July 2007 Archives

Wednesday night was a long one for me, with a rush drive over to Wagga at 10:30 pm after hearing that Emily was in labour and the contractions were only 6 minutes apart. I met them at the hospital. Emily and Kai had Lauren and Riley with them, and the 4 of us were all crowded around Emily when she was first admitted.

The room was tiny and so Lauren and I took Riley to another room where she fed him, while the nurses did a few preliminary tests with Emily. Not long after we were taken up to the delivery room and Emily was given a really nice birthing room that included all manner of comfy chairs, bean bag, exercise ball, etc to make the birth as comfortable as possible. We could make tea and coffee, there was food in the fridge, a TV, and bathroom. It's such a fantastic experience to share with anyone and I would urge anyone to do it if the opportunity arose.

Emily was brave and I felt very proud of her, and by 3 am she was quite exhausted. You feel so helpless, there for support but you can't do any of the hard work. Scarlett was born just after 4.20 am to the relief of us all. A perfect little girl. It was an emotional experience for us all, and one I was proud to share.

Anthony came to stay with us for the weekend and we had a few days together, with him getting to know his brothers and sisters. I was very heart-warming. The whole family was here on Sunday and we cooked up and enjoyed the time together. He met his grandmother and a couple of uncles, got to meet his nephews and brothers-in-law.

It felt so nice to have the family all together. Of course it brings up lots of emotions about what I missed out on with him, and what he missed out on himself. Life can only be better from here on though, and our future holidays will always include him.

Last night I started a course for work and had to introduce myself and started off by saying I had 5 children, who ranged in age from 30 to 12. It's lovely to say that I have 5 children. I had 5 babies, but only ever had 4 of those children, and although Anthony is not a child, he's still my child. Every time we see each other or just talk, those feelings are reinforced. Moreso than with the other kids who I've always taken for granted.

Saturday I drove to Sydney to attend an AA convention in Sydney where speakers had 40 years and over in sobriety, and although I'm not a member of any AA groups at the moment, (though I certainly could be, no doubt), I was enthralled with the stories of recovery from these people. It was a fantastic meeting, and a reaffirmation that for anyone seriously considering getting help for their addictions that the 12-Step program works. Members attended from all over Australia and had some wonderful things to say about the program and about members helping other members. I met some great people, and small world that it is, there's always somebody that knows somebody else. The mood there on Saturday was enough to make me want to join a group and help people in early recovery. I'm sure there's plenty I could work on to improve my own lot as well.

Alex and I drove over to Cootamundra in the fog this morning, and I hoped that once it lifted we'd have a nice day. Unfortunately, no such luck. It was a cold, grey day and they all must have had cold fingers because there were lots of dropped balls. That didn't stop our team from scoring a 42-0 win. Well done, guys, because I couldn't have run around out there in shorts and short sleeves.

These couple of photos were taken last year when Junee played Cootamundra and they're classics because Alex has the best facial expressions. Sometimes we laugh from the sideline about how fierce the boys look out there, when I saw these photos I nearly cried from laughing so much. He'll probably want me to take them off, but hey, sharing is caring.

One the way home I grabbed a couple of DVDs because it's the perfect day for sitting close to the fire watching movies. The first one was an animated comedy called "Flushed Away". Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet are the voices of a couple of rats who have a nautical adventure in the sewers below London. I like watching cartoons, and it's good when there's a laugh to be had. The second movie I'll save for later. There's no way Alex will want to watch it, but Carly seemed enthusiastic. It's called Pan's Labrynth, and is described as "Dark, Twisted and Beautiful". Sounds like my sort of movie.

I've had some lovely responses to my previous post about the reunion with my son, Anthony. I don't get many comments on the site but it's nice to see that so many friends and family are regular visitors who like to catch up on the latest news. I bet that last post blew you all out of the water. I'm walking through the days with a grin from ear to ear, I don't think anything could spoil the joy I'm feeling. The kids are all rapt to have a big brother and can't wait to meet him, but in the meantime are they're all getting to know each other via email and online chat. I feel fulfilled.

I've had the most incredible week and was so overwhelmed that I couldn't concentrate on anything else. God works in wonderful ways, and saw fit to make a dream come true. I gave up a child for adoption over 30 years ago and last week he contacted me. It was amazing. I met my son on Friday after talking to him for the first time last Monday night, then I couldn't wait to meet him so I flew up to Queensland for the weekend.

Remember...
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

There were lots of feelings that I couldn't begin to name, but mostly it was all good. The guilt and regret I've felt all these years can now take a backseat to the relief and joy I'm feeling now. Though there's still plenty of the former, I have to think that now all the hurt and pain can be put behind us and there's a future to look forward to. I hope I'm around for a long time so I can catch up on all the lost time.

He's a man to feel proud of too and I haven't stopped talking about him to family and friends. The family is rapt and everyone wants to meet him. He met his grandfather, and a great aunt and uncle yesterday, but there's lots still to meet. We have a large family and he's a very special part of it.

I'm well aware too, that he'll be reading these posts from now on (hello Anthony...) and it makes it all the more personal for me. We have lots of ways to communicate and the computer is a wonderful part of that. I'll have to look in to getting a web cam.

Finally, the ads on my site are finally paying off and maybe will even pay the bills this year! I'm over the moon. It was with total surprise when I opened an email tonight to discover I'd been paid $58.70 AU in ad revenue. I signed up with Auction Ads in the middle of May, and only 6 weeks later they're paying me. I've been using Google Adwords for years, and am still waiting for a cheque from them, and in just 6 weeks I'm averaging $10 a week with eBay auction ads. I won't get rich quick, but this money will certainly help with web hosting and domain fees.

Auction Ad$
Allows you to monetise your website by displaying live eBay auctions next to your related copy.

I always thought that earning money through your weblog was a wasted exercise unless you actually had something to sell. Well it seems that people will pay you for selling their stuff, so it couldn't be easier. I'll just sit back and let the $$$ roll in. The trick is to use the right keywords to match the content in your posts. This isn't always straight forward when you're talking about a different topic every time you post, so I decided on using keywords that matched what I often search for on eBay, for instance, camera (I bought one just yesterday), hard drives, ipods, CDs, DVDs, etc. If you site has a specific subject content then it's even easier: you can target your visitors with something related.