M.I.A

When you start getting messages from people you don't know asking if you are okay it's probably time to write a post.

Life has just been so busy and I find myself wondering how anyone with kids (especially a baby) finds the time to blog at all.

I barely have time to sit down at all these days.. managing to shower and make dinner is cause for celebration at the moment and once the kids are in bed I am lucky if I can even find the energy to brush my teeth!

I have considered giving up on blogging altogether.. there are so many people who are so much better at it than me and I sometimes wonder if it's a waste of time.. Maybe I would be better off using my time to sit down with a cup of tea and a good book at the end of the day rather than staring at the computer.
(Although I have to admit that this is the first time I have used the computer in weeks!)

Henry is doing so well.. he is just such a sweet little boy but has currently decided that sleeping is not his thing. Yeah, that sucks. Sophie is just loving being a full time school girl and we are slowly getting into the whole school routine.

I'll leave you with a picture of those two little possums that I took today.

I can't believe I'm still awake!

Soundtrack of the month..

The hole in my heart.

It was 2 years ago today that our darling little Grace was stillborn.

I don't know what to say.
It's 2 years of my life that have been filled with so much sadness, and heartbreak and grief. So much longing and so much pain.

She was such a beautiful little baby and I wish more than anything in the world that we got to see her grow up.

4/52

I have finally got around to posting a photo of my kids for 4/52.
(For those who don't follow Jodi's wonderful blog it's where you post a picture of your kids once a week for a year.)

It's such a brilliant idea and it will be so nice to look back over the photos at the end of the year and see just how much they have grown.


'4/52: Future photographer?'

Thirty

Today is my 30th birthday. The big 3.0.
I'm pretty excited about my 30's.. I think its going to be an awesome decade!

Five!

My (not so) little girl turned 5 two days after Christmas. I can not believe that we have a FIVE year old! It seems like it was only yesterday that she was toddling around in a nappy and now she is about to start full time school!

I wish that I could rewind a few years and re-live her 3rd and 4th year all over again. I often worry that I spent that whole time so depressed after losing Grace and then so consumed with trying to fall pregnant again that I was not really the best mother during those years. I was so focused on what I had lost and what I didn't have that I forgot to enjoy the things I did have.. like my beautiful little girl.

Luckily, she has still managed to grow into a gorgeous little girl and even though she has given us a run for our money since Henry was born we still feel so lucky to have her every single day!

Happy birthday my darling girl.. I hope being five is loads of fun! Xx

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Source: typographyserved.com via Joy on Pinterest

Hope you had a good one!

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all had a fantastic day x

Little ones..

My friend Ani took some gorgeous photos of Henry, Sophie and me a few weeks ago. They turned out beautifully don't you think?

If you are looking for an amazing photographer in Perth you can find Ani's website here.

x

8 Weeks

I can't believe that little Henry is 8 weeks old already! He is such a wonderful little baby.. so happy and sleeping so well at night. He is sleeping about 8 hours straight most nights, which is almost unbelievable to me as Sophie was still waking up two or three times a night when she was 9 months old!

Sophie is starting to settle down a bit. She is still a bit of a terror at the moment but with Henry sleeping so well I feel that I am able to cope with her behaviour a bit more (everything is so much harder when you are sleep deprived!)

We are still spending most of our days at home and trying not to venture out too far. Walking Sophie to school or visiting a friend who lives nearby is as far as I go most days. I wish that I could say that I have been busy making delicious things in the kitchen and pottering around in the garden, but the reality is that trying to have a shower, organise something for dinner and keep the house from looking like a complete mess takes up majority of my day.

(Does anyone else feel like they spend their entire life cleaning up? Sometimes I only just finish the dishes from lunch and it's time to start making dinner! Someone told me the other day that cleaning a house with kids is like trying to brush your teeth with a mouth full of Oreos! Haha.. it's so true!)

I have a new found respect for my friends that have two or more kids -it is hard, but at the same time I would not change it for the world!

6 weeks

Henry is 6 weeks old.
It feels like he has been here forever. My days of bedrest feel like a lifetime ago but at the same time the last 6 weeks have flown by.

I am not going to lie, the last months has been a little difficult at times. Not because I am finding it hard having a newborn and dealing with sleepless nights (Henry is an absolute sweetheart!), but because Sophie has turned into an absolute rat-bag!

She has become the most difficult and disobedient little thing I have ever seen! I completely understand that it is a normal reaction to having a new sibling and that it must be extra hard for a little girl who has had her parents all to herself for almost 5 years (not to mention the fact that we moved house and changed her school just 2 weeks before Henry was born so there has been alot of big changes for the poor girl).

I am embarrassed to admit that instead of being patient and understanding towards her, I have turned into one of those mums that just bark orders at their kid and I have never yelled at her so much in my whole life! I have lost my cool more times than I would like to admit. I know that what she needs is more time alone with me and a little bit of understanding, but I have found it hard to remember that when she is throwing books at my head while I am trying to feed Henry. (Not joking).

All I can say is thank god the school holidays are over!

Of course it's not all 'nightmare-child' and 'cranky-pants mum' around here.. There are plenty of lovely moments and Sophie is getting better and better everyday (adjusting to life with a little brother I guess)..
She does adore Henry and often almost suffocates him with cuddles!

Here is a photo to prove it..

08/09

These photos were taken just moments after Henry was born.
(Look at that gorgeous slimy, wrinkled little baby!)
I love the look on my face in the second photo.. the absolute joy and relief that after everything we have been through, he is finally here... our little boy!
I love him so much.

Sophie and Henry!

Henry is 18 days old now.
I still can't actually believe that he is finally here!

We are doing well.. just trying to take it as easy as possible and spending our days at home pottering around. I'm quite sleep deprived and surviving on copious cups of tea during the day, but that's to be expected with a 2 week old!
Sophie has started her new school which is just down the street from our new house and I'm still mastering the art of getting out the door with two little ones. She has been 45 minutes late for school every day this week, but practice makes perfect I guess!

We still have no internet at the new house which is why I have not been posting as often as usual (well, that and the fact that I am too busy staring at Henry instead of the computer screen!) but hopefully I'll be able to post 1000 pictures of him shortly..

A baby boy!!!

He is finally here!
Little 'Henry Porter' was born on Saturday 8th September.
He is absoloutly adorable and we are all completely in love.

x

Date night and news

-Well, baby boy has still not arrived.. We can't believe it! I never, ever thought I would make it to 38 weeks.. Even my obstetrician can't believe it! But any day now I guess.

-We are all moved into our new house. We are surrounded by boxes and piles and piles of stuff in every room, but we are slowly getting through the boxes and having lots of fun setting up house.
(It's actually quite good that baby boy is taking his time because every extra day gives us a little more time to set up the house).

-Moving house at 38 weeks pregnant is hard work but at least I am allowed to be up on my feet now.

-Tom and I went on a date last week. It was the first time we had been out at night together for more than a year! We went to see the ACO perform Beethoven's 'Ode to joy', which I thought was an appropriate outing for two people who have so much to celebrate at the moment.

-We have no internet connected at the new house which is why I have been off line for the last week or so, but of course I will update you all as soon as baby boy decides to make and appearance!

This is Perth. In Winter.

Can you believe that we have been to the beach the last 2 weekends.. Sophie even went swimming.
It's supposed to be Winter!

P.s Still waiting patiently for baby to arrive!

What a week..

Whoa.. It has been a very busy week!
We officially became proud first home owners on Monday. We picked up the keys an hour after settlement and went and had a picnic on the floor of our new (and empty) home. My gosh, I can not wait till we move in!
On Wednesday we moved all our furniture (that had been sitting in storage for the last 18 months) into the house and the plan is to spend this weekend unpacking and setting up the house so that we can move straight in as soon as baby arrives.

And as if that wasn't enough excitement for one week.. this morning I went and had my cervical stitch removed. I can't tell you how relieved I am to have made it to this point and how exciting it is to be so close to meeting this little man. (I will be 37 weeks on Saturday).
I went from 0 to 3cm dilated within 10 seconds of the stitch being removed. Apparently about 90% of women go into labour within 24 hours.. I have had contractions on and off all day and my doctor thinks I will be back at the hospital pretty soon.
I was so excited last night (and a little nervous) that I could hardly sleep.
The hospital bag is packed, the grandparents are on call..

And now.. we just wait! Eek!

(This photo was taken at 33 weeks.. I can't believe my belly is even bigger now. and my face is even rounder!)

Approaching life..

I am really looking forward to having a blog that is actually full of delicious homemade food, pictures of all the delicious veggies we grow in the garden and post after post of all the pretty things I make on my sewing machine.

I am not sure if it because I am feeling so incredibly lucky at the moment or if it was the 5 months of full bed rest that did it, but for some reason I am feeling so motivated to approach life with absolute energy and passion at the moment.

I keep imagining life in our new house, with our new gorgeous baby and me.. unlike I have ever been before.. A new version of 'me' that is organised and motivated and has a new passion for life and motherhood and creating a wonderful loving home. Someone who shops at the local farmers markets and cooks delicious homemade meals from scratch, spends her time gardening and sewing and being absorbed in every moment with her kids. Someone who has the laundry sorted and the house clean and has time to bake muffins before playgroup in the morning. I imagine dancing around the house at 5pm with my kids laughing and happy and having fun because I will have prepared dinner at 10am instead of thinking about what to make at 6.45pm. I will be a better mother, a better wife and a better friend.

But then reality sets in..

I will be tired. Really tired. I will have a newborn. I will have a 4 year old who has to deal with moving house, changing schools and getting a new sibling all in the same month. I will have a husband that now takes an hour to get home from work instead of 10 minutes. I will be really out of shape after spending majority of the last 9 months in bed and I will probably spend most of the day in my pyjamas..

But you know what? I am okay with that. I'm more than okay with that..

I am going to spend every second just savouring that newborn goodness while eating take away in a house that resembles a junk yard. I am going to sit there with a smile on my face and hope that the motivation to make my life look like a pinterest board is still there in 6 months time!

Yeah!




These are some of my favourite photos from Instagram.. You can follow me on Instagram if you like (katie_porter) as I may be a bit sporadic in posting over the next few weeks (You know.. moving house and having a baby and all!)

Thirty four weeks..

I can not believe I have made it to 34 weeks.. Tom and I have literally spent the last 7 months dreaming and hoping every single day that I would make it this far.. and here we are!

I just can not wait to meet this little baby. I feel so incredible grateful that he will be with us soon. I actually feel like he could cry and scream and keep me awake all night and I won't complain a single bit because I know how lucky I am to have him.

Not long to go now..

A baby sprinkle..

I had a little party on the weekend to celebrate the fact that I had made it to 34 weeks and that I survived months of bed rest. I also just wanted an excuse to catch up with all my girlfriends, many whom I had not seen since I fell pregnant.

Tom spent the entire morning cleaning the house and baking. He made his signature flour-less chocolate cake, my favourite mandarin, lime and yoghurt cake and a few other yummy treats.
Tom's mum made an orange and almond cake (she makes one for us almost every time we head up to the farm.. she picks the oranges off the tree in the morning and boils them for hours before using them to make the cake.. It is so good, I'll make sure I grab the recipe off her next time I see her).

We spent the afternoon chatting, drinking tea and eating cake. It was so lovely and of course, I got absolutely spoilt with gorgeous baby gifts. I didn't have a baby shower with Sophie (I always felt it was a bit self-indulgent) but this time around I felt that I had so much to celebrate that an afternoon of eating cake was necessary!

Unfortunately though, I didn't manage to take any photos which is such a shame because Tom had been to the flower markets in the morning and the whole place (including the table setting) looked so lovely. I did however, take this photo the next day when we were still eating cake (well actually, Tom is sugar free at the moment, so I took it upon myself to finish the entire cake on my own! Oops!)

Thirty three

33 weeks! Not quite sure what was so interesting up in the sky!