It’s seems I have settled on a Friday posting theme… Remembering.

These posts are all about noticing the little things, the things that might otherwise be lost in all the day to day craziness.

These posts are about finding the wonderful in among all the piles of washing and and whinging.

These posts are about loving today and not always wishing for tomorrow.

These posts are about not forgetting.

This week I need to remember…

The way he calls him ‘Dad-un’. Not ‘Dadda’ not ‘Daddy’ but “Dad-UN”.

The way he calls her “Doo-Doo”.

The way he refuses to say anything that even remotely resembles the word “Izzy” and how much she wishes he would.

The way he copies the exact tone and inflection of the big kids when he says “Mu-um, Mu-um, Mu-um, Mu-um”.

The way he claps and yells “Yay.. YAY!” whenever he hears clapping, or when a song or some music ends.

The way he says good night to his toes as I zip them into his sleeping bag – “Tat-tar toes”

The way he chats with the chooks… “Hey-oh Chookins. Dook dook dook…”

I need to remember how glorious and amazing it is when a non-speaking baby becomes a chatty toddler.

What do you need to remember?

Feel free to write your own remembering post, or leave a comment telling me your rememberings. There is no rules, no time frames, no official linky… but if you’d like to join in, please do! If you blog a remembering please leave me a comment with the link so I can come read it and I’ll share your link here next week too.

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Remembering… is a post from: picklebums.com

Hmmm… I wonder if it’s a nice day outside?

It is! I need to go get my hat and boots!

Hello Chickens! Can I come in?

Any eggs today?

There was one day of glorious spring weekend weather when all children were healthy and nit free…. and we made the most of it before the rain returned.
What’s the weather like where you are?

Join in Wordless Wednesday with My Little Drummer Boys!

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Wordless Wednesday – Noey’s Adventure is a post from: picklebums.com

There’s trouble at The Pickle Farm….

Big trouble….

In a little package…

Noey is walking!

I’m playing (Almost) Wordless Wednesday with My Little Drummer Boys!

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Trouble, He’s A’comin! is a post from: picklebums.com

His eyes well up with tears, he screws up his face and he howls.

I have no idea what’s wrong with him, not a clue, but I go to him and he raises his arms to me, wanting to be picked up.

But instead of snuggling into me and the tears slowing, he arches his back and screams louder. I have to work hard not to drop him as he struggles and screams, seemingly desperate to be anywhere but in my arms.

I put him down at my feet.

He howls louder and grabs onto my legs pulling himself to standing and looking up at me as tears stream down his cheeks. I read his body language to mean ‘pick me up, please, pick me up’ so I do, but I am wrong.

As he struggles and cries and squirms I put him down again and sink down to the floor next to him, trying my hardest not to join him in a crumpled, crying, heap.

I don’t know what to do.

I’ve parented three older children. I have a degree in early childhood education,. I have ten years experience working with children and families. I read books and blogs and articles and consciously work to be a better parent. Yet I don’t know what to do.

Somewhere in the back of my frazzled mind I recall something about the HALT method… and I run through the list.

Hungry? I offer food that is promptly thrown on the floor and a drink which is pushed away, all the while the crying and back arching continue.
Angry? I’m pretty sure he’s angry about something, but I have no idea what.
Lonely? If he is lonely it is not for me. He does a perfect reverse C and almost falls from my arms. I put him down. He screams.
That leaves me with Tired…. I am pretty sure he is not tired, but as a last resort, and despite the struggling, I pick him up and try to hold him tight and rock him, but that just makes things worse.

I put him down again.

He lies face down on the floor and screams.

I sit next to him and wish he could tell me what was wrong. Maybe he’s sick? Maybe he’s hurt? Maybe I just suck at this whole parenting gig and it took me four kids to figure that out?

He rolls over, the screaming has reduced to sobbing now. The kind of sobbing, that has his breath coming in shudders and his shoulders heaving. The sort of sobbing that breaks my heart.

I pick him up and this time he doesn’t push me away. He is still crying but he is letting me hold him and so we sit, rocking and sobbing together, hoping like hell this is just a phase and that it will pass quickly.

Crocodiles and grasshoppers I whisper to myself… remember, crocodiles and grasshoppers.

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Up Down Up Down Up is a post from: picklebums.com

He is my last baby, but I need to write that sentence many more times before I will really believe it. I may never believe it…
He is the smallest of four.

He came into our lives quickly, in the early hours of a very cold morning.
He skilfully slotted himself in, between a big brother’s birthday and the big sisters’ ballet concert.
He has been carted around, woken up, put to sleep, thrown in the car, dragged here and been there.

Sometimes I wonder how he has not choked on a lego brick or a polly pocket shoe.
Sometimes I wonder how he hasn’t broken a bone with all the climbing he does.
Sometimes I wonder where his first year went… too many things have happened in the year since he was born.
Sometimes I wonder if he has missed out, or been last on the list one too many times.

But he is too cantankerous, too mischievous, too loud, to giggly, and too cute to be left behind for long.
He has too many people to carry him around, to stand on their heads to make him laugh, to sing to him and to sneak him sweet treats to ever miss out.
His first birthday may have been squeezed in between his big brother’s birthday, roof frames and a dress rehearsal, but I guess that is just how he likes it.

Happy Birthday Noey.

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One Boy is a post from: picklebums.com

I think Noey likes his new hat!

Thanks to Beanie Designs for sending us this gorgeous baby hat, it is so soft and lovely and very cute!

And wow I am really am almost wordless today – so I’m linking up with My Little Drummer Boys’ Aussie Wordless Wednesday!

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Wordless Wednesday – A New Hat for Noey. is a post from: picklebums.com

This is Noah at 11 months old.

This is Morgan at 11 months.

This is Zoe (on top) and Izzy at 11 months old.

So who do you think Noah looks like???

Ok so this isn’t exactly wordless… so shoot me! I know that the lovely Trish from My Little Drummer Boys won’t mind so I’m linking up with her Wordless Wednesday today!

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Wordless Wednesday – Who Does He Look Like? is a post from: picklebums.com

I was reading blogs the other day when I came across the lovely Hello Owl and her ‘Push’ photo challenge.

Now I am not going to win any awards for my photography. I rarely set my lovely DSLR on anything but auto and when I attempt to learn about F-stops and aperture the information just refuses to stay in my brain. Lately I’ve not taken many photos. Sure, I snap a photo here and there to go with my blog posts, but I’m not just taking photos to record life any more, and I am going to be sad about that in years to come.

So I’m jumping in and letting the fabulous Danielle inspire, encourage and PUSH me to just take more damn photos!

This week’s Push theme is ‘love’.

Now I had all these fun idea of photographing my baby boy playing with hearts…. but he wasn’t up for that game and this is about as good as I got on that front.

So I gave up and just enjoyed taking photos of my boy in his gorgeous hand-me-down hat. Because I’m loving that he’s getting to wear this hat now that the weather is colder and I’m loving all the love that has been handed down with it…

Do you need a little ‘push’ to take more photos? Go on, do it, you’ll be glad you did in ten years time when you have lots of photos of the wonderful every day things to look back on.

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Push! is a post from: picklebums.com

I vote for #4, but don’t tell the others…

Playing Wordless Wednesday at My Little Drummer Boys.

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Wordless Wednesday – Who’s the Cutest? is a post from: picklebums.com

‘Never say never’ is usually my motto, so I won’t say never ever but I will say probably. Noey is probably, almost certainly, just about definitely, my last baby.

Once upon a while ago there was a little niggling thought about five, but things have changed. While that niggling thought hasn’t quite gone away (it probably never will), the conversations don’t include jokes about more babies any more. That makes me a little sad and a little relieved.

Relieved that the decision has been made for me. Relieved because four is a good number, our family works with four. But sad. Sad that I won’t ever be pregnant again. Sad that I won’t ever be that special person who brings new life into the world, and sad that I won’t have a tiny baby again.

I look at my baby boy. My Quatro, Number Four, Noey No Nos and I try to remember every inch of how he is. I try to imprint his baby-ness indelibly on my mind so that I can recall it al will when I need it. I try to notice everything, so I don’t forget, because I will forget.

I’ve already forgotten things about how the big kids were when they were babies. And this forgetfulness is made even more apparent as I try to remember Noah.

Was Morgan’s blonde hair curly by this age or was it as wispy and straight as Noah’s?

Did the girls make as many cute noises? Were they saying ‘Mama’ deliberately by this age?

When did the others all get teeth?

Were their heads as soft and warm as Noah’s?

I try so hard not to forget.

I take photos. I video. I write self centred, gushy, only-a-mother-could-love blog posts…. and yet the memories still slip away. I guess that is the way of the world and I’ll just have to live with it. But in the mean time I am drinking in every moment of my baby boy, and every moment of his brothers and sisters. I will kiss them all and stroke their hair and do all the stupidly over sentimental things that I never thought I’d do… for as long as they’ll let me.

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Don’t Forget is a post from: picklebums.com