Never mind me, just resuscitating my blog 
Time for a catch-up post I think…
Kim is working away, pleased with the recent rain – our house tanks were filled from our own roof for the first time since we moved here! He has been taking Hannah to swimming lessons on Saturdays after the teacher broke her ankle and had to hire someone else to take the lessons. He hops into the other end of the pool with Abby and gives her a bit of a play, which they both enjoy. Its a brand new pool inside a building which a local family have purpose-built in order to teach swimming year-round. Its fantastic and very much needed. He has also bought a season ticket for the town pool and we have been saying – stuff the cost of the petrol, our children have to learn to swim! He is looking forward to next week when we go to the beach as well
Hannah is looking forward to our holiday with her grandparents and Aunty Jen and Uncle Boyd. Also very excited about starting school on 29th January *thud* where has the time gone? I can still see her, wet and wide-eyed, lying on my tummy just after she was born! I am slowly accumulating the necessary accoutrements, so far we have the hat, headband and scrunchie, a ’sports jacket’ (which is a new addition to the uniform and is a very nice light but warm windbreaker) and textas and a pencil case. Sill have to buy a book pack and glue stick, sew the skirts and jumpers, buy the polo tops and school shoes (black with white socks for normal days, joggers with blue socks (why??) for sport day) and the sports shirt and shorts. And a new bag and lunchbox. At least she already has 10 pairs of white socks and her farm socks are dark blue! She is progressing confidently with her swimming, and also with crafty activities, cutting and gluing featuring frequently in the spare room. She is also growing another set of molars which is quite painful at times 
Abby is having a tough time adjusting to no longer being the baby of the family, she is still a baby in a lot of ways herself. She turned 2 this week, and although that sounds quite big, I’m really starting to see that toddlers really are just “babies on wheels”. She needs a lot of my time and attention, which is hard when there is a newborn also requiring a lot of my time and attention 
She is otherwise thriving! She is still breastfeeding and has put on a lovely lot of weight in the last 2 months, I previously thought she was a little light-on, but with the resurgence of ‘mummy milk’ she has become Rubenesque again (been looking for an opportunity to use that word since I learned what it meant a couple of weeks ago LOL!) She is as strong as an ox and climbs prolifically. Her favourite activities include dancing on the table, operating the TV via remote, or the button on the TV if that is removed from her. She also loves chasing bubbles, spreading food on the floor, throwing things, and her favourite words are “NO!” and “MINE!” and “Bummy” (dummy) and “coc-ut” (chocolate) and “Boobie!” She loves water in all forms, and at last week’s swimming lesson was bending her knees to duck her own head under the water! She is on the typical toddler emotional roller coaster, we are all riding it as bravely as we can and enjoying the highs as often as possible
Beth is now 8 weeks old, and settling into life on the outside world. In some ways just like her sisters (sleeping well at night for now) and in other ways very different (by far the chuckiest although that’s passing now to some extent). She is in OO clothes and I’m hoping she get into O soon as there are a lot more clothes of that size I wear her every day in an assortment of very beautiful and practical carriers which she mostly enjoys. Our town has many shops with steps and narrow entrances, not very pram friendly, so I’ve learned to carry Beth on my front and Abby on my back…as Abby is completely uncontrollable a bolter not the kind of kid who stays close by. She is starting to take notice of the world, and smiles and chats to us on a regular basis. All othe functions are pretty much ‘normal’, babies change from week to week though so I try not to get too attached to any particular habit or pattern, it will be gone soon LOL! She has brown hair and blue eyes at present, but they seem to be changing perhaps to brown like Abby’s.
I am doing well, not finding feeding 2 any more arduous than 1, less even, as Beth causes no damage so I’ve basically had no pain, and that has made a lot of difference. Making adjustments where necessary and making plans for streamlining things like packing school lunches (not so easy with a gluten free fussy-bum!) and getting to the bus by 8.10am *gasp*. I am also very much looking forward to our holiday and introducing Beth to her Gra Gra and Aunty Jen. I have a new machine in my kitchen called a Thermomix, its a lot of fun and has made a lot of the things I cook regularly a lot easier. My life seems very full of things which are not that interesting to write about, but I am going to try and blog more regularly regardless!
Photos to come later
