If you were looking for us

I've actually started a new family blog. You can find us at samsarahfamily.blogspot.com.

My Mum

When Hyrum and Ashton were born, my Mum and Dad were living in Hong Kong. Except for a short interlude where they lived in Sydney in between their time in Hong Kong and their time now in the middle east, I have raised my boys with my mum living a plane ride away. But while not living close to my parents can be a challenge it is also a blessing. Because we get to have visits, sometimes short, sometimes long, where we get to spend time together in a way we never would if we lived closed by. My mum flew in two and a half weeks before Julian was born and left two and a half weeks after he arrived. For that short time she became completely integrated into our lives. Taking the boys to school, ducking down to the beach for morning swims, sharing meals with us around our table. And her arms were welcome arms for cuddling this little man anytime, day or night.It was such a special time. I can't even begin to put into words how grateful I am for my mum and all she did for my family as well as my dad for being willing to be without her for so long. I don't think we can say thank you enough.

Julian's BirthDay

Our little bub was due to make his entrance into the world on Friday the 17th of March. The week before his arrival we were set and ready and waiting. On the Monday before, I went for my last ocean swim. My mum and I swam and talked, it was so peaceful, I felt ready. As I walked out of the water the full force of gravity hit me and I felt my little bub drop down nice and low, he also was settled and ready. And now it was time to wait.

Contractions had been coming and going for several weeks. Nothing too strong or regular, just enough to let me know my body was preparing. By Friday, my due date, the midwife confirmed what I had suspected, I was a few centimetres dilated, baby's head was engaged, everything was ready. That night the contractions increased substantially in frequency but not intensity. I knew they weren't strong enough to do much but I was worried based on the relatively short labours of my other boys that this baby could come fairly quickly when it decided to come. I was worried about leaving my exit to the birth centre too late. So Sam and I ventured into the birth centre just in case. The contractions slowed down after our arrival and an hour later we headed back home.

The next day Sam kept me busy. We headed to the shops, the only place in Perth cool enough to do some serious walking in this never ending heatwave. We shopped and walked until I begged Sam to let me sit down. I remember looking at people walking around the shops, free from the burden of carrying another person around inside of them, I was so jealous of them. That night as I went to bed, we opened up the blinds in our bedroom, filling our room with moonlight. It was a full moon but not just any full moon, a "supermoon". I had heard that delivery wards are notoriously more busy during full moons, I figured if this supermoon didn't get things going, nothing would.

At 1am I woke with a start. A contraction so strong I felt like something was pulling on my insides. I rushed to the bathroom worried my waters were about to break. And with that it started. It wasn't the familiar waves of contractions flowing in and out that I was used to with my other two. It was intensely strong, chaotic, with no break. Within five minutes I was waking Sam up. This was it and this baby was coming soon. We called the midwife, no one was at the birth centre that evening. It would take her 30 minutes to get there (we were 10 minutes away). I hoped to wait at home a little bit longer but within a few minutes I knew I didn't have that luxury. We were in the car and out the door. We drove straight to the hospital adjacent to the birth centre. Once our midwife Lou arrived she would come find us at the hospital. If I had time I would transfer to the birth centre. If not, she would deliver my baby at the hospital.

I stood half keeled over at admissions, trying to breath through the intense contractions. They started talking about finding a room to examine me before they admit me. I gave the admitting nurse a death stare, raised 3 fingers, "this is my third" I managed to pant between breaths. That was enough, they had me into a wheel chair and speeding up to the delivery suites. I have to smile at the drama of it all, just like the movies, the movies I always laugh at. Its never like that, we always say as they go careening down hospital corridors, the mother panting in a wheelchair. I guess sometimes it is like that!

Lou arrived not long after they got me into the delivery suite. Lou was a beautiful, petite woman from England. I always found her accent soothing, she would always call me "my lovely". She knew my boys, she knew the birth I had planned. Before the message reached her that I was in the hospital she had started filling up the birthing pool for me in the birth centre. When she arrived I felt ready, Lou was there, now this baby could come.

Julian arrived at 3:08am Sunday 20th March. I birthed him standing up, my planned water birth ruled out due to the meconium staining in my waters that meant monitoring for distress was required. As the pain overwhelmed in those intense moments, I took myself away. Closing my eyes I found myself here at this beach. The sun was setting, I could hear the waves crashing and feel the sand between my toes. As I stood there I said to myself over and over again, "you are strong, you can do this."

He was birthed straight into his daddy's hands. There were no cries. A few nervous moments with the midwives and then my little boy took his first breath. They placed him in my arms and I welcomed him into the world. In those first moments I told him about how loved he was, how excited we were to have him come into our family. As with all my boys I was struck by how familiar he looked to me, I looked at him and saw reflected back to me so many people that I love. He looked so blue in those first few moments. Then he found my breast and I watched pink gather across his skin. In the rush we had left our bags in the car, there was no camera to record those first moments, I locked the images in my mind, to always remember. Soon after that we moved across to the birth centre for a few hours of rest.

At about 7:30am my mum called. She and the boys had slept through the drama of those early morning hours, oblivious to what had taken place. When they noticed our bedroom was empty Mum knew he had come. She put the boys on the phone, so I could tell them the news myself. They were so excited, I could hear yells of excitement as they jumped around in celebration. They came to visit soon after, thrilled to meet their new brother. They drew pictures for him, and cuddled him, examined this tiny new being who had entered their lives. They left for a fun day with their Gran knowing we would be home later that afternoon.

Sam and I rested, we cuddled our new son. After all the checks were done, we celebrated over a delicious Wagamama lunch, bathed our son for the first time and then headed home. 12 hours after he was born, 14 hours after that first contraction woke me from my sleep, we brought our son home. Welcomed by a family so thrilled that he was finally here.

He's Here

Julian Don Joseph Birks arrived in a flurry of excitement on Sunday in the early hours of the morning. I am soaking up these moments of newness with him. Needless to say we are all besotted with this little man. I will try to post a bit more about all the excitement of this week when I can (right now I'm typing one handed while I snuggle my sleeping bub in the other arm).

Thank you so much for all the kind words and well wishes!

Auction

Hi Everyone,

Although I know some people are finishing off their auctions early at 9:00pm, I'm keeping my auctions open until midnight as I originally advertised to be fair in case there are some who weren't aware of a change in finish time. Even though I'm in Perth I think it would be a bit harsh for the Eastern States bidders to keep it open until midnight Perth time, so it will be midnight Eastern Australia time (9:00pm for us on the Western Coast)!

Thanks!!!!

QLD Flood Relief - Item 2

My second item up for auction is an 8x10 inch print of my rose photo. I have always loved the softness of this print, to me it conveys all the beauty and elegance that a rose represents.

This fine art photo is printed on Art Gloss Barta Paper using "Ultrachrome" permanent pigment inks. This gives the print a long lasting archival quality with an indoor display life of 75-100+years. Please note the watermark will not be present on the printed photo.

How this auction works:

1. Bidding will start at $10 (Australian).
2. You can place a bid by leaving a comment on this blog post with your bid amount and email address. Please make sure that your bid is higher than the previous bidder.
3. Your bid must be in whole dollar increments.
4. This auction is open to everyone. Postage is FREE for Australian residents and international buyers.
5. The auction begins NOW and will END at midnight on Monday 24th January 2011.

6. At the close of the auction, I will contact the winner (please make sure your bid comment includes your email address). The winner will pay the winning amount directly into the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal and send their proof of payment via email. Once proof of payment has been received, I will post your photo to you.

7. Thankyou for participating and happy bidding!

QLD Flood Relief - Item 1

My first item up for auction is an 8x10 inch print of my sunset photo. This photo was taken at Trigg Beach in Western Australia and is the last sunset of 2010. This is one of my favourite fine art photos. I don't normally sell my prints so this is a great opportunity to have on display in your home one of my favourite images of the beautiful Western Australian coast line.

This fine art photo is printed on Art Gloss Barta Paper using "Ultrachrome" permanent pigment inks. This gives the print a long lasting archival quality with an indoor display life of 75-100+years. Please note the watermark will not be present on the printed photo.

How this auction works:

1. Bidding will start at $10 (Australian).
2. You can place a bid by leaving a comment on this blog post with your bid amount and email address. Please make sure that your bid is higher than the previous bidder.
3. Your bid must be in whole dollar increments.
4. This auction is open to everyone. Postage is FREE for Australian residents and international buyers.
5. The auction begins NOW and will END at midnight on Monday 24th January 2011.

6. At the close of the auction, I will contact the winner (please make sure your bid comment includes your email address). The winner will pay the winning amount directly into the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal and send their proof of payment via email. Once proof of payment has been received, I will post your photo to you.

7. Thankyou for participating and happy bidding!

Evening Swims

Sam and I were laughing so hard when I took these photos one evening at the beach. I was actually trying to get some beach shots in the evening haze but this boy insisted on me snapping a few pictures of him while I was at it. Hyrum was busy off snorkelling and bodyboarding, he rarely has time to stop for a photo these days. But this boy loves a good posing session, he always makes me smile!

I'm guest blogging over at Toni's blog today. The number of people signing up for auctions is growing and growing, I'm so excited to see all the wonderful goodies when the master list goes up on Sunday, I should have my items posted here this afternoon or tomorrow. I'm even more excited to see how much money we're all able to raise for the Flood Relief Appeal. And if you're visiting from Toni's blog, welcome! Lovely to have you here.

The Pinnacles

We recently took a day trip up North a little ways to The Pinnacles. Man was it hot! Sam was so determined he wanted to see them so the boys and I tried not to grumble too much as we hiked a short distance to the look out in the blistering heat. There was no way we were going to hike the regular 1.2km trek, so we drove through the rest of the way. The landscape was harsh and beautiful and I think I felt a bit more appreciation for the challenges my parents must face living in the real desert of Doha.

After the pinnacles we found the coast again and spent a glorious afternoon swimming in a hidden cove. Sam and the boys fished and snorkelled. We caught a glimpse of a dolphin passing through our hidden spot. And on the way home we shared a spectacular sunset with a few local kangaroos.

QLD Flood Appeal

I have been absolutely overwhelmed by what is going on in Queensland, the destruction of so much is beyond comprehension. We have family and friends in Brisbane and its surrounding areas and have been anxiously watching as the situation has developed. Sam's sister and her family live near Warwick and we were relieved to hear that so far they haven't experienced any flooding in their home but she jokingly told Sam they are living off weetbix because they are completely shut off from surrounding towns and can't restock supplies. Its hard to even imagine what will be involved in helping and rebuilding so many lives.
My very talented friend Toni is organising a wonderful online auction to benefit those affected by the horrendous floods in QLD. If you head to her blog or click on the image above there is lots of information about ways to help, either by hosting an auction or bidding on someone else's. The auctions go live from Monday 17th January and I'm excited to see all of the wonderful goodies that will be on offer. All the proceeds go straight to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal.
I'm going to host an auction here on my blog of some of my favourite photography prints. I'll have them professionally printed, beautifully packaged and all ready to be framed and displayed in your home. So stop by in the next few days to see what's on offer.