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	<title>raising willow... and dexter! &#187; man of my dreams</title>
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		<itunes:summary>Just another WordPress weblog</itunes:summary>
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			<itunes:email>candi@raisingwillow.com</itunes:email>
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			<title>raising willow... and dexter!</title>
			<link>http://blog.raisingwillow.com</link>
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		<item>
		<title>Mulching up.</title>
		<link>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2010/01/16/mulching-up/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2010/01/16/mulching-up/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:56:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>candi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[life, jim, but not as we know it]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[man of my dreams]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2010/01/16/mulching-up/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our backyard, has, quite literally, gone to the dogs. It is their domain, their realm. The kid&#8217;s play equipment is out the front. Today we did some work out there &#8211; we want to be able to send the kids out there without worrying. The problem is that our block slopes quite steeply, so there [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Our backyard, has, quite literally, gone to the dogs.  It is their domain, their realm.  The kid&#8217;s play equipment is out the front. 
Today we did some work out there &#8211; we want to be able to send the kids out there without worrying.  The problem is that our block slopes quite steeply, so there are some old retaining walls, which the dogs climb up to be able to look in the kitchen window.  At worst it&#8217;s about a 1200mm drop to a concrete path, at best it&#8217;s a 300mm fall onto dirt.  We need to block off the retaining walls so that neither the dogs nor the kids can get up there and replant the lawn.  Also, we should revegetate the top deck &#8211; there are a few trees and shrubs up there, but the more the better for holding the soil. It&#8217;s essentially bound by the back fence at one end, the neighbours on one side, the path beside the house on the other and the fence to the front yard.  
I was moving some mulch (using a blue IKEA bag) to what I&#8217;ll call the top deck, where the dogs walk along to look in the kitchen window and out the front yard.  They have well worn tracks that they follow, which I was obliterating with the piles of mulch.  They&#8217;d also been using the big pile of mulch to get up to the top deck.  So they were looking at me as if to say &#8220;What on earth are you doing? This is our place, go back inside!&#8221;   
While I was doing all this, A was cleaning out the gutters and pruning some tree branches that scraped on the roof.  Love that man!  Willow was &#8216;helping&#8217; by holding the bag open for me, playing with the dogs and generally poking at things with sticks.  Dexie woke up from his nap and came out to poke sticks at his sister.
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Laughed so hard it hurt!</title>
		<link>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/11/30/laughed-so-hard-it-hurt/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/11/30/laughed-so-hard-it-hurt/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:04:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>candi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[life, jim, but not as we know it]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[man of my dreams]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/11/30/laughed-so-hard-it-hurt/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A and I don&#8217;t get the chance to go out very often, but when I heard about the THEATRESPORTS CELEBRITY CHALLENGE IX I thought it was worth asking a friend to baby sit the children for us and going out on a Sunday night. It was held at the Holden St theatre, which hosts a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[A and I don&#8217;t get the chance to go out very often, but when I heard about the THEATRESPORTS CELEBRITY CHALLENGE IX I thought it was worth asking a friend to baby sit the children for us and going out on a Sunday night.  It was held at the Holden St theatre, which hosts a lot of the Fringe shows. The five teams of four people were the Media, Politicians, Actors, Comedians and Clown Doctors.  The Clown Doctors won in the end, with a side splitting game of Puppets.  Two of them were puppets and the other two had to move them during a scene.  I can&#8217;t do it justice, so I won&#8217;t even try to explain it. 
The night was held to raise money for Adelaide&#8217;s Clown Dr&#8217;s and Comedy training for individuals living with a mental illness &#8211; two very worthwhile causes.  The trophy handed out at the end of the night was dedicated to Richard Marsland &#8211; his mother Alisson presented it to the winners.  
It was so nice to go out together, to talk without little hands and voices interrupting us.  The friend who looked after the children said that Dexie was upset when we left, and once while we were gone.  He adores her daughter and is quite familiar with her, so I think he did alright.  They were still awake when we picked them up at 10.30pm but soon went to sleep when we got home.   
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Photoshop fun</title>
		<link>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/11/08/photoshop-fun/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/11/08/photoshop-fun/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:22:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>candi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[man of my dreams]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/11/08/photoshop-fun/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tonight A showed me some tricks with Photoshop. Prepare to be subjected to my experimentation over the coming weeks. Hopefully nothing I produce will ever end up on this blog &#8211; Photoshop Disasters!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Tonight A showed me some tricks with Photoshop.  Prepare to be subjected to my experimentation over the coming weeks.

Hopefully nothing I produce will ever end up on this blog &#8211; Photoshop Disasters!
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Canberra, my trip!</title>
		<link>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/06/29/canberra-my-trip/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/06/29/canberra-my-trip/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:04:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>candi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[life, jim, but not as we know it]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[man of my dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mummy stuff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[workin' nine to five!]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/06/29/canberra-my-trip/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Finally, I have the headspace to sit down and write about my trip to Canberra " this time last week I was just walking back from the sports club we went to in a desperate attempt to get something to eat. I left home in a taxi at 4.30pm, with A and two forlorn, crying [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Finally, I have the headspace to sit down and write about my trip to Canberra " this time last week I was just walking back from the sports club we went to in a desperate attempt to get something to eat. 
I left home in a taxi at 4.30pm, with A and two forlorn, crying children waving from the carport.  My driver was from Pakistan.  He graduated from his IT degree last year, but was still driving taxis as jobs in his field were few and far between.  We made superficial conversation about how fortunate we are to live in Australia.  
I checked in without fuss and met one of the two managers (X), who was catching the same flight as me.  The other worker(Y) and the other manager (Z) had flown out on Friday and Saturday.  I scored the window seat from her as she wanted to sit in the aisle.  The flight was uneventful and it felt like wed just got in the air and we were descending again.  We only had a coffee/hot chocolate and biscuits/Pringles to eat because we thought that wed be able to get dinner at the motel.  
As we dragged our suitcases from the carousel out to find a taxi, some Buddhist monks got between my manager and me.  Frustrating as it was, trying to keep up with someone in a strange place; I reflected that it would probably be poor form to storm past the Buddhist monks!  
On the way from the airport to the motel, we called ahead and found that the motel restaurant didnt open on Sunday night.  We should have taken the initiative and sent the taxi driver in search for a McDonalds or KFC, but we took our chances.  By the time we got there it was 9pm.  We met with the other manager (Z) and worker (Y), but (Z) wanted to head to bed.  So (Y), (X) and I went out in search of food and found ourselves at the sports club.  Funnily enough, this is where the conference was being held, as wed find out the next day.  
I had a couple of drinks, (X) pointed out the table of rowdy young men sitting across from us who looked a lot like the Hawks football team.  She was talking to the wrong person if she expected me to be able to confirm it though!
We walked back to the motel in the cold and dark, excited about what the next day would bring.  The drinks Id had sent me off to sleep nicely.  In the morning I met (X), (Y) and (Z) in the motel restaurant for a buffet breakfast.  Bacon, eggs, tomato, mushrooms and hash browns made for a good start to the day.  We headed back to the sports club where the conference was held and settled at a table.  
The conference turned out to be really good.  The main presenter is known as the birth mother of the program we work for, so it was great to hear her speak.  For a public servant, she was passionate and dedicated to the program, which I really admired.  I hadnt realised how much of a political football the program had been, but she defended it through the correct channels. 
The food was pretty standard, muffins, sandwiches, scones, with fruit, tea and coffee.  The venue was interesting, we had a nice view of the hills, which just made me want to go and see more of Canberra.  I debated with (X), (Y) and (Z) about going somewhere, doing something after the conference had finished for the day, but they werent as keen as I.  So we ended up going back to the motel for dinner.  
We stopped at an op-shop on the way home where I got two Barkins tops and a very versatile Sussan denim skirt for $21.00.  (Y) bought a gorgeous Japanese parasol for $10.00.  Score!
One of the motivating factors for us to go back to the motel was the wine buffet.  Yes, all you can drink wine, as long as you were eating in the restaurant, for $15.00.  I managed to get my moneys worth, as well as graciously accepting the complimentary port glasses of mulled wine that the waitresses kept bringing over.  Conscious that the night was early, (X) and I went for a walk outside in the cold fresh air.  
I saw something that Id heard about from A and various other sources, but to see it for real was highly amusing.  Kind of like the first time I saw squirrels on the way to San Diego.  We were just on the outskirts of a major metropolis and there was a mob of kangaroos on the front lawn of the motel, eating the grass.  I wanted to see how tame they were, but I got close enough to realise that one was a big buck and the other was a doe with a joey in her pouch.  I was sober enough to realise that they were not to be messed with and just watched them from a safe distance.  


(X) and I went inside for dessert and port.  Yum.  We chatted in the lobby for awhile, then (X) and (Z) decided to head for bed.  (Y) and I stayed chatting, then we saw some other conference participants and hooked up with them to go to the closer sports club.  It was good to chat with them and find out their perspective on the program.  A couple of jokes were shared, given our level of intoxication, they were hilarious and we laughed til our mouths hurt.  We left them and wandered back to our rooms at 12.30am-1am, Im not sure.  
We saw them the next day at breakfast and found out that theyd stayed drinking til 4am.  At least they were up and attended the conference.  While getting ready that morning I was watching a breakfast program which featured a reporter broadcasting from Canberra, in front of Parliament House.  I laughed at the irony that I was seeing more of Canberra on TV than in real life.
This day of the conference was less of the birth mother and more of guest speakers, those who already had experience with earlier roll outs of the programs and representatives of target groups the program is aimed at, an indigenous young man and an older woman representing the Forgotten Australians spoke and conveyed their stories well.  
Too soon, the conference was over, I took the chance to quickly tell the birth mother of our program how much I admired her passion and she thanked me.  Wed already packed our bags and checked out so we walked back to the motel, retrieved them from the luggage room, and waited in the lobby for our taxis.   The managers, (Z) and (X) had a lot to discuss, so they took one taxi while (Y) and I took the other.  (Y) and I have become close since working together. 
Still lamenting that I hadnt seen much of Canberra, my manager approved (Y) and I taking the long way from the motel to the airport.  Somehow I dont think the cabbie minded the big fare either!  
We went up to the top of Mount Ainslie and marvelled at the view. 



After that we headed to the airport.  Usually I dont like leaving places, but I was keen to get home to A and the children.  The flight home was as uneventful as the one there, but we got dinner, which was a semblance of a chicken stir fry and rice.  We were back in Adelaide in no time at all.  A and his friend brought the children to met me at the airport.  I have never been so happy to see them.  Unfortunately, in the short time that Id been gone, theyd both developed a cold and cough.  No wonder Willow had sounded different on the phone when Id called A!
This gave me a nice excuse to take the next day off and regroup, while A took Thursday and Friday with the children as he developed manflu.  I went back to work, reinvigorated!  
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>I want to remember moments like this&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/06/09/i-want-to-remember-moments-like-this/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/06/09/i-want-to-remember-moments-like-this/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:12:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>candi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[life, jim, but not as we know it]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[man of my dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mummy stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/06/09/i-want-to-remember-moments-like-this/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Taking A and the kidlets for a drive in my new car, just cruising, not going anywhere in particular. We ended up heading for the beach, driving North. We found a little fish and chip shop and got an early dinner which we ate while watching a broiling sea. The trip home, with Dexie screaming [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Taking A and the kidlets for a drive in my new car, just cruising, not going anywhere in particular.  We ended up heading for the beach, driving North.  We found a little fish and chip shop and got an early dinner which we ate while watching a broiling sea.  
The trip home, with Dexie screaming and squealing all the way?  I am trying to erase those memories from my mind!  
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Happy Birthday to me!</title>
		<link>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/05/31/happy-birthday-to-me-2/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/05/31/happy-birthday-to-me-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2009 13:44:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>candi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[life, jim, but not as we know it]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[man of my dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mummy stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/05/31/happy-birthday-to-me-2/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My birthday celebrations started off with high tea last weekend with friends. We went to the Boho Bar, a place I&#8217;d wanted to go for ages. I wasn&#8217;t disappointed. We had a great time in a unique venue &#8211; it is an intriguing place. The food was gorgeous and we shared a bottle of Moet [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[My birthday celebrations started off with high tea last weekend with friends.  We went to the Boho Bar, a place I&#8217;d wanted to go for ages.  I wasn&#8217;t disappointed.  We had a great time in a unique venue &#8211; it is an intriguing place.  The food was gorgeous and we shared a bottle of Moet &#038; Chandon.  
One of my lovely friends gave me a beautiful soy wax candle from Adam Alexander, it smells of beautiful spices. 
On Thursday I started late, so I was at home when my physio rang. I hadn&#8217;t been to Strong Core/pilates classes in awhile and she wondered how I was going.  I promised to go that Saturday, without telling her it was my birthday.  So on Saturday, I knocked back the sleep-in that A offered and drove off to pilates.  I&#8217;d forgotten how much I enjoyed it and vowed to make more of an effort to go.  A strange co-incidence is that someone else in the class was celebrating her birthday that day, we were born in the same year too!
Before I left for class, Willow proudly gave me this lovely package from Lush. 
That afternoon Willow had a birthday party at a nearby playcafe, it was for one of her school mates.  So I had a nice afternoon chatting with school parents.  One of them is an advisor to an MP, whose portfolio includes issues which affect my job, so he was interesting to talk to. 
A had organised for a friend to look after the children so we could have a night out together.  I am usually the one to organise things, so this was a present as much as anything else.  We went to the Scenic Hotel which was just beautiful.  
This morning I got my sleep in, until 10:30am!  Today we had another gathering to go to, Willow had a chance to catch up with some of her friends and I had a chance to talk to their mummies.  If Dexie hadn&#8217;t wanted to run off, climb up playground equipment and fall off, I would have been able to have a decent conversation with them!  There was a jumping castle, face painter and balloon artist there, so the children had a ball.  
Unbeknownst to me, my friends had organised a massive gourmet food hamper plus a bunch of roses and a book shop voucher, which I was given as we were going home.  I was totally blown away by the sheer generosity of it all.  I really am blessed to have such kind friends.  
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>What a weekend!</title>
		<link>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/05/19/what-a-weekend/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/05/19/what-a-weekend/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 14:15:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>candi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[life, jim, but not as we know it]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[man of my dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mummy stuff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[my mum]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/05/19/what-a-weekend/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It was one of those weekends that you need a weekend to recover from. On Thursday night I started packing our bags&#8230; Friday afternoon was spent writing an essay at work (I officially finish at one pm but stayed to write until 4pm), then I went home, finished packing our bags and picked Dexter up. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[It was one of those weekends that you need a weekend to recover from. 
On Thursday night I started packing our bags&#8230;  Friday afternoon was spent writing an essay at work (I officially finish at one pm but stayed to write until 4pm), then I went home, finished packing our bags and picked Dexter up.  Next I picked up Willow and Anthony from school and we drove down to his Mother&#8217;s place at McLaren Vale. One of my lovely friends was having a birthday party at Willunga, which is about 15 minutes drive away.  We settled the children in and drove off to Russell&#8216;s at Willunga.  
My friend is older than me, as were her friends at the restaurant, so it was nice to be the youngest couple there &#8211; some of the young uni students make me feel old! The food was amazing, in a rustic sense.  It was a delicious, sociable meal with lots of shared plates, laughing and talking. We got back at about 11pm and both children were asleep, Willow in the third bedroom and Dexie in his pram.  
On Saturday morning we slowly got up and got ready.  It was great for Willow and Dexter to spend time with their Nan and Grandad.  We drove towards IKEA, but a bit further north and had lunch at the Findon Hotel in their Rat and Parrot faux British Pub.  A liked the meal and he is a fussy eater, so it must have been good!  Back to IKEA to order a mattress for the trundle under Willow&#8217;s bed.  They would deliver it tomorrow between 1 and 6pm.  Perfect. 
From there we went to the hospital Poppa was at.  Only to find that he&#8217;d been discharged, after a phone call I found that he was with Nanna at the unit she was staying at.  I was not expecting him to have been discharged until Tuesday, so this was a bit of a surprise.  There was a wall heater in the unit which I told Dexie was hot - so he blew on it as he blows on hot food &#8211; very cute!  We had a quick visit with them, organised to pick them up tomorrow (Nanna had booked and paid for one more night) at 10.30am, and went home. 
The house was a mess and I had an essay to write, argh! I figured that my lecturer would be less forgiving than my grandparents, so I sat down at the table to write.  I stayed there until 2am and was woken at 6am by Willow wanting to come into our bed.  I finally got up around 7am when Dexie woke up and turned the TV on for them while I sat down to finish off my essay.  I managed to give them breakfast and have some myself.  I woke A up at about 8:30am because the kids were getting a bit ratty and making it hard to concentrate.  At 9:30am I took Dexie and had a shower.  The plan was for him to come with me and have a nap in the car.  
Of course, the best laid plans and all that, he didn&#8217;t sleep in the car and was excited to see Nanna and Poppa again.  I had asked a friend to babysit the children as I had bought surprise tickets for A and I to see STOMP, but there didn&#8217;t seem to be much point having her there with Nanna and Poppa.  I ended up dropping Nanna and Poppa off and getting ready to go out again.  STOMP was a complete surprise for A.  I have to admit that I haven&#8217;t always bought him the best birthday/christmas presents because he is so. damn. fussy. These tickets were a late birthday present for him and an attempt to make up for past failure. 
It was an amazing show, I sort of thought I&#8217;d sit through it for A&#8217;s sake, but I really enjoyed it.  It wasn&#8217;t just percussion with every day items, it was mime, music, comedy&#8230; It was brilliant.  After that escapism, we drove home.  Apparently Willow had rocked Dexie to sleep in the pram &#8211; she was quite proud of helping Nanna.  
My essay was nearly finished, but I had to go into uni to finish the referencing, so I dropped A off, grabbed my laptop and books and left again.  I finally finished it &#8211; I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist &#8211; only to find that the wireless internet had dropped out and I couldn&#8217;t submit it there.  So I had to drive home and connect to our wireless at home.  
I tried to submit it from the driveway.  I knew that once I walked in the door I&#8217;d be inundated with small people, of course my laptop wouldn&#8217;t co-operate so I went in and handed it over to A.  He connected it and I finally sent it off.  I&#8217;d come home to the house smelling like mouth-watering roast beef.  Nanna had put it in the oven before I dropped A off and A had done vegetables while I was gone.  It was really lovely to share a meal with and spend time with my grandparents.  It was fantastic to see Willow and Dexter interact with them.  The children had a bath, A put Dexie to bed and I put Willow to sleep in our bed.  
The mattress had been delivered while we were at STOMP, so we made up the bed and Nanna and Poppa went to bed.  It was good to see how Willow&#8217;s trundle bed works, so now she can have sleep overs!  
My aunt and uncle came up to pick them up on Monday.  No doubt they are glad to be back at home in their own house and own bed, with their own dog. 
A melted my heart the day after when he said that it was a pity they couldn&#8217;t have stayed longer &#8211; he knows how much it meant to me to have them here for the short time that they were.  It was the next best thing to having my mother with us. 
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		<title>Happy Birthday, A!</title>
		<link>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/05/09/happy-birthday-a/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/05/09/happy-birthday-a/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 09 May 2009 13:12:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>candi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[life, jim, but not as we know it]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[man of my dreams]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/05/09/happy-birthday-a/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Happy Birthday, my darling. May we celebrate many more together.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Happy Birthday, my darling.  May we celebrate many more together.  
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Happy Birthday Willow!</title>
		<link>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/01/22/happy-birthday-willow/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/01/22/happy-birthday-willow/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:09:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>candi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life, jim, but not as we know it]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[man of my dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mummy stuff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/01/22/happy-birthday-willow/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I can&#8217;t believe my little girl is 4 years old. This is my post from this time last year: A is putting together Willows new bike while we reminisce. This time three years ago I was in the early stages of labour. Id woken up at 5:30am with contractions, but they were irregular to say [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[I can&#8217;t believe my little girl is 4 years old.  
This is my post from this time last year:
A is putting together Willows new bike while we reminisce. This time three years ago I was in the early stages of labour. Id woken up at 5:30am with contractions, but they were irregular to say the least. They remained irregular for the rest of the day. I had a student midwife who came to our place and we went for a walk around the shopping centre but that still didnt help. By late afternoon I was fed up and wanted to head into hospital. The student midwife checked and I was a couple of cm dilated so we went in. The midwife there suggested that we go for a walk and had one last meal as a couple while our student midwife went home and had a rest.
Willow was born at 7am the next morning. Id asked for ARM (Artifical Rupture of Membranes) at 3am, which really got things going. I dont remember much of what happened between 4am and 6am because I was sucking back on the gas.
She was 2810gm and had to be taken away to have her BSLs done because she was so small. I wish that I hadnt let them take her, but I made A go with her and I was stitched up in the mean time. I was 6pound6ounces and A was 7pounds at birth, so it wasnt unexpected that she was so small.
We knew that she had a choledocal cyst and would have to have surgery in the near future, but we were just so happy that she was with us.   I shared a hospital room with a mother who had half the city come to visit, so I was glad to get home.
She made me a mother, she changed me forever. She gave me back a mother-daughter relationship, albeit from the other end.
Present wise she got:
* 2 Hula hoops.
* Strawberry Body Shop shower gel and a tiny flannel that grows when you put it in water.
* A water spinner thing for the sandpit
* A set of Matroshka dolls from the Oxfam shop.
* A hairbrush with &#8216;best sister&#8217; and a hair tie with a felt flower from Oxfam shop from Dexie.
* A mini beanie baby mermaid bag tag for her school bag. 
I was worried it was too much and A thought it was too much, but each thing has it&#8217;s place and none or them are just going to end up on the mountain of toys that they already have.  She was pleased with it all.  
A made her Thomas the Tank Engine cupcakes for after dinner.  He used that HAPPY BIRTHDAY candles that it was too windy to light at Dexie&#8217;s birthday party.  


My Nanna gave her a set of sweet summer pyjamas, a family friend gave her a metric tonne of hair ties and A&#8217;s mum gave her this pettiskirt.



Dexie had to be in the photo.  As soon as he spies a camera, he puts on a big cheesy grin.  He has really started asserting his independence.  He throws mini tantrums to get his own way.  It&#8217;s quite cute but slightly frustrating.  A says that he is stubborn and their FDCarer keeps telling me that he and Willow argue over food.  I guess sibling rivalry is really starting now!  
We are planning to go to Monarto Zoo this weekend instead of a party, plus there is the usual house work, uni work etc to do.  On Australia Day we are catching up with a friend at the beach.  How very Australian!
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		<title>Date night!</title>
		<link>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/01/18/date-night/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/01/18/date-night/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:41:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>candi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[man of my dreams]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.raisingwillow.com/2009/01/18/date-night/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A and I don&#8217;t have the opportunity to go out very often. In fact, the last time we&#8217;d spent any time together alone was doing Christmas shopping during a lunch break. The time before that, I can&#8217;t even remember. We&#8217;d been thinking about what to do &#8211; dinner and a movie were on the cards. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[A and I don&#8217;t have the opportunity to go out very often.  In fact, the last time we&#8217;d spent any time together alone was doing Christmas shopping during a lunch break.  The time before that, I can&#8217;t even remember. 
We&#8217;d been thinking about what to do &#8211; dinner and a movie were on the cards.  I suggested going to the Comedy Cellar but their website was atrocious so we didn&#8217;t know who or what was playing. 
We ended up going to the Maylands Hotel.  It has recently been refurbished and it&#8217;s very swanky.  The meals and drinks cost us $120.00 but it was worth every cent.  A had the fillet steak which he pronounced the best he&#8217;d ever had at a restaurant in Adelaide.  Since he is such a fussy bugger, that is high praise!  I had the Chicken Royale, which was really just chicken with a white wine sauce and prawns.  I ordered a glass of Chalk Hill moscato &#8211; I know, I know, it is a wussy drink, but I just love sweet white wine.  
Over dinner we actually got to talk.  Without being interrupted by the demands of either child. Without discussing who is going to clean the kitchen and who is going to do the bath.  Without discussing what needs to happen the next day.  We actually ironed out an issue that had been bothering us both for sometime, which felt like a major achievement.  We sat by an open window, which was lovely, given it was such a nice day.  
By the time we finished coffee and dessert, it was nearly 10pm, so too late for a movie.  We decided to go for a drive &#8211; I wanted to be romantic and take A up to Windy Point, but I got a bit lost and we ended up at Aberfoyle Park!  A long way from where I wanted to be!
We got home at 11:30pm and my lovely friend who baby sat for us said that Dexie hadn&#8217;t stirred (A had put him to sleep before we left) and Willow was very well behaved.  
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