Also posting here: Project 365

10/05/10
Oh, how this boy and this dog love one another.
Both love companionship more than anything else, I think.

09/05/10
She loves the tradition of present hiding.
Here she’s salting away her grandmother’s gift.

08/05/10
Ivy and Noah made me a little hanging heart at preschool for mother’s day.
Noah couldn’t decide whether he wanted to give it to me straight away or if he wanted to hide it.
In the end (after several givings and takings) he made me put it up in the bus.
“do you love it?” he kept asking,
“are you sure?”
“because if you don’t I could keep it for me”.

07/05/10
Ahoy!
This be pirate Noah, sailing on the seven seas all the way to pre school!
He be the cutest pirate around these parts, in fact, he be the only pirate around these parts.

06/05/10

Love those blue, blue eyes.

05/05/10

I love the light in the afternoons of Autumn.

04/05/10

She’s been re accessed and so the little bag becomes a permanent attachment once more.

03/05/10
Two out of the three highschool kids had home economics assignments to do on the weekend. They had to make a model of a healthy meal. Guess what I spent most of Sunday doing?

02/05/10
I found her under the tree, quietly singing to herself in the last hours of daylight. It was warm today and she wanted to wear a pretty dress.
She’s been without the IV antibiotics for five days and today was the first day she had really complained of feeling unwell. Tomorrow she’ll see the paed and I think he will put her back on the pump, so that means the little bag will become an attachment once more.

I’m a little sad.

The last week she has seemed lighter, free to do the things that four year olds should do.

She moves differently when she has to have the port accessed.

01/05/10

Just as the sun was setting we discovered this butterfly drying her wings. Perfectly formed, new. I wonder what the world will hold for her.

30/04/10

The last of the cicada shells. Summer really has gone.

29/04/10

Ivy and I went to Sydney to film a segment for The Morning Show (which is a program that runs in Australia). It was an amazing experience.

28/04/10
The one on the left doesn’t work anymore. In fact it has caused the bugs it was supposed to be fighting off to become resistant. The little yellow bottle works sometimes and the one behind it is new. We’re trying it, while we also try a week off the IV antibiotics. Ivy is happy to be rid of the pump for a while. Me? I’m petrified.

27/04/10

Some days it’s better just to sleep through the whole thing.

26/04/10

Autumn sunrise, pinks and purples, from my window, a hazy violet fills the room.
The air is crisp
and it’s always so quiet.
It’s my favourite time of the day.

25/04/10

I think I am in love with these Aussie natives.
They are the most amazing colour and their petals are soft, like feathers.

24/04/10

Ivy was in seventh heaven when we found a little market stall that sold gluten and lactose free cupcakes.

23/04/10

According to four year girls, every sausage dog *needs* a poncho.
Chippy agrees whole heartedly.
He quite happily wore this crocheted poncho all day.

22/04/10
The weather is turning and the mornings and the evenings are crisp and cool. She loves scarves and was thrilled to find one for $5

21/04/10
Not one for photos, I have to take what I can get. He ‘approved’ this one

20/04/10
He found the stash of broken watches and palm pilots and spent the morning pretending to be his dad.

So cute and funny and scarily a very good interpretation of his father.

19/04/10

Flower girls.

18/04/10

Blue eyes, long lashes.

He has them.

17/04/10
Noah thinks he is some form of doctor and is forever ‘treating’ his family.

Here, it is (very) early Saturday morning and he is ‘fixing’ (waxing) his father’s leg.

16/04/10
Our little cousin from the United States sent Flat Stanley over for a visit.
Today we dressed him in green and gold and introduced him to vegemite.
We think he likes it!

15/04/10
The Middle Chid

Even though you’re not the oldest,
or youngest,you see,
Being in the middle of a sandwich
is the most important part,
And in the middle of your body,
you will find your heart.
The engine in the middle
is what runs a good machine;
And your family wouldn’t be
the same
without you in between.

Author unknown.

14/04/10

Today was a hard day.

Port day is not our favourite day of the week.

13/04/10

Mal turned 12 today, it was a very happy day.

12/04/10

A beautiful rose in my garden.

11/04/10
Can I tell you how torn we are?
Somedays we want to move into the city, near the hospital because we are there all the time.
Somedays, like today, we want to stay where we are, in our little piece of the country.
The kids would like to have chickens and a couple of goats
and I can totally see that
but we are so far away from the hospital and it’s really hard when Ivy and I are such a long way from home.

10/04/10

Happiness is:

watching my boy in a chocolate ice cream induced giggling fit over something that isn’t really that funny.

09/04/10
These feet tell such a story.
They don’t have many lines because they were premmie.
They haven’t grown for almost three years.
I’ve not had to clip toenails for that long either.
it’s because the illness has slowed their growth.
They’re a little bit dirty today because they’ve been outside
but usually the owner has them socked or stockinged and shod in any number of beautiful shoes.
These feet are relaxed at the moment of capture.
They are happy feet.

08/04/10

Wired.

07/04/10

We had a balloon release for Will’s angel day.

06/04/10

It’s his angel day tomorrow.

05/04/10

I love the beach, I always feel calm when I’m there.

04/04/10

First day feeling better.

03/04/10

The jury is still out on whether we love the fringe or not.

02/04/10

Ivy drew this picture of ‘the angel William’ on her chalk board ‘he has a halo, because he’s very beautiful,’ she told me when she showed me.

01/04/10

He loves the ‘Easter Mummy’ because he ‘just loves chocolate sooooo much’.

31/03/10

He is the watcher, the guard, the defender. He is sausage dog extraordinaire.

30/03/10

Beauty enveloped in a mass of curls. How did I get so lucky as to be given this sweet creature?

29/03/10

When you have twins it always means you do things by two.
Croup strikes the littlest girl down just days after her brother.
Looks like a few more nights of sleeping upright it is then.

28/03/10
he’s always thinking things through, taking things in, digesting information. He’s my little thinker.

27/03/10

Somedays it’s just hard to breathe. Asthma and croup don’t mix.

26/03/10

Feeling more like herself everyday. Love that sparkle in her eye that she has when she’s well.

25/03/10

My shy girl but not when she is on the stage. When she’s there, she is as brave as the bravest of lions.

24/03/10

Back to ballet, after three weeks away. It was daunting and the little girl spent most of the lesson on her own. Little ballerinas can be fickle.

23/03/10

Unexpected : even weeds can be beautiful.

22/03/10

There’s nothing like sitting on the verandah and enjoying the morning.

21/03/10

Even in a Barbie’s world, there’s no place like home.

20/03/10

Home, right where she belongs.

19/03/10

When she feels better, she gets busy and the room bursts with colour.

18/03/10
Her little liver takes a beating every time we pump her full of meds. She takes on a yellowed, puffy appearance.

17/03/10
Just in case she tries to escape: property of the hospital.

16/03/10

Somedays she looks so small and frail.

15/03/10
IVIG day. Access was easier than we expected and luckily too because we ended up staying in hospital for five days.

14/03/10

Dramatic.

13/03/10

The road less travelled is often bumpier, it twists and turns unexpectedly but it is often more interesting and more beautiful.

12/03/10

My weekend girl. Relaxed.

11/03/10

When our kids are sick we build them a nest.

10/03/10

Sick.

09/03/10

Medical gloves have more than one use in this house.

08/03/10

“Jump into the middle of things, get your hands dirty, fall flat on your face and then reach for the stars”. - Ben Stein

07/03/10

Love those bright eyes and that happy little boy smile.

06/03/10
I’m not sure if it gets much sweeter than a boy and a bear (belly buttons are pretty cute too).

05/03/10
This little swab signals a period of sickness for Ivy. We both dislike the ear swab - she, because it’s another test, me because I know it will mean hospital soon.

04/03/10

The boy broke his finger and that means he is out of the running to be a part of the representative team for footy. Six weeks of misery. I think it’s his heart that is more broken.

03/03/10

Ivy plays nurse to her IVIG bear ‘Grace’.

A gift from a far away friend, who has three children with immune deficiency.

There is nothing like this available in Australia.

It’s going to be a Godsend.

02/03/10

01/03/10

Happiness is: sitting on your big sister’s lap, while another big sister pulls funny faces.

28/02/10

She claims it isn’t her birthday because she was actually born on the 29th

and that her next will be her sweet 16th, which she will celebrate in three years time, with her two eldest grandkids.

We celebrated anyway.

Celebrated the woman who raised me up.

Celebrated family.

Celebrated Mum.

27/02/10

Editing.

A love hate relationship with my computer.

26/02/10
The kids call them angel slides.
It’s the way they get to earth.

25/02/10
A blue tongue lizard has taken up residence in our garden.
The boys found him.
He was not very impressed with all the crowding and the camera and was happy to be returned to his home under some rocks.

24/02/10

“Ballerina girl, you are so lovely.

I can see in you my dreams come true, don’t you ever go away” - Lionel Ritchie

23/02/10

Father and son.

22/02/10

IVIG day.

It didn’t go as expected.

21/02/10
After weeks and weeks of horrible humidity and grey days
Today was a wonderful day.

Summer in all her glory.

Perfect.

20/02/10
Life can be full on in a house with seven kids.
There’s always room for some craziness though.

19/02/10
My first born (and my first set of twins). Growing so fast. I don’t remember ever being so confident.
Their connection is amazing.

18/02/10

Two white doves.

Love and Peace.

17/02/10

Engagement shoot.

Something I had no plans on doing but here I am and I am falling in love with couples in love.

16/02/10
He has to bend down now, so they can do a cheek to cheek snuggle.
He’s getting so tall and she hasn’t grown for over 18months.
Guess she won’t be getting that Summer growth spurt that he has.

15/02/10

It’s all about perspective.

14/02/10

This little man owns my heart. Well, he shares it with others but on occasion, he steals it.

I loved so many photos from our impromptu photo shoot that I had to put two in.

13/02/10

Concentration is: a little girl colouring in.

12/02/10

We made the long journey down to Sydney to see the immunologist for review. Every six months, Ivy’s case goes before the Blood Authority so that she can be approved for IVIG (liquid gold). This little vial holds 300 donations of blood and plasma, so that Ivy can stay as well as possible.

It was approved for another six months (thank goodness)

11/02/10

Ever since he moved into our home, he has been very loyal. He sits with me where ever I am. He watches and waits for the kids to come home from school.
Chippy the small sausage dog definitely takes his role as man’s best friend seriously.

10/02/10

I often find him in a small space.

He finds comfort being confined.

I found him like this today.

He had taken a carrot from the fridge and was chomping away in the place where my desk drawer should have been.

09/02/10

I can’t possibly relay today any better than this:

I am tired.

For many and varied reasons.

I just am.

08/02/10

He’s been a little tired and cranky these days.

07/02/10
I love this lane and I love these two.
We went out this afternoon to secure a kissing photo.
Mission accomplished.

06/02/10
A very exciting day for all of us here. We discovered that the story about IVIG and Ivy made it to the front page of The Sydney Morning Herald and the front page of The Newcastle Herald. Hopefully it will help to raise awareness.

05/02/10

I can’t believe I am just about to launch Blue Hippo Photography.

I’m not sure if I’m ready or if I will ever be.

04/02/10

The Sydney Morning Herald are running an article on supply and demand for IVIG on Saturday and Ivy and I were interviewed and photographed today. Ivy is so good at this kind of stuff. She is the pinup girl for her medication.

The photographer couldn’t believe how good she was, which is more than I can say for Noah, who acted the goat for the entire time. Even though he was photographed as well.

03/02/10

Normality and inclusion: Ivy with six other tiny ballerinas.

Perfection on a Wednesday morning.

2/2/10

She’s so much like I was at thirteen but so different too. Like me, she likes nothing more than to curl up on the lounge and read but she has an amazing confidence I never had.

01/02/10

IVIG day and port day. She looks so tiny sitting there in the huge infusion chair.

She is always courageous though. Somedays, more than I can ever hope to be.

31/01/10

While pulling out all of the dead things, that the Summer sun has burnt, we came across a lone gnome. He looks pretty old and scratched up - before our time in the ramshackle house. Still, his smile has won us all over and now he has pride of place amongst the fish fern.

30/01/10
I know his days are long, going back and forth to work all week and he is tired by the end of it but when you are at home all week, the weekends are a chance to get out and see the world. Especially when the days greet you this way.

No, we have spent another beautiful Saturday in the house.

It won’t be long and we will be in isolation for the Winter.

My little model. She has all the moves. While her brother was running around naked, she was posing for photos to send to her friend, who gifted her this tutu.

28/01/10

First day, year six. First day, last year of primary school. My Lily in the middle is growing up.

27/01/10

A new medication and a new pump to cart around. For how long?  Who knows but this pump is so much heavier than the  old one. By this evening she was tired and her neck, shoulders and legs sore. There were exhaustion tears. I haven’t seen those in a while.

26/01/10

Missing William and found myself awake in the wee hours this morning. Ivy has an amazing way of picking up on my emotions and brought a little white feather (so symbolic - a sign that he is with us) that she found.

25/01/10
She has dreamed of doing ballet since she was tiny but she’s been too sick. We got word today that the teacher will let her go, medication pump and all. She was so happy and had to dress up in her outfit and ballet shoes to perform on the verandah, her makeshift stage.

24/01/10

I don’t know what was wrong last night but he ended up in our bed. He fusses and fidgets and hogs the space. It’s okay though because when I wake up to these gorgeous lashes it’s all worth it.

23/01/10

The usual curls have been braided into submission. She loves it. Me? I much prefer the mop.

22/01/10

The weather outside is like an inferno, so it was another inside day. DVDs, junk food and hair streaking for the big girls. Maddy prepares for year 8.

21/01/10

This is the last week of mid week sleep ins. Next week it’s back to the routine of school and doctors appointments. The lazy days are quickly slipping away.

20/01/10

Port day. She’s very frank about it all.

19/01/10

A trip to Sydney to the Build a Bear store. The kids all had a ball. (Thanks Grandma). As kids who have grown up in the country, Parramatta Westfield looks bright and shiny and HUGE.

18/01/10

Good friends, good food and a plan to to do good things. A day when it’s easy to feel that anything is possible.

17/01/10

We woke up to a warm Sunday, so we all put on our swimmers to wash the cars. A water fight ensued so the camera was quickly packed away.

16/01/10

It was haircut day for the two youngest boys. Mal was very impressed with his ‘wrestler mohawk’. I said he could keep it until school goes back. Very cool indeed.

15/01/10

They say never work with children or animals… or Barbies, it seems.

Ivy and noah thought Linus needed a toy to sleep with.

Is that a smile I see on my aging dog’s mug?

14/01/10

Santa brought the kids a trampoline for Christmas and because today was alot cooler than the last few, it was spent mostly outside, jumping.

13/01/10

Ivy’s day in the infusion lounge. She has her port de accessed and re accessed and new medications for the week administered. We love the nurses. They are so loving towards Ivy. Even so, the sight of the gripper needle is scary and there have been many tears until I introduced the rescue remedy lozenges into the mix.

12/01/10

With the big girls gone to Gran’s for a few days, it’s a boys camp plus Ivy.

My sweet boy was captured this afternoon as he was singing a song to this block.

He loves rhyming and rhythm.

11/01/10

IVIG day, the first for the year.

Ivy takes everything in her stride.

Spending the day in a little room every three weeks can be mind numbing, so we make sure we bring plenty to do and plenty of food too.

Note the drink bottle!

A constant reminder of how lucky we are that people donate blood so Ivy can have  a full and happy life.

10/01/10

A day of editing photos amongst all of the housewifey stuff. I moved my Mac into the lounge room for the day so I could keep an eye on the kids. It was very hot and the children, still tired from our big day out the day before, were happy to watch DVDs and potter about the house.

09/01/10

When you wake up to breakfast in bed and a massage children style, you just know it’s going to be a good day.

Noah wanted to know: “Where’s my massage?”

08/01/10

In The Hunter Valley, Summer is a mixture of amazing storms and days that are too hot to be outside.

Ivy and Noah (and Raggedy Anne and K - Ted) think that the weather is perfect in their lounge cushion and blanket cubby house.

07/01/10

The cutest curly haired fairy riding a trike I have ever seen.

Riding their trikes at Chinaman’s Hollow just before sunset. Ivy can only just reach the pedals.