Business and Illness Do Not Mix

It's hard to recall much of June when I spent the majority of it somewhat sick and not completely coherent. Sakura got sick and then she happily passed on the fun to me. Next thing I know she had lots of goop in her eyes (conjunctivitis), which she also passed on to me. Sakura was having serious issues sleeping during the day and night so we weren't getting sufficient sleep to get better. To add salt to the wounds, Matt was gone from the 13th to the 23rd of June on a trip to Japan with his family to visit relatives, get family history, and tour the area where their ancestors were.  I can now report we are on the mend, Matt returned home safely, and things are somewhat back to normal.

Then and Now

There were quite a few events that took place in June. I went to a temple endowment session where my friend Xen-Xen was going for the first time since she just got her mission call. We went to lunch at a sushi train restaurant afterwards to celebrate. I didn't think I would be able to get a babysitter, but it all worked out in the end and I was so glad to be there and reminisce of my first time going through the temple for my own endowment.

She didn't like that she couldn't see what I was cooking.

Another YSA had a bridal shower and wedding take place in June. I helped organise the bridal shower games and was disappointed I had to abandon ship for a little bit as Sakura was getting fussy. I was also disappointed that the gluten and dairy free banana muffins I made weren't as amazing as the previous ones. I'm pretty sure I used a different recipe so I think I will start throwing out the recipes that aren't amazing. Of course I just realised that with my current memory issues - maybe it is better to have a stack of rejected recipes in case I end up printing and trying the same one.

The wedding reception I ambitiously tried to make a beef stew and cornbread (gluten and dairy free of course). It was a potluck and the bride Dyani asked if I could provide enough for anyone with dietary concerns like mine. She was thinking simple muffins, but I wanted to go all out. The result was that I was quite a bit late, but luckily no one had started eating yet. My stew was good, and so was all the cheesecake I ate for dessert. In case you are wondering - Yes, I am aware cheesecake has dairy and gluten, but I threw healthy eating out the window because Matt was eating whatever in Japan, and I was sick and tired and food that isn't good for you just tastes so amazing! Whew. I had a wonderful time at the wedding reception and Sakura got in some cuddles with the bride and groom. I only regret that I waited till the end to do the photobooth pictures when she was asleep.

Somehow I managed to go to a baby expo as well this month. They had so many samples and things. My favourite item was a clip on teether that I got for Sakura. She loves having a teether or dummy (pacifier) on hand at all times.

This is the first beanie I made her

This is the larger version

The last big activity before Matt got back was an Escape Room I put on for the YSA at the chapel. I got all the details from this website (click here). It took quite a bit of preparation getting the materials and putting the clues together, but is was well worth it. The idea is that they find the clues on their own in the room and unfortunately some clues they could figure out without finding all the hints. This lead to them missing a couple clues and getting stuck. I helped them, but our leader held captive would've died if we were doing a CSI operation. I hope this company chooses to do different scenarios in the future because it was still worthwhile and SO much cheaper than paying $40+ per person to go to an escape room location.

When Matt returned I finally got a little baby relief, but not for relaxing. We had made a goal to change the painting business from a sole trader to a company by the end of the financial year (30 June) so I had a LOT to do. Somehow I got all of the most important things done with the help of our business consultant and accountant. I had to create the company, change business registrations, change business licence, set up a business bank account, and change our accounting software for a company structure. This stuff isn't complicated exactly, but for a novice it is so easy to do it horribly wrong so I'm glad I have an awesome business consultant for these things! Alan's details are here if you are in need of a business consultant in the North Brisbane area.

Some other updates include:
- I finally got Sakura's Australian citizenship certificate and was able to apply for her Australian passport. I have been waiting for this for months!

- We are going to the U.S. in October! My mom was going to come to visit for Sakura's 1st birthday, but it ended up working better for everyone to have us visit them. She bought us all the flights and we worked things out with Matt's family so we could visit them too. I'm so glad it all worked out because with that huge business loss we don't have excess money for trips.

- Sakura got her first tooth! Her second tooth on the bottom is also almost there. This now explain the extra feeds and difficulty sleeping. Good thing she is still super cute!

This next month the focus is to be gluten and dairy free with hopes of working towards a paleo and sugar free diet. We also are looking for ways we can save or earn more money to recover from the business loss and pay off debts. At this stage we are thinking I might be able to try some work like life coaching, disability support work, or something like that. It's something I can do on top of Matt's business stuff and it should help me with my future goals of working as a psychologist. Right now we are just playing with ideas. I hope that in the next year we will be much more organised and have regular meal and financial planning happening. At least we are getting better!

P.S. Apologies for the severe lack of photos. I thought I took photos of things, but apparently not.

On the Move

Last month was full of lots of events so I'll try my best to keep my summary succinct.

My brother Destin came to visit in the beginning of May. This was a BIG deal for me as he had previously chosen to go elsewhere like Japan or Vietnam instead of spending the money to visit his sister. Unfortunately, I was recovering from a cold and still had a perpetual cough when he arrived. Nevertheless, we started off with a bang.

The first couple of days we spent in the heart of Brisbane, exploring Southbank and all it has to offer. We discovered the Buddha's Birth Day Festival was the following day and returned to do more and see what was at the festival. Did you know Buddha used to be a prince? 

To finish off the night Destin and I went to Eat Street. We just shared a few items and called it good, but Destin loved it so much we went back the next night with Matt and got something like 6 or 7 dishes throughout the night to share. I think we averaged around $30pp but considering the amazing food we got I think it was better than had we gone to a fancy restaurant.

Saturday we spent the afternoon at a very small disc golf course Destin found at a park about an hour away. It was a lot of fun, but I'm not sure the trip would be worth it on a regular basis.

Monday was labour day here so I had booked a horseback riding day trip for Destin and I. This was likely more for me than him, but he agreed to it. Slickers Horseback Riding does these midweek trips once a month where you have about 4hrs + horseback riding and a big lunch by the lake. This trip they also had swimming with the horses. Destin did great even though he was the least experienced and rusty of the group. We were able to do quite a few trots and canters throughout and getting in the lake bareback was fun!

The following couple of days we spent at Tangalooma Island Resort. Sakura was a big hit with the many tourists and as we waited for the ferry I had a large group of Asians crowding around me and actually taking pictures of Sakura. They didn't speak any English, but I think they were very worried about her lack of socks from their gestures to her feet.

Unfortunately, our first day it just rained a lot. The boys took a nap and I took Sakura for a walk when the sun decided to come out. We had a lovely walk on the beach and watched the Pelicans.

Later that night we got to feed the wild dolphins. You don't spend much time with them or anything, but it was still a neat experience. We finished off the night eating Peking Duck in our room.

The major downfall of that first day was that I got horrendously sick. I basically couldn't move and had hot and cold flushes. Matt had to watch Sakura for me. I spent most of the night getting up to go to the bathroom. We think it was a combination of my cold/flu and perhaps some bad coleslaw? Matt also ate the coleslaw and had to spend some time on the toilet.

The second day was beautiful. I skipped breakfast and was feeling mostly better by the afternoon thankfully. We walked to the wrecks farther up the beach (20min walk) to do some snorkelling. We didn't do much, but it was still nice to relax on the beach and see all the fish. The visibility was better than the last time I had visited.

Destin spent the rest of his trip in the Gold Coast touring around on his own. This worked out well since I was recovering from my illness. We had a scare the morning of his flight though as it had been cancelled. He was able to get the last ticket on the only flight to Sydney, but at a huge cost. I think he ended up missing his connecting flight to the U.S. but it all worked out eventually. Overall due to late and missed flights on his way to and from Australia he ended up not saving much on the flight at all. Tigerair called him later to give him his credit which the international call cost as much as the credit. Oy.

Mothers day this year was awesome! As my first "real" mothers day it made a huge difference to actually have a child when I got an adorable hand made card and mug from Sakura (courtesy of Little Legends Early Learning Centre). I told Matt I wanted flowers and breakfast and he delivered, with an adorable rainbow teddy bear as well. Additionally, we had a church activity where the men served all the women dinner. It was a nice way to catch up with some ladies I don't see often. 

Other events for May included a girl's night out with facials and karaoke. It was a lot of fun, but I still had a cough that became uncontrollable if someone made me laugh. Karaoke doesn't work well with a cough either so I hope we will do it again. The most surprising part of the night was that I reconnected with a friend that I had known when I had studied abroad. Jordan and I were often together at group YSA activities and we used to have pancakes at her house a lot after an activity. I didn't know she was in Brisbane so I hope we will have lots of opportunities to catch up and meet each other's families. Another day we went to a 1 year birthday party for my friend Cate's son Finley. He is such a happy boy and it will be crazy to see Sakura and him playing when they can both walk an talk together!

I also attended a Teddy Bear Picnic at a nearby park with Sakura and some ladies from my mum's group. They had face painting, balloons, music, and giant shaded tents for us to sit under. It was a fun morning. Later that week I also attended a Gluten Free Expo at the Brisbane Convention Centre. This was awesome because every stall had samples and they were all gluten free! I did have to check labels for dairy though.

The gluten free expo was well timed because earlier that week I met with a naturopath recommended by my doctor (at the same clinic). After reviewing my medical history she determined I clearly have more going on than just the MTHFR mutation problems. It seems evident I have pyrrole disorder and potential another autoimmune condition affecting my thyroid. Add to that gut issues and I sound like one big mess! Truthfully though I eat better and try to be healthier than I ever have been in my life. What is the solution then? Well, I have to do a few updated tests, but she said I really should go on a Paleo diet. Gluten, dairy, and sugar are all really bad inflammatory foods for anyone with autoimmune conditions. She at least said that I should do this at a pace that works for me, but try to go off all gluten and dairy right away. How did I respond to this? I went and bought a doughnut, some chocolate, and ate some cake at an activity, etc. This might be a very slow pace, but after Sakura had some bad diaper rashes after my binge week I clearly need to take this more seriously. My diet affects more than just me.

Now I am getting better at getting rid of all gluten and dairy, and I am trying to use only natural sugars like honey and maple syrup in my baking. I'm at least doing way better at meal planning with Matt and for the most part we are having healthier dinners like stir fry with lots of vegetables. I'm learning I can cook with Sakura even if she just wants to be held as I can put her on my back in the Ergo 360 carrier if needed.

Massaman Curry and Homemade GF Bread

Sakura is now 7 months old! She is sick again unfortunately, but she is as happy as ever. She can sit up on her own and crawl without a problem. She is also gotten very chatty and likes to talk a lot! One of her favourite toy is a stand-up play table which she surprised me one day by pulling herself up to it on her own. It's hard to imagine this regularly happy child used to be fussy all the time with reflux. I'm glad things are better, but I'm still waiting for that day where she sleeps through the night. In fact, just sleeping for 3+ hours at a time on a regular basis would be nice. She is now in her own room and I have a spare mattress next to her cot for difficult nights. Right now I can expect to be in there from 4am till 6:30am awake time.

Sakura and her friend Jackson watching a show together. 

I still have my Pathways class every week. The math is still really simple and easy for me so I find I get a little bored in class. It is still good to get a refresher course in algebra and it makes me feel good when I remember it's something I am good at. The best part about the class has been the book review as I chose to re-read the Barefoot Investor book. After doing the budget for class and the other material I am reading I am really motivated to get better at managing our finances! We just don't have a good plan for saving money.

Matt has a variable income which always makes it hard to budget, but we have always had enough to cover any expenses without carefully watching every purchase. Well that may change because one of his major clients went under liquidation and they owed us approximately $11,000. We are lucky this didn't destroy us as I have checked every avenue and it is likely we will never see any of that money. This did really hit our plans for visiting family and some other household items we were hoping to replace. To my surprise, my mom decided she would pay for us to come visit for Sakura's 1st birthday in exchange for Matt helping paint their house. Matt's family was also willing to chip in so we could make sure to visit them as well. We have been blessed despite the huge loss to the company. After all, we could have been the unfortunate company that paid a $30,000 deposit for their fitout only to lose it all and get no work done.

Well June should be interesting as Matt leaves to Japan with his siblings to hopefully connect with some unknown relatives and tour around. He will be gone four 11 days so it will be just me, Sakura and the cat. In case you are wondering how Shade is doing with mobile Sakura, see the short video below (I couldn't load the full version).

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Life has been quite busy since my last post. My schedule often gets so packed with errands and things that I have had to cut back on scheduled events. Feeling busy is good though!

The second week of March I attended a Program for Integrated Perinatal Peer Support (PIPPS) that was for five days split over two weeks. The training covered multiple elements where parents can help support each other particularly during the perinatal period. We discussed Neuroprotective Development Care – research based postnatal care that is an approach looking at the mum’s health, breastfeeding, sensory environment, sleep, etc. Two days were specifically on mental health first aid and you get a certificate of completion at the end. We also discussed Acceptance Commitment Therapy and how we can be a support to others. It was fantastic! There were about 12-14 mum’s and many of us had bubs under a year old and were participating while entertaining babies at the same time. It was amazing how we managed full days with babies and yet it didn’t seem like a hindrance at all. The environment was such that no one was bothered if a baby was a bit loud or distracting, and we were very respectful of different opinions. Sakura loved spending time with all the kids and the midwives on hand. For naps I would just put her in the wrap and pace back and forth while participating. I learned a lot as well and I hope this will be a good opportunity for me to get involved in the mental health industry while I wait for the right opportunity to complete my graduate degrees in Psychology.

Most of the month was spent doing errands. My awesome doctor decided to close his practice, so I had to find another doctor and separate osteopath to replace him. Additionally, Matt and I planned to go to Sydney, so we can get Matt’s work items in storage there and to apply for Sakura’s US passport at the U.S. Consulate (there isn’t one in QLD). We first needed to buy a work vehicle that could carry all the items. One day Matt randomly stopped at a dealer on the way home and found a decent truck that met all the criteria. Luckily, I was able to look up the details while he took it for a test drive and confirm the price was good and if there was anything negative listed for the registration number. It was all good! My favourite moment was that Matt said he just though “What would Shanna do?” and decided to pray about it before going forward with the sale. I had to get a competing quote to get the best loan detail but, in the end, everything worked out. I got roof racks installed which involved me walking around with Sakura in the pram for a couple of hours till it was done. At least for that I was near a shopping centre, but when I got the truck serviced it was an industrial area and very hot! I bought a fan for the pram ages ago and I’m pretty sure that was the only reason Sakura wasn’t cranky for the long walk.

Sakura and Finley at the baby show

Other events in March included going to the Baby Show and a friend’s baby shower. Both were fun and more great opportunities for Sakura to be out and about with people. The best thing that happened though was that I started Sakura in childcare. I toured a few places nearby and one just felt right. When I toured the educator happily had Sakura join the other babies while the Director showed me around and answered any questions. The place felt calm and as a bonus they even have some animals that the kids can interact with on occasion. They are just up the road, so it is about a 15-minute walk. This has been such an awesome decision for me. I knew I needed somebody to watch Sakura, so I could keep up with Matt’s business administration needs, but I worried that because Sakura wasn’t vaccinated no childcare place would take her. The government won’t help with childcare payment for unvaccinated children as well, so it is about $97 a day. Since I pay for the full day regardless, I decided I would just do one day a week from 8am – 5pm. Sakura loves it! She is so happy, loves the other kids and different toys, and is always ready for a nap when I take her home. This has allowed her to get lots of socialization while I get to catch up on work and other tasks that need to get done. I finally have a balance between time as a mom and me time. It’s been a huge blessing because many other areas people are on waiting lists for 12 months before getting a spot in a childcare location. Also, this location is quite flexible because sometimes I will need to switch up days or add another day to meet needs and they are able to accommodate that. By doing this I finally feel I have a better balance of feeling like myself and a mom.

April has flown by. We didn’t do anything for Easter other than eat a nice breakfast. I can’t even remember what it was though. As Sakura gets older we will be do more I think. That weekend we watched General Conference. Matt had to work so I watched on the TV at home with Sakura. Last conference I painted a picture. This year that seemed like a difficult task with Sakura, so I used Fresh Paint, the app on my Surface. I wasn’t very good, but it did help me pay attention and it was easy to switch between apps to take notes. Here are just a few of my favourite quotes from Conference:

"Repentance is His Plan, knowing that we will fail." Lynn G. Robbins 

"Failure is an opportunity, rather than a tragedy." Lynn G. Robbins 

"Service opens a window by which we understand the life and ministry of Christ" M. Russell Ballard 

"Meekness is strong, not weak; active, not passive; courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive; modest, not self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash. A meek person is not easily provoked, pretentious, or overbearing and readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others." David A. Bednar 

"Family relationships can be some of the most rewarding yet challenging experiences we encounter." Dale G. Renlund 

"We can pray to our Heavenly Father and receive guidance and direction, be warned about dangers and distractions, and be enabled to accomplish things we simply could not do on our own. If we will truly receive the Holy Ghost and learn to discern and understand His promptings, we will be guided in matters large and small." Russell M. Nelson

Matt and I completed the first Pathways class “Life Skills” on the 12^th. It was nice to finally have a break after that, but I am already missing all the readings since so much of it was old conference talks and applying what they taught. I just completed my first week of the Math’s class and I can tell it will be a difficult one. It is mostly basic math that you would apply in everyday situations and for managing your own personal finances. The math itself isn’t difficult (so far anyway), but it seems the time requirement has gone up a level. Our first week we were supposed to create flashcards for addition up to 15+15 and multiplication up to 15x15. Then we took tests that we needed to complete within a certain timeframe. Again, not extremely difficult but it is time consuming. I often feel that as I have a good basis in math and a lot of study experience it shouldn’t take me as long, but the time commitment of about 6-8 hours per week applies no matter what level of experience you have. Oh well.

We had some fun events in April like the Ward Movie night, a friend’s baptism, Sakura's first beach trip, a YSA cottage evening, and an engagement party. Although night activities are always difficult because Sakura is very tired, I was able to keep her happy enough to enjoy getting out and socializing.

Sakura at the YSA activity

Redcliffe Beach

Coastal Bay Motel

 The biggest event in April was our trip to Sydney. We left early Tuesday morning to drive South to Sydney. To our surprise Sakura slept A LOT! She slept 3-4 hours till we stopped for her next feed. Even though we only spent 30 minutes to 1 hour she would go back to sleep within an hour of driving again. We stopped in Coffs Harbour for the night and ate at Pizza Vino which was a fantastic Italian restaurant. As you might expect, that night was a real struggle. Sakura and I shared a bed, and Matt had his own bed. Sakura screamed for a large part of the night and I struggled to get her to sleep for more than an hour at a time. At least the second part of our drive she slept plenty again and that night she was back to normal. I wasn’t prepared for how cold it was in Sydney! The day was fine, but nights were freezing, and I had packed nothing warm for Sakura or myself. Luckily our first night our friend’s Brock and Kaytlin gave me some jackets for Sakura.

We stayed with our friend’s Josie and Lachie and I wasn’t sure if the babies would keep each other up. Luckily our room was on the opposite side of the house and I couldn’t hear a thing from their end. Josie and I discovered that our night wakeups seemed to be about the same anyway. We had lots of fun with baby Jett and Sakura together. Jett is about 8 weeks younger I believe and is a tank! Sakura is a little longer and as she is a little farther in development, Jett had no issues with her always grabbing his hand and shoving it in her mouth.

Our main purpose for going to Sydney was to get Sakura’s US Passport sorted (there isn’t a US embassy in Queensland) as well as get rid of Matt’s work storage in Macquarie Park. I only knew the day before that we were going so I was lucky I was able to schedule an appointment in time to do the passport. As the day arrived however it seemed all went south. We drove to the train station and to our surprise the whole carpark was full. Josie and I waited with bubs in prams as the boys tried to find a place to park and we missed our train. Knowing there wasn’t much I could do about it I wasn’t too stressed, but I tried to call on the train to notify them. What I discovered was that I had booked the appointment for the wrong week! I decided we would go anyway and see if there was anything that could be done. We took our time and grabbed a bite to eat before going to the consulate. To our surprise they let us in and we were still able to apply! You can’t take bags, prams, or electronics in, so Josie and Lachie watched our stuff while we did the application interview. Matt said it felt like we were criminals with all the police and security checks. I didn’t care, but I was a bit worried when we were waiting for the final step and Sakura did a massive poo, but I had no diaper bag to change it. We all survived and it’s complete.

As for Matt’s storage, we spent one day packing the whole truck up with the water Matt had stored and delivered it to friends. The second day we completely filled it again with the rest of his work stuff. I managed to help by wearing Sakura on my back in the ergo carrier. She quickly fell asleep despite all the movement and noise I was making tearing down a metal shelving unit. She is such a cutie!

The best part of this trip was of course visiting friends. We were only there for a few days so we didn’t have much time, but we visited who we could. Brock and Kaytlin were just about to leave to the U.S. so we got to see them our first night before they left. We got to see a much older Ronan and Leila. Ronan has tons of energy and I’m sure Sakura would have loved that more if she hadn’t already been tired from our long journey. After that we visited Dean and Crystal and I’m only sad it was late and we were all a bit too tired. We got to see Dean later as we dropped off water at least. Later in the week we visited Jon and Angie and their two daughters. Sakura LOVED their daughter Rochelle. They spent quite a bit of time jumping on the couch, which took a toll on my arms holding on to Sakura. We fed Sakura some applesauce with dinner at their place and later that night I breastfed her before leaving and she had a massive vomit! It was probably around 60ml or more and I’m just glad I kept it mostly on me and not all over their couch. I had spare clothes for Sakura and a spare shirt for me, but I had to sit in the car smelling like vomit for 45 minutes before I could take a good shower. Matt still thinks this was the highlight of the whole trip for some reason.

Sakura, Leila, and Ronan

Sakura, Rochelle, and Cadence

This was prior to leaving so just imagine this but worse at Jon & Angie's

Our drive back was just as easy as the drive there although we did have a couple of times where Sakura was really fussy. I solved this by playing animusic videos on my phone and clipping it to her car seat. This time we had a much better night in Coffs Harbour and I got sufficient sleep. The best was some of our stops along the way where Sakura could play in the grass and explore a bit. We also slept better on the way back because we had a pillow and blankets from storage to lay on.

Outside the Royal Federal Hotel in Braxton

Dinner at the Coffee Club

Ibis Budget Hotel in Coffs Harbour

The irony of this trip is that I wanted to get Sakura’s passport as quickly as possible so that when my grandpa dies I could go to his funeral and perhaps stay visiting family for a while. He died this weekend.  I guess I just wasn’t meant to go to the U.S. right now.  I’m happy all of my grandparents are in a much happier and peaceful place with their spouses, but I am sad I no longer have any living grandparents. My grandpa did write a book about his life, but here is a short 3 page biography for anyone interested. The full autobiography is a bit jumbled and overly detailed in places for my liking, so I haven’t gotten far. Some day I will finish it. He was an amazing and intelligent man. He helped me with my first science fair project in which I went to regionals, and he helped me come up with some ideas for research while at Oregon State University. I’ll always remember how he loved family history, technology, old records, and eating his cake in a bowl with milk. I hope to help digitize all of his family history work someday.

I’m happy to be back home now where the weather is significantly warmer and I don’t freeze at night. Wednesday the 25^th of April was ANZAC day of which we did nothing for really. Matt spent the day cleaning and consolidating the garage with all the stuff from Sydney. I went to King’s beach in the afternoon and Sakura got to spend a little time wading in the ocean. She hated it at first, but after spending the time watching the waves, then standing in the sand, then letting the water get on her feet, she was happy to have the water get to her waist. 

Later on, Friday I went with my friend Cate to the Gold Coast to visit our friend David and Racheal from Sydney. They were staying at the Gold Coast for Supernova and so it was great that we could meet them there and have some time catching up. We both actively tried to convince them to move to Queensland. Unfortunately, Cate is South Brisbane and I live in North Brisbane. Maybe they will move in the middle somewhere?

David and Racheal with Sakura and Finley at Crepe Addicts in the Gold Coast

Well it has been a very full on couple of months. I am often quite busy but happy for the most part. Sakura is 6 months old today and is very close to crawling! My brother comes to visit this week and he is determined to help her achieve that milestone while here. My next blog should have a lot going on!

Taken with Josie's much superior camera