Just a matter of weeks ago my husband and I were sitting on the couch watching something mindless on tv. Myself heavily pregnant and him searching real estate listing on his iPad. We had looked and renting and rent was hideously expensive, like $700-$800 a week expensive and he turned to me and said “Screw paying somebody else’s mortgage, I’m going to buy a house”. I didn’t move from my position on the couch and just said “Yeah right, just make sure it has air conditioning and a pool”.

Over the next few days he would point the ipad in my direction and say what about this one, or this one or this one and I would look and tell him what I thought and then he would move onto the next. Sometimes showing me the houses two or three times just to see if I changed my opinion on the matter a few minutes later.

One day he showed me this doozy of a property on the north side of town. Brick house, big back yard, a hideous black kitchen, a teeny little bathroom and black just everywhere..the windows, the floor, the railings about the windows. It was seriously scary. The price wasn’t bad and the area was where we wanted to be but we could have afforded to spend more and buy something that didn’t require any work at all but it would have meant more money out of our pockets at the end of the week.

I could see the clogs ticking in his little head and the next few days he worked like a busy bee behind the scenes to get everything lined up in a row. He spoke to our bank manager and our solicitor and then then real estate company and a then one night he came home and said “I put an offer in on that house and it was accepted”. I made a smart remark and went back to my tv show. I totally didn’t believe him until the paper work showed up in the mail a few days later.

I saw the house for the first time when I arrived in Darwin and Luigi saw it a week after me. I still thought it was ugly but it wasn’t ask scary as I imagined and  it had good bones and definitely has a lot of potential. All of the changes are simple cosmetic changes, some that can be done straight away like painting walls and adding heavy curtains to allow for sleep ins on the weekend and some that will happen over time once we’ve had the time to settle in and really get a feel for the place.

We officially moved in on Friday and I now sit here surrounded by boxes. This is the last time I ever intend to be unpacking boxes ever again. It’s going to take a while for us to pull this place together and make it into what we want it to be as it’s seriously lacking storage and the first thing on the list is a massive man shed in the back yard. It does however look a lot less ugly with all of our stuff inside, boxes and all..my husband may have brought this house but together we are going to make it a home. 

Abigail is officially eighteen days old. Seriously how did that happen it feels like just yesterday we were walking down that long hallway and leaving the hospital. We have crammed so much into that seventeen days that I’m not exactly sure how were still in one piece but more on that later. So today because I’ve been a mother of four for a whole seventeen days I thought I would share a few small words of wisdom on how to survive life with a whole lot of kids.

Be prepared:

Make sure you are ready for any situation by packing a bag before you leave the house. It’s a good idea to re-pack it when you return home just in case you need to go out again in a hurry. Be prepared for blow outs, hot weather, air conditioning, that impulse trip to the water park and anything else you might encounter on a regular day.

Arrive early:

This has been huge for us, the kids finish school at 2:45 and each day we have been travelling 30 minutes each way, sometimes 40 minutes in the morning so most afternoons you will find us hanging out in the car park from as early as 2:15. The little girls often fall asleep on the way and that leaves more time for ME! When we are settled in our new house we will only be 5 minutes drive from school so the commute won’t be such a big deal and we won’t need to leave so early but will still need to be there early to score ourselves a car park.

Food:

Arriving early means keeping kids entertained if they are not asleep. Usually I would turn on the tv and let Violet watch a movie but this week we have had to be super clever and think ahead, Violet is in serious denial about not having a tv in the rental car. With all of the changes the past few days  Violet has been a little moody so I like to make sure I’m on top of things when it comes to snacks. Violet will have a snack when she gets in the car after school drop off and I will keep another in my bag for a mid morning snack and another one for all of the girls when we pick them up from school. Violet is big on fruit so I always make sure I have a few apples floating around my bag and some ice cold water.

Transportation:

I have multiple forms of kid wrangling, baby carrying equipment in the back of my car. These include a double pram, sling and a hug a bub. I never know what kind of mood Violet is going to be in when it comes time to leave the car. At school drop off I will have Abigail in the sling 99% of the time and let Violet walk beside me. This way is definitely slower and it’s sometimes a pain in the bum but she likes to explore and it gives her a chance to burn off some steam. When we are going to the shops there is no other option but the pram. I’d much rather have the security of the pram and have her strapped in then have to deal with a toddler tantrum in the middle of the shopping centre.

Priorities:

This week I’ve been asking myself the question: Do I really need to go in there? a lot. A few weeks ago this wouldn’t have been such a big issue but in these early weeks with a new baby and a new city it is definitely on my mind more. A few weeks ago if i needed a loaf of bread I would have pulled up at the store, turned the tv on for Violet and run inside to get my loaf of bread. Now were in civilisation this simple task requires me to take up to four kids out of the car and take them all inside. Why has somebody not invented a drive through service for bread & milk, seriously..get to it people! Its for this exact reason that I have avoided going to JB Hi Fi and buying a new charger for my phone. Who on earth would take four kids in there?

and last but not least..

Don’t stress:

If life gets you down, if the kids are screaming in the back and you feel like your head is going to explode or the baby has just exploded for the 27th time today. Don’t stress, take a deep breath and leave the room for a minute or two and find your calm again. If your out and about pull into the closest fast food joint you can find and order yourself a hamburger to devour in the car park. I usually opt for a coke in these situations and I’m not saying you should go out and do this as an everyday activity but once or twice a week is totally ok in my books.

So there you have it folks. Just a few things I have learnt along the way in my short time as a mother of four. I’m sure I’ll learn a few more along the way but that’s all part of the adventure.

Last month I set myself five simple goals for 2013. Smart, sensible goals that I knew I could easily achieve.

One of them and probably the most important of them all was to capture one photo of my family, six people standing together, looking at the camera once a month for twelve months. It sounds simple, right? If only it was.

So tonight I bring you the first instalment of many. I can just tell this is going to be a whole lot of fun.

January:
It had been raining for days. I was in my last days and of pregnancy and the end of the month was fast approaching I didn’t think this shot was going to happen. A large portion of Queensland was flooding including areas around us. We threw the kids in the car and set off to find a nice spot for a family photo each time being met with flooded creeks, messy paddocks and life stock. After almost giving up we pulled up in a paddock on the way home. It was muddy, it was extremely windy and the kids were not willing to co-operate. I set the tripod up, handed the remote for the camera to Josceline and hoped for the best. It’s not the perfect family photo but it just makes me love it even more.

February:
We were on our last weekend escape in Queensland having packed up the house the day before. We were on our way to dinner at the rum bar in Airlie Beach it was truly amazing. Riding up to room we barely fit in the roof. Luigi and Violet played games while the big kids enjoyed a treat from cold rock.

It’s late and I should be in bed but I wanted to write this down before I forget. Just 6 days later and I’ve already forgotten so much.This journey feels so surreal. Almost like it never happened.

On Tuesday afternoon after repacking my hospital bag a million times we dropped by the pool and said goodbye to the kids and made our way to town to prepare for the arrival of baby number four.

We checked into our hotel, showered and put on fancy clothes and walked hand in hand to dinner just down the road. We indulged fine food and coca cola, we soaked up the alone time and enjoyed what might be our very last night out, just the two of us for a very long time. After dinner we walked back to our hotel, changed into our pyjamas, crawled into bed and turned on the tv not having a clue what tomorrow would bring.

I knew I needed a good nights sleep so I went to bed early but at 3am dispute my best efforts I was wide awake. I lay there in bed for ages waiting for sleep to come but it never did so when the sun came up I pulled myself out of bed and made sure everything was ready for our trip to the hospital.

We skipped breakfast and arrived on the ward to check in at 7am just as we had been told earlier that week, being cheeky and asking the midwives where we check in for the day.

We’d never done this before and didn’t know what to expect. We’d been told I would have a check up and they would insert the gel and would most likely send us away..instead they decided I should have my waters broken and the drip started shortly after. It was done before I knew it had even happened and I guess you could say the show was well and truly on the road.

Breakfast was ordered and I joked about how I wanted an epidural on the side and it was all a waiting game from then on in. The nurse said she was more then happy to give me an epi with breakfast but I said I was happy to wait, I’d never had one before and wasn’t sure if I would need it now, I just wanted to make sure it was an option from the get go.

She stood there in front of me and said the only thing about having an epidural is I don’t want you to ask for it and say I wish I didn’t have an epidural. I laughed and said trust me if I’m I’m actually asking for an epidural and I don’t make it in time the old thing ill be saying is I wish I asked for it sooner.

Things were pretty boring throughout the morning. I was having contractions but they weren’t what I would call painful. I remember the nurse standing there asking me if it hurt and I simply said not really and she looked a little shocked. But to me this was totally normal.

Luigi sat in the corner playing games on his phone, occasionally taking calls for work and I caught up on an episode of greys anatomy, I had barely finished the episode but I was physically exhausted and knew I needed rest. I didn’t want to risk having an attack from my menieres and bringing on a dizzy spell.

So in between contractions I caught up on as much sleep as I could hoping it would be enough to keep it at bay. Eventually the pain got worse and Luigi must have spotted it too because there he was by my side. We discussed my options and I decided to try the morphine. Luigi said it gave you an amazing feeling but while I found it took the edge off the pain it didn’t do what I needed it to do. Later on I tried the gas and while the gas helped me to regulate my breathing the pain was quite intense and it wasn’t doing enough.

By this time even though I was doing my best to rest I was exhausted and the dizziness and the titinus in my ears had set in. I was able to control the dizziness eventually but my hearing was shot and it felt like a smoke alarm was going off in my head.

The nurse was right in front of me talking and I couldn’t hear a thing. I asked Luigi for my phone and started typing. I couldn’t focus on an attack and give birth at the same time, it just wasn’t possible. I managed to get out that I need something more for the pain, I wanted an epidural.

So they did. The anaesthesiologist was there before I knew it. The pain was intense but the dizziness bothered me more and all I wanted to do was close my eyes and wash it away so that’s what I did. Luigi held me in place while they worked their magic.

I remember it was just before lunch and Luigi was by my side and the rest all seems like a big fuzzy dream. The epidural did what I wanted it to do, it allowed me to rest.I would wake up occasionally in a little pain and see Luigi there by my side holding my hand or rubbing my back. I remember waking up once and he wasn’t there but it was only for a second, it was late and they must have ordered him out to find food other then that he never left my side, he did an amazing job and I couldn’t have done it without him.

Before I knew it. Luigi was there in front of me telling me it was time to push. I could feel the sensation but didn’t feel I had the energy to push so every time a contraction hit he would be there telling me it was time, urging me on. I remember lying there thinking I don’t feel a single bit of pain, why have I never done this before, what an idiot you are Danielle, you should have done this years ago when you first started having children.

Before I knew it they were placing a baby on my chest. It honestly didn’t feel real. I looked at Luigi and said is it really a girl and he smiled and said it sure is. He had the biggest grin on his face I knew she was going to break his heart over and over again. We named her Abigail Grace, she weighed in at 9.1 and was just perfect.

After everything was done I was suddenly starving and realised I hadn’t eaten since breakfast so the nurses brought me food and I requested ice, lots and lots of ice. Eventually my ears stopped ringing and the dizziness had stopped completely and I was given the all clear so I handed her over to rest.

Later that night we were moved to the ward and after kicking Luigi out the door and sending me home to rest Abigail was taken to the special care unit and I was instructed to rest. She was brought into me later that night for a feed and then I didn’t see her again until the next morning.

I didn’t lose any blood or require stitches but my iron was extremely low which explains why the combination of the morphine and epidural knocked me out and allowed me to rest between contractions.

It’s so hard to compare her labour to the others. They have all been so very different. You here so many horror stories about being induced but despite me having an attack due to my menieres I actually can not fault Abigail’s labour. It’s probably not a path I would have chosen for myself but this time around medically it was the perfect step and one I do not regret.

Almost a week in and Abigail is doing brilliantly. Just like her sisters she sleeps, she eats and she is the perfect addition to our family. Dispite all of the chaos going on around us we still find ourselves stuck in the baby bubble and I don’t think the magic is going to wear off any time soon.

the support we have received throughout this pregnancy and now early into the baby days and beyond has been amazing. Not only from people in our own lives but people we have never met through social media and other walks of life. There is seriously no way I can put into words just how much the support from every single person who reads this blog has meant. So all I can do is say Thank You, it’s been a blast and I hope you stick around for the next part of the adventure

38 weeks. What can I say other then thank god we made it. So this is me, standing on an old dirt track in front of the camera officially saying goodbye to this pregnancy and the last pregnancy I will ever experience.

My husband may go on to have more babies, many, many babies but if he chooses to do so it will be with his new wife because today I am officially closing the shop.

It’s hot today, so hot it makes my head spin and my legs buckle but I want take a moment to pause and to document this moment, just one last time. I want to remember the good, the bad and all the moments in between.

I wore this dress to parade this morning. I’m sure it was a bit out there for a heavily pregnant woman, but it was my last appearance at school and I wanted to feel more glamourous then sloth like. I felt amazing and confident and in love with my body. A girl friend even commented that I didn’t even look pregnant from behind. I’m just drumming it over in my head now but that totally means I should go out and buy it in every colour, right? It is after all not just a pregnancy item but a nursing dress too.

I feel strange. Not excited or nervous but like I’m stuck in a time warp watching life to go by. The realisation of what has happened over the last nine months and what we are about to do has not sunk in. It feels un natural to be arriving at the hospital and not being in full on labour and practically checking in to have a baby.

At times this journey has been long and hard, there have been days where I didn’t think I could get out of bed but I’ve done it. We have done it. Tomorrow I say goodbye to this journey and start a whole new one. Tomorrow is a brand new day.

Back in November I told myself I was going to simplify my life, set goals for myself and stick to them. My original goals were: Capture the every day moments, take time out to blog 3 times a week, spend lots of quality time with friends, Sew Something and accept Help.

Today I’m happy to say that I achieved almost everything on my list. Sadly I still haven’t sewn anything but that’s technically not my fault because..the  machine needs a service and life has been a little busy so i think this time around it will stay on the list.

Capture life. Five people {soon to be six}, once a month, every month for the year of 2013. How hard can it be right?

Buy a new sewing machine and sew something.

Get out there, every day. Physically getting my butt off the couch everyday, escape the house, the mess and live in the real world.

Travel overseas at least once and twice interstate.

Explore, 2013 brings new adventures, so were going to pack up the car and get out there.

Wish me luck!