First Swimming Experience

Today was one of those scorching days in South Africa. 35 Degrees! The weather changes from cold, to rainy to hot all in one season!
We bought Rinus a baby pool today and I tested it on him. I don't think he enjoyed it as much as I did. He still looked adorable in his hat and swim gear though!
After all the excitement we took the pool inside and made his bed in it. Poor Rinus was exhausted!

Rinus: Picture taken at the Baby House

Rinus goes to a Baby House in the Estate where we live. Recently they took some pictures and this was one of them. I just received the pictures today and cannot wait to share them.

Baby Boom made me think.

I recorded Baby Boom from one of our TV Channels a few days ago. I saw Diane Keaton played a role in it so I thought it might be good as she is one of my favorite actresses.

This movie was made in 1987 and one can still relate to it today! I really enjoyed the movie but it also made me think of what is important and how we prioritise our lives.

Since we had Rinus our social lives has taken quite a dip! Not to talk about the mission it is to actually get out of the house with everything you need to pack! Two months ago some friends invited us for a long weekend with them in Amanzimtoti, Kwazulu Natal. It is a 6 hour drive and I forgot Rinus's pacifier! Needless to say when I discovered it we were already halfway there!

The weekend was blast except that we only had one nice day out of the four.It was cold and raining. We stayed indoors most of the time and when we finally ventured out to the beach I was more stressed out about the wind and covering up Rinus. When we returned home Rinus landed up in hospital with gastro and bronchitis.

We lead such busy lives that you forget to appreciate the little things. I think we should make more time for family and less for work. That said I know we should earn a living and it pays the bills etc, etc. This week I had to write a Process Description for one of our Procedures at work and it took up all my time, so much that I was exhausted when I got home. Yesterday I sat and looked at Rinus and thought I missed an entire week by being so busy!

Maybe it is time to step back a bit and get some perspective.

Christmas Tree Shopping!

We decided it was time for a Christmas tree as it is the first Christmas for Rinus and by the way the in laws are coming over this Christmas eve! . Boy oh boy ! We went from the one mall to the other and finally found our tree.

Of course we had to accessorize too! When we got home the one set of lights seemed to have a short and I had to drive back all the way to exchange it.

After all the moaning and groaning I am glad we finally have our tree. The next major shopping spree will be next weekend when we start searching for presents. I can't help but wonder if we are missing the spirit of Christmas by chasing presents and material things.

I still love my tree though and am rather excited about having our first Christmas together as a family.

Merry Christmas

Make a Smilebox greeting

I found this interactive template on smilebox. Scrapbooking can be so much fun. This is definitely on my mailing list!

Fight for Preemie Month - 17th November 2009

This is a cause very close to me and to home. At the age of 35 I discovered that I was pregnant. At first I was in two minds about it but soon got very excited. We have been married for almost nine years and well, it was time.

The pregnancy went rather well, I had a little bit of morning sickness in the beginning but nothing major. In my sixth month I discovered my feet started to swell. It did not bother me as I knew this was one of the drawbacks of being pregnant. I went for my usual monthly appointment at the gynaecologist and she informed me my blood pressure was a little bit higher but we would keep an eye on it.

During my pregnancy I kept working and it was a rather busy time at work for us. Finally an opportunity for a weekend break appeared and we decided to make a family get together out of it. We went to a game farm called Dikhololo. The drive was not far but still I realized I had swollen feet. The week before that it felt as if I had heart palpitations. Because I never got sick I brushed it off as a bit of stress.

The weekend was a huge success and we came home on the Sunday evening after a long drive having to pick up the dogs at my parents place as well. I did not feel well and went to lie down a bit. Then my stomach cramps started, or rather it felt like severe stomach cramps. At 2 0' clock in the morning I could not stand the pain anymore and asked my husband Innes to take me to the emergency unit at Unitas hospital. When I got there they took my blood pressure and admitted me in the maternity ward where after some blood tests they informed me I had pre-eclampsia and that the baby must be taken out with an emergency Ceaserean. My liver started failing too. Early in my pregnancy I saw something about pre-eclampsia but did not read further as I never had high blood pressure. Within 2 hours my baby boy Rinus was born at 29 weeks gestation on the 4th of May 2009. He weighed a mere 1.18kgs.

I went into shock as I did not realise what exactly was happening to me,and I did not think the baby would survive. The first week was as if in a dream and then I realised I needed to be strong for my baby. He was in Neo-natal ICU for a period of 9 weeks. It was a life changing experience. you could not believe how many babies were born prematurely and how they fought to survive.

We went to hospital twice a day and after I started working again 3 times daily. Every day was different. As premature babies immunity is very low, Rinus contracted a virus after a month or so and they had to stop his milk. After that they gradually gave him more milk. I kept on extracting although emotionally drained.

After 9 weeks we heard the good news that he could come home. On the day of his discharge we went to hospital only to find him back on the ventilation machines. The previous day he received a Synagis injection which is given to premature babies to protect them in winter times against flu etc. Apparently it was this injection that gave him a setback. He stayed for another week and then the day finally came that we could bring our little miracle home.

Since then he had some flu symptoms and we also ended up in the pediatrics ward with Gastro for a week. Apart from that it is a true blessing to see my baby grow stronger. His development milestones is that of a 4 month old baby although he is 6 and a half months now. I am confident that he will go from strength to strength.

To all moms out there with premature babies, just know that you are not alone. Our little miracles have been given to us for a reason and I believe the bond between us and our babies are unbreakable because of everything we endure together. Being a mother of a premature bay is not easy but it gives you unknown strength and provides you with endless gratitude that life cannot be taken for granted. It is a true gift.

Friends

This song was one of my favourites when I was much younger. It still remains a favourite today!

Blogging for fun!

I have attempted blogging numerous times. Today my friend Karlien told me she took up blogging and then the blogging bug got hold of me again. Recently I have taken up digital scrapbooking on the internet as you may gather from my picture! This scrapbook page was done for one of the Scrapbookflair.com challenges.

I actually wanted to take blogging up again ever since I came across a site, 'Bloggers unite'. To make a long story short, the 17th of November is Fight for Preemies day where everyone blogs their story or something of sorts in support of premature babies. It seems as if this site is dedicated to fighting for causes and blogging is a valuable tool to do so.

I plan to spice up my days by adding little bits and pieces to this blog. After all, blogging is for fun!