That's weird...

Ok... something weird happened when I added tags to all my posts and now an old post from March called Renovations #1 has republished itself today.

Disregard please.

Sorry for any confusion!

Renovations #1

Right, so, as threatened previously, it's time for our first update on the renovation of our little cottage. I don't have a huge number of "before" photos but just picture burnt orange curtains, flocked wallpaper, high gloss ceiling tiles, brown lino, and a BAD eighties pine kitchen.  Oh, and how could I forget the olive green bathroom.  Ya-huh.

We don't expect to stay in the cottage long - it just has to be liveable - but even if we're only there for a year or two we still want it to be a pleasant place to live.  The deck was rotten so that had to be replaced no matter what.  And the olive green bathroom, well obviously it HAD.TO.GO.  But beyond that, we had originally intended just new floor coverings and a coat of paint.

As so often happens, though, things took on a life of their own and it's turned into a pretty major overall.  I'm excited though because it's going to be a really nice place to live, however long we are there for.  The intention long-term is to build a family home of our own further back from the road and we'll rent the cottage out perhaps as a B&B (that I would run), or, more likely, as a long term rental.  So it does make sense to get everything done now so that it's ready for its next incarnation whenever and whatever that may be.

Kitchen/Living Room

I honestly did not mind this kitchen too much - plenty of cupboard space, and it has a dishwasher.  Tick and tick.  Sadly the stove is electric which is going to take some getting used to but it's not the end of the world.

The lino on the floor was U.G.L.Y IT AIN'T GOT NO ALIBI, and that *ahem* charming stained glass overhead cupboard?  NOICE.  I especially enjoy the fancy turned spindle things holding it up.

That's the hot water unit in the cupboard on the right above, kind of a waste of space in the kitchen but at least it's hidden.

So, the kitchen is now being almost entirely re-done.  The door to the hot water unit cupboard has been moved to the other side and we've now installed a wall to separate the kitchen from the entrance and laundry.  The bench top will be replaced and extended along the island to give me more bench space.

You can also see in the photos below that the ceiling tiles have been replaced too, thank god.  The lino has been torn up to reveal some surprisingly lovely floorboards.  Unfortunately, with the intention of renting it out, we don't want to worry about the maintenance of the floorboards so they will be covered again by a (nicer) lino in all the wet areas.  And we'll have carpet in the living and bedrooms.  I would love to have exposed floorboards, and what a jackpot to have beautiful tightly fitted ones hiding beneath the icky old floors, but it's just too cold a climate to have them throughout.

If the B&B thing eventuates we can always tear everything up and put rugs down.

Right, onwards.

Below is the living room in its original state, with cameo by woman I don't know.

 Here we have torn up carpet, replaced ceiling tiles, replaced down lights, and removed fireplace and relocated in the "nook" you can see to the left in the photo below.  Moving the fireplace is another one of those things we wouldn't have bothered with but it segmented the room making positioning furniture really difficult, plus in its new location it will be more central within the house so the heating will be way more efficient.

Can I tell you how excited I am to have a wood burning fire?!  VERY EXCITED INDEED.  Yes, ash, yes, wood chopping.  But: crackling log fire.

Bathroom

I have no words.  There are none.

Unsurprisingly, the lovely bathroom was also leaky so the whole thing has been torn out and replaced.

White!  Shiny!  Clean!

Bedrooms

All the bedrooms had built-in robes which have been torn out to make more space, and they're all getting new carpet, paint and curtains.  Unfortunately the ceiling tiles will remain but at least they're not as offensive as the high-shine ones that were in the living areas.

Outdoors

LOTS of work has been done around the garden and house paddock clearing away overgrown shrubs, dead and diseased trees, and other mess.  As mentioned the deck has been replaced and it looks so good!

It's all ticking along at a fantastic rate.  We have actually now booked our flights and will be living in NZ before the end of April.  I'm tremendously excited but also daunted at the amount of work to be done between now and then.  I've said it before and I'll probably say it again quite a few more times, but the logistics of moving internationally with two small children are significant.  

Significant.

The coldest night of the year

So, I saw on the news that the night of this frost was the coldest night this year so far!  I'd believe that.  It actually hurt being outside to take these photos.  Which, considering my pansy constitution, probably doesn't mean a lot.  But it really was very cold.

I always feel really sorry for the cows in this weather.  I also feel sorry for them when it rains, or when it's really windy.  I mean, sheep have nice thick wool to keep them warm, and horses get blankets, but the poor cows just have to deal.  When the paddock gets really muddy and they get mud caked between their... toes? hoofs?... I also feel bad for them because it looks really uncomfortable and I want to pick it out for them.  I mean, you clean horse's feet!  Why do cows get the rough end of the stick?

Poor cows.  In summer I will certainly worry about them if it gets too warm or sunny.  I can't say I have ever before given the comfort of livestock much thought but now we have our own it plays on my mind constantly.

I made B go down to their paddock and made sure the ice on their trough was cracked so they could have a drink.

He cannot believe that we now have fourteen extra children to take care of.  Here he thought we were just getting some stock in to strip the pasture and now he has me nagging him about their welfare.  He lives in fear of my sneaking them into the house, but that's unlikely to happen.  Unless I can toilet train them.

Speaking of toilet training, it appears that we're at that point with J.  In deepest cold winter.  Goody.  Someone struck the fear of god into me that if you put it off when the child is clearly ready that then it becomes a huge issue and they will take forever to get the hang of it.  I don't know if that's true but I know I just have to put knickers on the child and get on with it.  But - and I never thought I would ever say this - nappies are so easy.  And I am inherently very lazy.

So I'm writing it here to hold myself accountable.  We will make a serious toilet training attempt here this week.  The poor little thing is so ready.  She is giving me every hint in the book.  I must take the plunge.

Any and all tips and advice gratefully received!

A has been teething like a demon but at last count she now has four teeth through with another three imminent, so at least all the drama hasn't been in vain.  The teeth appear to be coming through in random order so she has the bottom middle two, plus two on the top right.  Next appears to be far right on the bottom followed closely by top left.  She looks like quite the hillbilly so obviously I have to photoshop a straw hat and a corn cob pipe onto all photos of her at the moment.

She's still not crawling, but it is so agonisingly close!  I think I've been saying that every week for months.  She's 10 months now which is the same age J was when she started crawling.  Not that I'm comparing.  The way A's going I wouldn't be surprised if she skips crawling.  She's started trying to pull herself up so I wonder if she will just try and walk?  She's quite, shall we say, hefty so getting herself off the ground in any manner is no small feat.

My favourite bit of news today is that as you read this (or thereabouts) I'm having my first hair appointment in, what, it must be about a year.  I got the confirmation text yesterday and it took all my willpower not to reply with YA HUH when all they want is a calm "yes".  One of my friends in Perth who is a hairdresser (go see her, she's amazing, you will not regret it) gave me an amazing haircut not long before A was born, and - like a great haircut should - it's carried me through until now.

So it's a long overdue tidy up AND I've even booked in to get some foils.  An insignificant decision on the face of it but for me it also signifies that I'm starting to feel that I'm coming out of the baby woods somewhat, where I can entertain the idea of something more than the most basic self care and grooming.  I'm also getting my wild eyebrows attended to on the weekend which is another milestone for me on the way out of dazed baby land.  It's nice to be able to get back to that feeling of being a whole person aside from being a mother.  I was just hitting that stage after the birth of J when I fell pregnant with A and started the whole cycle again.

I've got another whole post rattling around in my head on that topic and if I can get my thoughts into coherent sentences you'll read it here first.

Ok, that's us caught up.  I may or may not report back on the success of the toilet training.  Think dry thoughts!

Up the mountain

Ok, so yesterday's post was a little lacklustre, even by my standards.  Nothing like writing a post because you feel you should, even though there's not much to talk about and even fewer photos to share.

Clearly a do-over was in order.

Luckily, yesterday, in between writing uninspired prose, I also took a trip up the mountain with B and the girls.  AND I took my camera.

Firstly, random shot of J watching the rain last week.  Little cutie curly-top.

Now, onto the good stuff.

It was one of those sparkling winter days that they do so well here.  The air was crisp but the sun was warm.  Hardly a cloud in the sky.  The mountain beckoned.

Clearly it had beckoned to a lot of other people too because the obnoxious "boy racers" (that's what they call hoons here.  It's too cute a name for what they are) were all there too, being obnoxious.

J's first experience of snow

B's car told us that it was about 2 or 3 degrees celsius up there.  It was quite pleasant in the sun though.  If we'd been able to have some coffee and cake that really would have rounded out the afternoon.

I always take way too many photos of the mountain.  Even with my DSLR, photos do not do it justice.  It's very frustrating.  My dad confirmed it last week.  He's seen the mountain via my photos obviously, and he agreed that photos simply do not compare to seeing it in person.  It's huge!  It towers over you!  You will just have to trust me on this!

It was such a beautiful day.

In totally unrelated news, the daffodils have all come up in our paddocks and are now flowering and what stunning flowers they are.  They're some kind of double extra frilly variety, so I'll have to dig some up to put in the house garden for easy access.

I really must work on my nighttime photography skills.  But you get the idea.

After such a clear day, we had an extremely cold night last night which led to a major freeze.  So get excited for some (more) frost pics that I took this morning!  Do you think this frost obsession of mine is almost as tiresome as my autumn colour obsession?  Or possibly even more tiresome?

I'll leave you pondering that one.

A visit from Grandpa

Hi gang!

It's been a little while since my last post as we had a visit from my dad, J and A's Grandpa, last week.

Speaking of my previous post just quickly, thank you for the lovely response!  I know it doesn't change anything about the situation but it's always reassuring to hear just how many people have experienced the same thing.  I especially like you people whose non-sleepers have gone on to log 12+ hours per night within a year or two.  Keep those tales coming please!

We had a great time last week with Grandpa.  The last time he saw the girls was at Christmas so it was wonderful for them to see each other again.

J had an absolute ball with her captive audience all week and got her fill of kisses and hugs and tickles.

The weather was pretty average the whole time, plenty of rain, but we managed to squeeze in a bit of sightseeing including one trip up the mountain during a brief spell of sunshine.  Dad will probably want to kill me for posting this, but here is his bald spot he admiring the mountain.

We were having too much fun for me to take many other photos during the week, most unlike me but sometimes it's nice to take a break from capturing every single moment.

We did take Grandpa to the Brooklands Zoo which we are quite devoted to.  I'ts beautifully done, with a farmyard, a huge monkey enclosure, a walk-through aviary, a big playground in the middle, and - my favourite part - entry is free.

The rain has continued into this week, and the girls and I have all come down with colds.  It's like a mouth breathers convention when we all sit around the table together.

J is now doing two days per week at kindy starting this term and loving every minute.  She's really gaining confidence there and talks about the place for the rest of the week.  It's been a great fit.  I love arriving to pick her up to find her pottering around in the garden with her little friends or just sitting quietly doing a puzzle, perfectly content.

Well, I'm fresh out of things to talk about so here is another photo of the mountain because: mountain.

Babies who do not sleep.

"If someone were to ask me what my number one priority in life is at the moment I would say my child's sleep.  If they were to ask what most of my time is spent doing, I would say putting my child to sleep.  The reason I bite my husband's head off with a mere glance of the wrong kind is because I have poured any and all patience, understanding, and love into putting my child to sleep.  Sleep...

I have this beautiful, smart, healthy boy and all I can do is think about is sleep instead of enjoying this small window of babyhood I have with him."

I don't know who wrote the quote above but she has NAILED IT.

My first child, J, loves sleep.  We did some full on, cry-it-out, torturous sleep training with her when she was very small, and whether that led to her great sleep habits now we will never know.  My gut, however, tells me that it's just who and how she is.  She needs a lot of sleep, and hence we have had very few sleep troubles with her.  Even now at two and a half, she sleeps (or is in bed being quiet at any rate) for 12 hours overnight with a 2.5 hour nap in the middle of the day.  Every day.  Every night.  She only ever cries out if she's sick or something's actually wrong.

So what exactly does this have to do with a quote about babies who don't sleep?  Because of my second child, A.    I've alluded previously to the fact that she isn't a great sleeper.

We allowed some bad habits to take hold early and have made (I see now) only half-hearted attempts to fix things.  We've been inconsistent.  We've done whatever's quickest in the moment to get her back to sleep.  Because we are so.bloody.tired.

This is how nap times went for the first, oh, five months of A's life

Over the course of her short life, A has woken up approximately 43 million times.  I can no longer remember what it feels like to go to bed and sleep all night.

Before A was born, when there was just J, I used to look forward to J's bedtime because it was my chance to "clock off", to relax and have some time off from being a parent.  She never ever woke up for no reason.

Now, we have A who wakes up any time from an hour after putting her to bed, to (what seems to be her personal favourite) about five minutes after I've put my head on the pillow and closed my eyes.  Or every 40 minutes all night long.  Or starting the day at 4.30am.  Or all of the above.  Day after day.  Night after night.

I never feel that sense of "clocking off".  It's like I never get a break.  It may only take less than a minute to get her back to sleep but I feel constantly tense, ever vigilant for that cry.  Did I just hear her?  So even when I could be sleeping, I struggle to switch off.  It's exhausting.  My eye bags have eye bags.

I used to listen in quiet horror to other parents' stories of non-sleeping children and wonder how on earth they could carry on, day after day, night after night.

The answer, I now know all too well, is because what other choice is there?  There is no one you can hand this off to (bugger it).  You can say "I can't do this.  I can't keep doing this" as many times as you like and still you must carry on.

I'm so sick of thinking about it.  I'm sick of talking about it.  I'm sick of obsessing about it.  I'm so tired (haha...) of turning over all the possibilities in my mind, all the what-ifs and should-wes and the whywhywhyWHY.

You have this tiny little person whom you love so much it hurts, who just wants you in the middle of the night.  She just does.

I know she'll sleep eventually.  Things have already improved from the dark days of months four to eight.  I'm sure one day we'll have to drag her from her teenage bed.

I'm not entirely sure why I've written this post.  I'm not sure if I'll publish it (edited to add: I guess I made up my mind!).  It feels good to just get it out there, even if it is a little "off-brand" from the happy tree-changers stuff you normally get from me.  On that note, this doesn't abrogate anything I've written previously.  I am very happy.  Friends and family: I'm fine.  I do love our life.

But.  If you have or have had a non-sleeper, I salute you.  Day after day.  Night after night.

I promise that normal programming and mountain photos will resume next post.