I kid you not.
It has been EIGHT WHOLE YEARS since this happened.
Sometimes I forget how it felt - the yearning for a little person to call me "mommy". And then, I meander back to my blog to look at the pics of just how little she was, and I remember all the anguish and impatience and desperation to have a child. Then I realise that all of those yearny feelings are gone, baby, gone.
How lucky am I?
Happy birthday, my little girly-snokkels. Mommy loves you SO very much!
Today I woke up to kisses and cuddles from my little 5year-old and I breathed in the happiness oozing from her. I recalled our life before her and praised God for granting me this most precious person as a gift and a grace-grower. I watched the smiles, laughter and fun of our friends who came to celebrate with us. So grateful for such a blessed life!
Today is my very last day of work for 2012. I am having some serious trouble, trying to keep from breaking out in bootie shakes.
On Sunday we hit the road to all the fandamily in the Eastern Cape, for a rocking Christmas with my most favourite people in the whole world. Sunday cannot come soon enough. We are all ready for the trip - dvd player, snacks, catsitter, etc.
Here's wishing you all a fabulous festive season. Remembering our Saviour and the reason He came.
See you in the New Year!
So much fun in Aunty Di's house!
Little Jorja Mae (Jesse's cousin) also loved her prezzie from 
Aunty Di!
at a resort on the KwaZulu Natal coast, called Salt Rock. What a spectacularly beautiful place it is! I took a few pics of my two fabe people on the planet, and thought I'd share them with you. (I am still without internet at home... can you believe it????? Me neither!)
now Jair and Hanlie moving to Bangkok. As if Maputo wasn’t far away enough.
Just quickly checking in from my cellphone to let you know that we had a massive storm here at the Hillbilly Dump, and my office leaked and killed my internet. Fun fun fun.
Want to wish you all a wonderful Easter weekend! May it be filled with all things chocolate Easterish. Remember our Saviour this weekend ok! After all, that's what Easter is all about, isn't it? And if chocolate aids you in contemplating Him, then lawaai marai! My mom arrives tomorrow for three weeks! Ok, could anything possibly be better that that??? Chocolate AND my Marmeeeee!!! Didn't think so. Love all you loonies out there. Happy Easter! Chat again soon, hopefully.
...you ask to speak to your nephew (who has just moved to Mars New Zealand and therefore doesn't get smooches from his favourite aunty very often...) and he says "Hello Aunty Char! I am busy catching a spider, a live one, so please just leave me alone for a little bit ok? Love you!" (CLEARLY!) "Bye!"
Yup, I think it's safe to assume I've dropped a bit down his Favourite People List. When someone would rather chase a spider than chat to you, there's your sign.
My christmas present budget just got a bit bigger. Nothing says "I LOVE YOU AUNTY CHAR!" quite like a newly bribed nephew who just got the gift of his dreams. Yeah. I'm scaly that way.
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What's that I just said? BabIES? Woot woot! Yes, babies. It looks like we might be getting the little boy after all. And probably a whole lot sooner than we thought too. The mom (oh, my heart just breaks for her!) has requested a week to just gather all her ducks and get them into a row, and then we shall start proceedings for the adoption. OH MY WORD! I'm going to be a Mom to TWO CHILLENS! Robin and I are totally over the moon. He tells me I'm the cow that jumped over the moon. You know - Hey Diddle Diddle, the cat and the fiddle?... Yup, that one. What. Eh. Va. I'm so going to be a Mommy soon! Yay!
Bring it on.
So, I thought I'd share a few pics of tonight with you guys. I didn't even bother doing a tally of all the gorgeous gifts we got tonight. We got TONS of gorgeous thingies for the baby(ies). Loooooots of pink. We're going to have to use all the vouchers and dosh we got to stock up on little boy clothes (especially from 3-6 months and older, because he's 2 months old right now). Our vet (we're quite good friends with him after all our pet palavas) and one of his office ladies named Dee, got us a whole bakkieload of boy things! And I mean a WHOLE bakkieload. They even bought us 120 nappies. And they're getting us a baby-bath, and another pram and and and...! I mean??? What planet is this that we're living on that people are SO generous? I keep telling you guys how totally bowled away we are by the generosity of people, but until you could see all the things we've been given, there's no way you could fathom how humble it's made me feel. Wow. God really does have a thousand ways of providing for us of which we know nothing.
Now for some pics. First, some pics of the Baby Shower in Dundee this week ... and then some pics of the Baby Shower tonight here in Durbs. I'll put one or two pics here too, but click on the links if you want to see more.
Tomorrow morning early, we have doctors appointments with Lindsay (and Victor will come along too) for a standard pre-natal checkup. Afterwards we're taking them out for tea somewhere nice, then heading back home to the semi-newly-painted Hillbilly Dump. (And then I'll post some pics of the nursery! yay!)
Seriously, could life get any better than this?
And all along I’ve really secretly thought I was quite a sharp bird. But clearly, I'm not as sharp as I thought. Which totally burst my I-Think-I'm-Pretty-Darn-Nifty bubble. But not without reward, I'll tell you that much!
Guess what happened last night? I've got to hand it to my friends, they're really quite a lot sneakier than I ever thought possible. They planned a whole big Baby Shower bash for me!!! And here's the most amazing part: they did it all without me ever getting a whiff of what was up! Now that’s what I call sneeeeeaaaaaky! (But you have to say it with the Jim Carrey "mask" accent, and then it's a total compliment in my vocab.) Yeah, sneeeeeaaaaky buggers! Pulled the wool right over my eyes.
On Monday evening, Cornia (the friend at who’s house the bash was held) invited me over to do some beadwork with her last night “for Mother’s Day gifts for the ladies at church.” Never one to turn down an opportunity to steal some other people’s crafty goodies do some fun arty fartsy things with my friends, I jumped at the opportunity. When I walked into her house I almost died of fright! Her entire lounge was full to the brim with church friends (ladies) and everyone starting blowing those funny squeaky things that make the sound of a duck in labour, and my heart just went and stopped on the spot! I was so totally caught off-guard! I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole night. I was so NOT expecting a party, leave alone a Baby Shower. I never thought I’d ever get to experience the joy of opening gifts for my baby!
Robin’s in for some competition by the way. Right now, she’s mine mine mine.
Almost nobody had heard about the little boy that we might be adopting, yet, (not many of us hillbillies have access to internet, so I have more friends in the computer who read my blog, than real live friends in real life who read my blog. Thus, they never knew of the developments with our Maybe Baby little Boy! We got so many beautiful gifts. Gorgeous, cuddly, fluffy, fun, practical, beautiful PINK gifts! Haha.
I don’t mind though. I wonder if he will mind if we dress him in pink? Just kidding. Then, again, pink is the new black, right? Then again, who’s going to go and dress their little baby in black? Oh well, there goes that theory then.I’ll be showing you all some photos as soon as all my friends have emailed me the pics from their cameras.
In the meantime, here’s the list of all the things we were given! (last night and before, from friends and family):-
Clothing:
13 vests
5 church outfits, complete with stockings!
5 pairs of trousers
6 cute t-shirts
3 pairs of tights or stockings
8 pairs of leggings
2 jackets
6 pairs of slippers
2 pairs of little fur-lined boots
1 pair of crocs
8 pairs of socks
10 hats or beanies
2 denim dungaree sets with matching unders
26 baby grows! Ta-wenty six, people!
9 tracksuits
9 bibs
1 set of woollen gloves
2 skirts
3 dresses with matching unders
2 sets of pj's
Other items:
2 car seats, 1 pram, 1 cot(t), 1 campcot(t), 1 wooden rocking chair, 2 rattles, 2 pram toys, 3 tune toys, 1 jingly ball, 1 bouncy silicone ball with 'spikes', 10 baby hangers (for clothes, not babies!), 1 car "baby on board" sign, 1 big feeding chair, 1 portable feeding chair, 1 kangaroo pouch, 1 hiking backpack to put babe in when we walk long distances
1 medical aid kit, 4 jars aqueous creams, 3 jars bum cream, 4 bottles baby powder, 3 bath gels, 3 baby shampoos, 2 Elizabeth Anne's Conditioning Baby Shampoos (which I could just eat, it smells so good!), 4 sets of floating plastic ducks, crocodiles, etc., 5 packs scented nappy refuse bags, 1 bottle Gripe Water, 2 bars of baby soap, 2 jars earbuds (I think you guys might call that Q-tips?), 2 sets of nail-clippers, 2 bottles baby lotion, 1 baby wash, 1 baby cologne, 1 baby oil gel, 1 speciality baby massage oil, 1 training set of toothbrushes from newborn through teething and onto teeth, 1 big pack of cotton wool, 4 packs of nappies size one, 2 packs of nappies size two, 1 nostril vacuum sucker thingy (ick! Robin will have to do that job!), 1 bath thermometre, 1 changing mat, 1 changing mat cover, 1 towel with hood, 1 fluffy towel, 1 nappy dispenser
8 spoons, 7 feeding bows with lids, 2 sets of medicine feeding bottles, 2 large bottles, 2 small bottles, 1 formula storage cup with lid, 1 large bottle brush, 1 bottle drying rack, 1 bottle sterilizing bucket
1 quilt, 1 quilted fleecy foldaway baby sleeping bag with built-in-pillow (handmade by a very special lady! Baie dankie Tannie Manda!), 19 blankets, 2 exquisite handmade crocheted / knitted blankets, 1 fleecy "elephant" cover with miniature hot-water-water-bottle, 1 mosquito net, 1 pillow, 1 cot(t) bumper, 2 picnic quilts
How spoilt are we? I am SO grateful for the generosity of our family and friends! There is no way on this little planet, that Robin and I ever have ever bought all of this ourselves. God knows a thousand ways of providing for us, of which we know nothing! I should have learnt to trust Him sooner! I am just SO amazed. I can't wait to post pics of the awesome party that my friends threw for me. It was SO much fun. I am so overwhelmed. (And you should believe me, otherwise I'm going to need to keep saying "SOOOO" over and over again! haha! As if I haven't said it enough in this paragraph. My vocab stinks when I'm happy. Hehe!)
But this post wouldn't be complete without me thanking two very special people, who made my surprise Baby Shower Bash so absolutely awesome! Lani and Cornia, I love you guys so much. (See, there I go with the "so's" again!) Thank you, thank you, thank you for spoiling me with the most beautiful Baby Shower Bash I've ever been to! I noticed all the details: from the exquisite chiffon ribbons; to the 'baby' glitter on the tables; to the handprints with all handwritten notes of love on them from everyone who attended; the baby photographs of everyone who came; the little Cinderella coach beside the cupcakes; even the handmade invitations you sent out, and thinking to set one aside for me too!; the time it took for everyone to get all dressed up as little girls at a party; the plates and plates of eats; the handmade decorations with teddies, and little nappies, dummies and ribbons. I noticed all of it, and especially the love that prompted you to do it all. Just for me. What did I ever do to deserve such amazing friends? Surely God has blessed me beyond measure. Thank you so much (you sneaky buggers)!
And all along I’ve really secretly thought I was quite a sharp bird. But clearly, I'm not as sharp as I thought. Which totally burst my I-Think-I'm-Pretty-Darn-Nifty bubble. But not without reward, I'll tell you that much!
Guess what happened last night? I've got to hand it to my friends, they're really quite a lot sneakier than I ever thought possible. They planned a whole big Baby Shower bash for me!!! And here's the most amazing part: they did it all without me ever getting a whiff of what was up! Now that’s what I call sneeeeeaaaaaky! (But you have to say it with the Jim Carrey "mask" accent, and then it's a total compliment in my vocab.) Yeah, sneeeeeaaaaky buggers! Pulled the wool right over my eyes.
On Monday evening, Cornia (the friend at who’s house the bash was held) invited me over to do some beadwork with her last night “for Mother’s Day gifts for the ladies at church.” Never one to turn down an opportunity to steal some other people’s crafty goodies do some fun arty fartsy things with my friends, I jumped at the opportunity. When I walked into her house I almost died of fright! Her entire lounge was full to the brim with church friends (ladies) and everyone starting blowing those funny squeaky things that make the sound of a duck in labour, and my heart just went and stopped on the spot! I was so totally caught off-guard! I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole night. I was so NOT expecting a party, leave alone a Baby Shower. I never thought I’d ever get to experience the joy of opening gifts for my baby!
Robin’s in for some competition by the way. Right now, she’s mine mine mine.
Almost nobody had heard about the little boy that we might be adopting, yet, (not many of us hillbillies have access to internet, so I have more friends in the computer who read my blog, than real live friends in real life who read my blog. Thus, they never knew of the developments with our Maybe Baby little Boy! We got so many beautiful gifts. Gorgeous, cuddly, fluffy, fun, practical, beautiful PINK gifts! Haha.
I don’t mind though. I wonder if he will mind if we dress him in pink? Just kidding. Then, again, pink is the new black, right? Then again, who’s going to go and dress their little baby in black. Oh well, there goes that theory then.I’ll be showing you all some photos as soon as all my friends have emailed me the pics from their cameras.
In the meantime, here’s the list of all the things we were given! (last night and before, from friends and family):-
Clothing:
13 vests
5 church outfits, complete with stockings!
5 pairs of trousers
6 cute t-shirts
3 pairs of tights or stockings
8 pairs of leggings
2 jackets
6 pairs of slippers
2 pairs of little fur-lined boots
1 pair of crocs
8 pairs of socks
10 hats or beanies
2 denim dungaree sets with matching unders
26 baby grows
9 tracksuits
9 bibs
1 set of woollen gloves
2 skirts
3 dresses with matching unders
2 sets of pj's
Other items:
2 car seats, 1 pram, 1 cot(t), 1 campcot(t), 1 wooden rocking chair, 2 rattles, 2 pram toys, 3 tune toys, 1 jingly ball, 1 bouncy silicone ball with 'spikes', 10 baby hangers (for clothes, not babies!), 1 car "baby on board" sign,
Bathing & Baby-Bum-Changing goodies:
1 medical aid kit, 4 jars aqueous creams, 3 jars bum cream, 4 bottles baby powder, 3 bath gels, 3 baby shampoos, 2 Elizabeth Anne's Conditioning Baby Shampoos (which I could just eat, it smells so good!), 4 sets of floating plastic ducks, crocodiles, etc., 5 packs scented nappy refuse bags, 1 bottle Gripe Water, 2 bars of baby soap, 2 jars earbuds (I think you guys might call that Q-tips?), 2 sets of nail-clippers, 2 bottles baby lotion, 1 baby wash, 1 baby cologne, 1 baby oil gel, 1 speciality baby massage oil, 1 training set of toothbrushes from newborn through teething and onto teeth, 1 big pack of cotton wool, 4 packs of nappies size one, 2 packs of nappies size two, 1 nostril vacuum sucker thingy (ick! Robin will have to do that job!), 1 bath thermometre, 1 changing mat, 1 changing mat cover
, 1 towel with hood, 1 fluffy towel, 1 nappy dispenser8 spoons, 7 feeding bows with lids, 2 sets of medicine feeding bottles, 2 large bottles, 2 small bottles, 1 formula storage cup with lid, 1 large bottle brush, 1 bottle drying rack, 1 bottle sterilizing bucket
1 quilt, 1 quilted fleecy foldaway baby sleeping bag with built-in-pillow (handmade by a very special lady! Baie dankie Tannie Manda!), 19 blankets, 2 exquisite handmade crocheted / knitted blankets, 1 fleecy "elephant" cover with miniature hot-water-water-bottle, 1 mosquito net, 1 pillow, 1 cot(t) bumper, 2 picnic quilts
How spoilt are we? I am SO grateful for the generosity of our family and friends! There is no way on this little planet, that Robin and I ever have ever bought all of this ourselves. God knows a thousand ways of providing for us, of which we know nothing! I should have learnt to trust Him sooner! I am just SO amazed. I can't wait to post pics of the awesome party that my friends threw for me. It was SO much fun. I am so overwhelmed. (And you should believe me, otherwise I'm going to need to keep saying "SOOOO" over and over again! haha! As if I haven't said it enough in this paragraph. My vocab stinks when I'm happy. Hehe!)
But this post wouldn't be complete without me thanking two very special people, who made my surprise Baby Shower Bash so absolutely awesome! Lani and Cornia, I love you guys so much. (See, there I go with the "so's" again!) Thank you, thank you, thank you for spoiling me with the most beautiful Baby Shower Bash I've ever been to! I noticed all the details: from the exquisite chiffon ribbons; to the 'baby' glitter on the tables; to the handprints with all handwritten notes of love on them from everyone who attended; the baby photographs of everyone who came; the little Cinderella coach beside the cupcakes; even the handmade invitations you sent out, and thinking to set one aside for me too!; the time it took for everyone to get all dressed up as little girls at a party; the plates and plates of eats; the handmade decorations with teddies, and little nappies, dummies and ribbons. I noticed all of it, and especially the love that prompted you to do it all. Just for me. What did I ever do to deserve such amazing friends? Surely God has blessed me beyond measure. Thank you so much (you sneaky buggers)!
PO Box 347Dundee3000South Africa
