My 2011 Highs & Lows

I was Tagged last week to take part in the following Meme, ‘My 2011 Highs & Lows' by Boo, Roo and Tiger Too. So once you've had a look at my year go and check out her Blog!

(1) What was your happiest event?

Would absolutely, without question, have to be finding out we were pregnant with Baby D3 who finally arrived last week.

(2) What was the saddest thing that happened?

My husband (The BigD) is originally from New Zealand and to cut a long story short he had a visa application rejected due to a form change. This meant he wasn't able to work for 12 weeks until it was resolved and it damn nearly destroyed us.

(3) What was the most unlikely thing to happen that actually went ahead and did? 

The BigD was offered a job he really didn't want to do but the salary was amazing and meant we could begin to sort out our financial position following the unfortunate visa situation. He agonised for a fortnight over the best thing to do and I couldn't help as I could see serious down sides to the job as well as the financial benefits. Well he decided to take the job but just for 6 to 9 months and then look for a job he actually wanted...  Well turns out he LOVES the job and the change in him is just brilliant and it's great to see his sparkle back.

(4) Who let you down?

As much as I wanted to keep my blog open and honest I don't feel able to answer that question in such a public arena - I knew I should have gone for an anonymous blog!

(5) Who supported you?

Gosh, that list feels almost endless with the visa issues we had and it's related problems.  The biggest support came from my mum and her credit card, without which I worry we may have lost the house.  Support also came from some wonderful friends and I was seriously touched, to the point of tears sometimes, by the small acts of kindness they showed. Simple things such as a packet of posh coffee and to a trip to the cinema.

(6) Tell us one thing you learned

Although we had all the visa problems and at times couldn't afford to eat.  I can honestly look back on 2011 and say it was a happy year.  So as the old saying goes "money can't buy happiness".  I learnt that this is most definitely true!

(7) Tell us one thing that made you laugh

D1 "Daddy do you touch your wee wee when it comes out" (shouting from the bathroom)

BigD "Not usually D1, why?" (in most confused voice)

D1 "...'cos I just did and now my hand is all wet"

(8) Tell us one thing that made you cry

It would be D1's 1st day at school.  Somehow I managed to avoid the tears when dropping her off but boy did they flow when she was let out at 3.15 and she ran over and gave me the biggest cuddle.

(9) Tell us three things your child or children did to make you feel proud

This isn't possible to limit to 3.  I am proud, to the point of bursting, of each and every achievement or milestone they achieve/reach.

(10) Tell us one thing that made you proud of yourself

This one is easy.  I learnt to run. I literally went from couch to 5k in quite a short space of time and turned into a bit of a fitness freak in doing so. I can't wait to be able to exercise again after giving birth to Baby D3.

(11) Tell us one challenge you overcame 

Sorry to keep going on about it but definitely the visa thing, It was a pretty major event but we're still standing and stronger than ever.

(12) Tell us three things you would like to change about your life from 2011

I wouldn't change anything of significance right now but being as I have to choose something I would like to:

Loose my baby weight

Spend more time on crafty projects with my children

Get at least 2 rooms decorated.

I challenge Bargain mummy buys, Lish Concepts and Forest bump and beyond  to complete the following Meme too, if you haven't already that is...

Welcome

Well it's official.  I now have more children than I have hands!

Welcome to the world Baby D3, it's good to have you here.

Baby D3 arrived one week ago yesterday on 16th jan 2012 at 01:18. He made quite a dramatic entrance, but that is a separate post I feel.

Even though I  am seriously sleep deprived, battling with severe breast engorgement through over supply and fighting off mastitis, I can honestly say I absolutely love the newborn stage.  I really really love it.  I love it even when I still haven't got him settled at 1am and am up again for another hour and a half less than 2 hours later.  I had remembered those first few sleepless nights after my other two, but I had definitely forgotten how bad they were. Indescribable.

Anyway, whine over.  The nameless child is here and he only remained nameless for 24 hours.  We had a short list of 5 names and although none of them jumped out at us as being "the one" before he was born, we were hoping once we met him one would just suit him better than the others.  Of course none of the names fit.  After a day of calling him "The Baby" we were beginning to get desperate - Calling him "The Baby" just felt so wrong.  Desperation led us to explore family initials and special place names but these didn't work either.  In the end he ended up with a name that basically, and rather loosely, translates to "Baby D3" and it suits him perfectly.  The thing I love best about it is that it isn't a made up name but a really old fashioned English name and although it is somewhat unusual it has a real story behind it.

We've Got Monsters...

About 2 years ago we had "Monkeys".  D1 was about 2.5 years old at the time and it was a total nightmare.  She was terrified and would leap into my arms trembling at the slightest noise.  They stayed for about 2 months and were finally banished following trips to various zoos and lots of nice monkey stories.

 D1 is now 4 and a half and this time we have monsters.  I have a permanent shadow. The fear doesn't always seem quite as genuine as it was with the monkeys and I feel some of it is for attention as she only has to mention "monsters" and Mummy jumps into reassurance mode.  I am not saying by any means that it is a total fabrication, just that she is a smart cookie and with me being pregnant (I was pregnant last time too) it is an effective way of getting some one on one attention.

 I do have to stifle a little giggle when she will not go downstairs by herself if the rest of the family are upstairs without taking D2 with her.  D2 is 20 months.  Does she really think that if there was a monster, a 20 month old would protect her?

At the moment it isn't too much of a problem as it is not affecting bed times.  We do have the odd wakening throughout the night but she is usually very calm when telling us she can hear monsters, possibly just looking for the green light to climb into bed with us for the night.  I am, for the time being, fairly hopeful the monsters will vanish before they become too much of a problem.

Do large companies have a responsibility to not be seen to be promoting formula feeding?

I recently stumbled upon a sleep-suit with the slogan "save water drink milk" accompanied by an image depicting a babies bottle on the NEXT website, actually I saw it first on another blog promoting the new NEXT spring summer collection (a kind of preview).  I wrote to NEXT at the time to share my opinion.  Now don't get me wrong there is absolutely nothing wrong with the slogan, it is the slogan accompanied by the image that gets my back up.  

While having a grumble on my personal Facebook page a friend left me a comment stating the irony of artificial milk being made from water and also reminding me (I had stupidly forgotten) that it is infact illegal to promote formula feeding for babies under 6 months.  This sleepsuit is available in First size upwards...  Another argument, and a pretty valid one, put forward was that expressed breast milk can be given via a bottle but that certainly isn't the perception of the "majority" of people when looking at such an image.

I do think most people would not be influenced by such imagery BUT at the same time I do think large companies do need to sit up and take some responsibility.