.

While we are all illuminated by what I like to call the iGlow of our devices I wonder if I am a modern mum {complete with gadget professional children} or am I doing it all wrong!

Should I be pulling the plug on all these fancy toys, encouraging book reading or summing up the day with a list of goals for the next.  Lots would say yes, it’s much healthier, but this is my time too.  If everyone is having an enjoyably quiet time together in bed, why spoil the fun?

I am pretty lenient on my children, mostly I let them do what they want, they don’t destroy their toys or display rude manners.  I can’t stand being told what to do, so I like to let them do what makes them happy {especially if it’s not hurting anyone}.

Being a mother, doesn’t mean you have to be a drill sergeant.  I feel I am here to guide, love, support and nourish them.  My little deers are generally very happy social children and I feel that’s the most important thing.

I reflect on how my mum is {and was} with me…and not surprisingly she always let me do what I wanted.  She has been my best friends my whole life, she has loved, supported and encouraged me to do whatever it was that made me happy.

In my eyes, she is the perfect mother…just the way I want to be!

Hope you enjoyed your Mothers Day.  Mine was beautiful, a very special lunch with my husband, parents and children.

 Do you mother as yours did?

I wont disclose the short list just yet…still along time till August and we might change our minds.  I am steering clear of anything on a Top 100 list, any suggestions are very welcome.

Easter is here, the eldest deer is counting down the sleeps, writing his request ‘Deer* Easter Bunny…can I have spooky black eggs with bats’, {he wants to use his black cauldron as his Easter basket}…Halloween Easter is getting the holidays a little twisted darling!

The middle deer is on a constant sugar high, insisting on putting his hand in the mini egg jar hourly…so while I am carefully removing foil from tiny ovals {one for you one for me} I’m sure the sugar is also hitting the baby deer 10 minutes later.  oops.

Oh well, it is Easter, it’s time for sweets & chocolates, crafts, stories and school favours.  I do wish it was all over, of course wanting to get that family gathering over and done with, but also lolly jars of chocolate eggs sitting on the kitchen bench are NOT good for a pregnant woman, let alone a toddler.

Weight gain so far is 9kg…so almost on track for the 23kg I put on for each of the boys. Have had the usual comments since week 4, ‘are you sure you’re not having twins’, ‘are you sure of your due date’ and my favourite ‘not long to go now?’.

Daddy deer seems to have put on some sympathy weight, topping his highest score yet at 99kgs!  Lite n Easy foam boxes are blocking our front door, the ride-on’s have been un-stored from on top of the treadmill and he has stopped blaming the tailor for not letting his pants out after clear instructions, ’2 inches out at the waist’.

Must fly, have laundry, laundry & ironing that cannot wait another day…not one set of PJ’s left in the drawer and we all need to be looking lovely and pressed for the Easter morning egg hunt photo’s.

Have a deerly* delightful Easter, Megan x

* Deer is spelt this way on purpose, thank you.

What’s the funniest thing your little one has said coming up to Easter?

You’ve heard the phrase many times, ‘a Mothers Guilt’, there are endless things to feel guilty about once you have a child.

Your first pregnancy is about the only guilt free time you have in the journey of motherhood. Then you only have to worry about the babies health, how you’re going feed and cope with a new lack of sleep!

I use to worry I would forget to take the baby when I left the house….keys, wallet, phone…’oh no, forgot the baby’, I can only laugh now and my mum was right, you just don’t!

Each subsequent pregnancy has now been fraught with guilt for what is about to happen to those already happily growing up in the family home.  You know that they are going to have less one on one time with you, they will have to share their toys with another set of inquisitive hands {as if one siblings isn’t enough} and they will have to wait a bit longer for a snack, drink, turn of the TV!

To compensate for all those guilty thoughts, you have to try and remain positive.  They will have another person to play games with, love and annoy. There will be extra laughs, parties, friends over, another person to hold the skipping rope, tease and play jokes on.

The eldest must have the hardest time, they go from pretty much 100% attention to 50% and so on down the line.  In our case, with a third little deer, it will now be 30 per cent, take out an extra 10% while there is a newborn about, 5% for home duties, 5% for daddy deer {if he’s lucky!} and there is not much time left for…me!

The only sacrifice that will appease a mothers guilt is a mother who leaves no time for herself. I see the chant everywhere ‘you have to make time for you’, sorry I don’t agree, unless it’s for health reasons.

It was me who wanted a child {and another and another}, me who loves it so much she would rather take an hour to pack a pretty picnic and not be able to wash her hair, pluck her eyebrows or add a touch of colour to her nails, just so everyone else can have a great time and she can languish in seeing all those little smiles and the memories created each fun filled day.

The best thing about your own guilt is choosing your own way to negate it.  There will be plenty of time for couture when they are all at school…or high school or university!!  For now it’s all about the little ones, as it should be, as long as mum doesn’t lose the plot and start putting leg wax on the picnic sandwiches!!

Time to try and head back to bed, feeling guilty I am not resting enough for the littlest deer causing that big bulge in my mid section!

Sweet dreams, Megan x

{Personal Blog My Little Deers}

The Fine Print:  I may retract the above at any time and have every right to, as a pregnant mother up with the middle deer at 3am…will have to wait and see what happens when the parents are outnumbered, the beauty salon might just regain a loyal client escaping her mothers guilt for letting herself go!

There is a small ray of sunshine, the little deers were actually sharing a toy and now reading a book together.

For me I’ve decorated the house in my favourite colour pink. Lanterns, bunting… pick up balloons etc later.  Hair salon appointment soon, will be fun trying to keep the new ‘do dry on the way back to the car.

Opened my first gift, fab specs from my sister in far Nth Qld, a short visit from a girlfriend later this morning, mum at lunch time, hubby back in town 6pm.

I think we’ll be ordering home delivery.

Baby deer is growing well at 15 weeks and this really is my big 40th gift.  Wouldn’t mind handing in the all day nausea and headaches for some ‘honeymoon’ pregnancy I keep reading about!

Will try for an update at the end of the day, but don’t count on it.  Hoping I am too busy enjoying the day…and just a soft knock on the door, stunning flowers from daddy deer.  David Austin & garden roses, pink peppercorn, bouvardia…so pretty thank you darling!

Stay warm and dry, Kiss Kiss Megs

We have our own Valentine’s Day’s throughout the year, but Feb 14th doesn’t ring any bells with us.  Like everyone, our children’s birthday’s are stark reminders of our love, wedding and ‘date we met’ anniversaries, holidays we’ve loved and our honeymoon. But the most important date in the calendar for me is the day my husband proposed.

It was the not the usual fancy restaurant or writing in the sky.  My husband did it in style and he arranged every last little detail himself.

We have a favourite beach on Sydney harbour, one you can only get to by boat.  I was under the premise that we were meeting a fellow boatie at this beach for a private dinner with friends from overseas.  An occasion I did consider unusual for him.

As our small boat neared I could see a dinner table set up with crisp white linen and tall flame torches {like those in survivor}…a waiter dressed in a black and white uniform rowed a boat out to take us to shore.  It was there that I glanced past the chef and saw the table was set for two, not four as I had expected.

It was dressed with a bouquet of baby pale pink roses, pink vintage Krug and china and napery from our home. A favourite cd played in the background and in the sand a huge love heart in thick pink & red rose petals finished just on the shore line…a three course French dinner to follow.

It was true Valentine’s love!  Totally original, personal, beautiful, thoughtful…I was brimming with tears saying yes before he could finish his proposal at sunset on the beach.

Frank had spent the entire day bringing everything to ‘our spot’, but what made it even more amazing was that on that day, I had asked him to come back to the office to have lunch {we worked together so I pretty much knew where he was most of the time, or so I thought!}.

So as not to raise suspicion he said yes and in between making trips to the beach with all the paraphernalia and the staff, he had to come back to the car, get redressed in his suit, drive 40mins to our office, have a quick bite to eat with me and then get back to his ‘meetings’ in the city!

Later in the afternoon he phoned me with a hurrying call.  He wanted me to get him a clean shirt and meet him at the boat. I refused, I was having a ‘bad hair day’ and told him to come home and get himself a shirt and we would go together.  He couldn’t say to me ‘we might miss the sunset’…he patiently came home and waited while I finished getting ready.

Luckily we arrived just before dusk and it was the most romantic night of my life.  What a man, what a husband, what a Valentine!

Megan x   {My Little Deers, Personal Blog}

What’s the most romantic occasion your husband has arranged?

I was 100% sure we had lost this pregnancy and I know too many woman who have had to experience all the horrible feelings surrounding such a sad time in life. I wanted to delete this site, bury my head and never try for another baby.

Surprisingly a scan this week showed that things couldn’t be more perfect on the inside!

So the word for this week is Grateful.  Grateful for my husband insisting we have a scan to check for sure, for my mothers help and support, for the cuddles from my boys, from words of encouragement from my close girlfriends and for the super strong little deer happily growing {right on schedule} with a strong and fast heart beat.

Everything is right in our world {this week anyway}. Hope it is in yours too.

Megan x   {My Little Deers, Personal Blog }

What are you Grateful for today?