This One, Baby Moo So Far

Family photo, myself as a baby and my 4 older siblings <3 font="">

BABY MOO2 (current) SO FAR:

I felt no hesitation in telling friends and family, but wanted to keep this pregnancy from going "public" for as long as I could. (read: public = Facebook & blog). I felt the need to protect my baby and my own emotional state from prying acquaintances asking me how I was.

I found out a few weeks later than I could have, but as I wasn't regular, and so far had no pregnancy symptoms (except if you count craziness), I had no idea how far along I was. Because of that I got a dating scan (seriously, I had no idea), and was guttered to find out I was only 8 weeks. I thought I could have been anywhere up to 13 weeks, and thought maybe I was blessed and had skipped through that first trimester without morning sickness.

When I told MrMoo he was going to be a Daddy again he responded with "I know".

The sickness hit. I prayed hard. It stopped. I was terrified. Then it resumed a few days later but on a much lesser more manageable scale.

In hindsight I can now see that having a toddler through morning sickness is a blessing, it meant I constantly had snacks around and was eating regular meals at regular times.

Milla learnt to eat with her spoon after having a mummy dashing to the bathroom regularly.

I didn't spew once in our toilet. I couldn't bear the thought of sticking my head down there.

I thought my morning sickness was so different to my previous pregnancy and therefore I was probably likely to have a boy. I can see now that it was mostly my situation that had changed (no ear infection, constant snacking and meals with the toddler) rather than the actual sickness. Until a few weeks ago I was convinced I was having a boy, but after a night of dreams where I had two little girls I woke up convinced this baby is a girl.

Before our first I didn't know what it meant to love a child, then I worried I couldn't love another like I do her. Now I know, love is infinite, it just keeps growing. I already love this baby so completely. 

We have our anatomy scan tomorrow, and I am so excited to see this little kicking baby who is stretching me out all over again.

Please pray for us and the wellbeing of our family xxx

Prayer Monday

Right now I have 13 brown papered boxes taking up my dinning table. Brown though they are they are filled with excitement and joy. They are waiting. Not quite yet ready to send. They are missing something.

Tonight, God told me what that was.

Don't stop reading there. If you are here from The Sisterhood, you see, I don't really know what you believe. I might be treading on toes here. I might put some people out.

But you need to understand: This is Gods thing. Not mine, not yours. Late that night in January as I sat on my bed crying, I was talking to God. "Why!? Why is it like this?" and he gave me the idea. He planted that seed. He told me to love other people, the most powerful thing I could ever do with my life.

So I began to love others. Not just emotionally, but physically as well. I learnt to express my love through an action, and somehow other people liked this idea.

This is why you're here. Some how you found out about The Sisterhood and you thought "thats a good idea". Lots of you have emailed me saying how wonderful I am. Every time I hear that I thank God. "Thank you for using me" I say. Because this isn't my thing, its His, and He is using me.

If you don't believe in God or anything like that, you might be sitting there getting angry. "But Sophie, I sent you 10 blocks of chocolate, how dare you thank god for that!?"

I do thank you, I thank you a lot. Thank you for hearing of this idea and responding. Responding takes a whole lot of courage and belief. For that I thank you. Thank you for being so courageous!

As to the success of The Sisterhood, its motivation, its heart, its inspiration, I thank God for that.

(Let me make myself really clear. You don't need to believe in God to be part of The Sisterhood (or to receive anything from us), but you need to know that -I- do. If you're cool with that, keep reading!)

So tonight, as I was in Church, worshipping, which I have not done in so long. Not really. I've been in church a lot. Every weekend. But its very hard to connect when you have a baby at your feet, or when you're looking after 4 babies in a different room. Tonight we had a baby sitter and I was able to go to church alone with hubby. I reached out my hands and released everything.

Amongst it all I heard God tell me "Hold off sending those gifts. You need to pray for my daughters first"


Gurgle gurgle. Okay God. If you say so! (Of course we need to. How could I forget!?)

I am now declaring the day of Monday our LOVEBOMB prayer day. 


If you are of the praying type (or if you'd like to give it a go), please spend time on Monday praying for these amazing, strong, daughters of God: Our Sisters.

Print off this post - stick it on your computer at work, your fridge at home, on the front of your folder. Take it with you, invest, love, speak.

• Oprah, pray for her little son who has received multiple surgeries and is only a new born. Pray for his care, the health of his parents and the love they have together. Pray for joy.

• Pray for Madonna and her family, for finances for their little girls surgeries, pray her and hubby could continue to love, and pray that God would give them strength amongst these tiring years.

• Pray for Gweneth. I hear laughter and love coming from her home. Please pray that God would lift her up, he would carry her amongst her daily life. I feel that Gweneth is a real rock for those around her. Thank God for that.

• Pray for Angelina, her children and her little angels. Finances, love, provision, and safety. Pray that she and her spirit could be 'safe' in herself. Allow for truth in her life and a complete dose of Gods love for his children, big and small ones.

• Pray for Elle for to receive the support she needs. Thank God for who she is, a strong single mother who loves her community. Give her resources to love more and opportunities to be loved on.

• Pray for Audrey. An amazing mother who loves and loves and gives and gives. We received multiple nominations for Audrey. Pray that she would know she is loved and noticed. Pray that God would provide for her and her family physically, emotionally and spiritually.

• Pray for Suri. Peace, understanding, acceptance, joy, love. Anything and everything. Just pray for Suri and her whole family.

• Pray for Adele and her husband. Pray for their joy, their love and their hearts. Ask God to protect them and keep them. 

• Pray for Beyonce. Pray for an abundance of patience, energy, strength and love. Pray that God would show her how precious she is, just like her little girl, Pray that she would see Gods love in those little eyes.

• Pray for Jennifer*, that she would feel love from the most unlikely places, help her to experience joy in her daily moments and for strength to last the days

• Pray for Lisa's* health and happiness, pray she would know God and receive healing for her sickness, 

• Pray for Cynthia* and her family, thank God for her and ask that He would reveal His great love of her to her. In the day to day pray that she would know of His presence. 

• Pray for Little Sweetie* A life time of love, understanding and acceptance. Comfort for her and her family in these times and safety for her mind. Pray that the right people would be around her family and the right provisions and opportunities would be in place to keep the family together. 

* New additions to our LOVE BOMB

Also, pray that all of these ladies would find a blessing in our LOVE BOMB, pray that it would come at a great time for them, a perfect moment to show Gods love to them. Allow them to believe that someone out there, a 'stranger' could love them. 

Lets do it. Will you join me? Leave a comment to let me know you're in! (It would be lovely to know I'm not alone)

Thank you for getting this far, you courageous woman you.

READ MORE:

Our Love Bomb
Meet the ladies of this Love Bomb

We'll be sending the LOVE BOMBs on Tuesday, after our day of prayer.

For Monday, I will be praying too. No organising, no blogging, no opening late parcels or ordering freight. Just loving our ladies 

Healing Souls

Just a cute photobooth picture - this girl has me completely smitten and in love

I believe giving to others can heal their souls.

 As well as meeting physical needs giving can also meet emotional needs. Like I've said, often times its less about the physical gift and more about the intention and heart behind it. It lets another know that they are not alone, there are people who care about them. Perhaps the gift is a sign that things can and will and are getting better.

In everything I do I want to be doing it with God. In every gift I give I want God to be in it because He is the greatest healer.

Some times this is a little bit tricky. I want everyone to be involved in The Sisterhood, I don't want for it to be an exclusive christian sisterhood. Its all inclusive. Anyone can give and anyone can receive. I know for sure that being generous is not limited to religious beliefs (although it can often help). That doesn't mean that God is not involved, even though I'm not saying "God bless you every chance I get"

I think God is much more subtle than that. He doesn't need me to throw his name down peoples throats. God can work and heal people without me even mentioning His name. Even though sometimes I do and sometimes I don't mention His name, he is in all and through all. He is in every bag of clothes, every dollar, every cup of coffee, even if the person donating them doesn't have a relationship with God, I do, and my prayer for the Sisterhood is that God would do something miraculous with the lives we are able to reach. And you know maybe just a smile is a miracle for that particular day. Every situation is different and I am honoured to be able to make a way for a miracle and an opporunity.

Our God is so big, so strong and so mighty there's nothing our God cannot do.

Like I said, it's an honour to be involved in this little initiative. Its an honour that God would use me to reach out to his people, Its an honour that you would trust me with your goods. It's humbling, consuming, fulfilling and every other 'ing' you could think of. This is more than "social justice". This is reaching ordinary people where they are and giving them a little bit of HOPE.

2 Admissions Later

I went into hospital yesterday for my minor procedure - just getting a piece of me cut off that had ripped during millas birth and was never stitched or healed properly. They put me first on the list because I played the breastfeeding card, I was appreciative. I only had local anasthetic so I was awake during the procedure.

I later told Graeme that walking into the theatre was like walking into Heaven (okay in hindsight that's not right. But thats what it felt like) As soon as I walked in everyone stopped what they were doing, turned and welcomed me with open arms. Litterally, "Sophie! Welcome! Come in! Are you warm?! Come over here! Its so lovely to see you!" Ah, I felt so special.

A lovely older nurse called Betty (aren't the best older ladies called Betty!?) held my hand and talked to me the whole way through. She had smilie stickers on her name badge. Aren't the best people-people those who have stickers on their badges?! During the procedure I thanked her so much for being there. She told me she had been a nurse forever. I said that I bet she had seen a thing or two. She revealed that she had been thinking of writing her experiences down. I said that if she ever did I would love to read her account. Thank you Betty :)

I'm a bit of a tank, took about 8 goes for the local to work. They kept cutting in and I could feel it :s Same with the stitches. Yeouch!

I went into Step Down, waited a little bit, had a bite to eat and then we left together. I felt good! I was exceptionally bubbly despite being a little numb down there.

We decided to go to Addington Co-Op - a great fair trade cafe in Christchurch that donates all of their profits to the communities that supply all of their coffee in the first place (isn't that freakin' awesome!??) and have some breakfast. It was still early in the morning and the whole process happened much faster than we had expected.

When we pulled up I noticed my leggings were soaked in blood. Oh oh. I got out the truck and gush. Blood. Everywhere. I dashed into the cafe, desperate to get to a toilet. It was aweful.

We made it back to the hospital where they quickly readmitted me and helped me clean up. Graeme dashed home to get me clean clothes. I had to sit on a big pad so they could measure how much blood was coming out. I could hear them on the phone "You have to come now, she's loosing too much"

Graeme was there. I felt dizzy and faint. I passed out, and then Betty was back in my face "Betty!" I was happy. She's nice. Graeme kissed me goodbye (Betty told him he could) and I was in a room signing consent forms and being asked if I could put my bottom teeth infront of my top teeth. I was told to open my eyes, Betty was next to me hand in hand again, and then I woke up.

A doctor was standing next to me and I found myself half way through a sentence telling him that my husband probably made that plastic wind-chime above my bed. "You know those flashing dairy signs? The ones that say open? Yeah. They actually import those" The doctor walked away. There I was, spilling my husbands biggest secrets.

The dramas were over. I was fixed up. What was so simple turned a little complicated, but doctors and surgeons are really good at their jobs. I am very very sore today so I will be resting.

Graeme spent the whole day looking after Camilla, she ended up missing out a milk feed because I was away but she coped really really well, as did Graeme. I'm so proud of them both :) Graeme is a great Daddy. Last night while he was feeding her dinner I heard him say in the kindest voice "You have to chew it nice and big baby" as if she understood. I mentioned it. "I think she can understand" he said. Urg, you are so kind!

I feel a bit silly posting this:
1) this all may be an overshare.
2) There are people going through much scarier things.
3) Its not really that huge of a deal. I posted on FB yesterday that I had been in hospital, people jump to such conclusions when you mention the H word. I am not sick! I am okay :) However, this is my blog, and this is a big deal for me this week.
4) While at the hospital I desperately wanted them to know that I had never been before. They all knew I had a baby, random nurses would pop in and tell me how cute she was, but I found people were assuming I her there. "What hospital did you give birth in?" "How long did you stay here after birth?" "Did you have any pain relief during your labour here?" . "Actually, I had a home birth" I said, swelling up with pride.

This may not actually make sense. I'm a little doped up on codine, the good stuff.

Thank you so much to those who text me saying they were praying for me. I read those just as I was rushing back to hospital. They helped :)

Loving and Hope

On that fateful night when I raised my hand to declare "I have nothing left to lose" I was doing so because I needed something. Anything. Anything must be better than nothing, I thought.

Now I have something. Actually, I have so much. It seems like in the last few years without me realising, I have gained everything.

Having everything naturally causes me to want to hold on tighter. To grasp what I have and to never let go. My faith, my Church, my Husband, my Daughter. Life. I have life, that is a celebration!! I cannot fear it. Fear is no way to live. Fear is not life. Infact, my real life starts after this one. 

Kirsty commented on my post and said that "motherhood is a slow journey of letting go" She couldn't be more right.

Being a Christian has taught me that I should hold on to what God gives me, but not so tightly he can't do anything with it, and not so losely that I drop it.

Last week here in Canterbury a teenager lost her life in a tragedy. You might have seen it in the news. She belonged to our Church and on Sunday her whole family came to our evening service to meet the people who she so often spoke about. Her family were celebrating her. It grieved me to see their tears for their little girl, gone too soon, but it also brought me hope to know that life is here to live.

And for us, this life is not the end. We just pray that our little girl will experience that same hope. 

The Sisterhood

In all of our excess we have been to the petrol station twice in the last week to fill up our [new] car. The same station, different staff. The first visit I sat in the passenger seat while Graeme filled up and ran inside to pay. A member of the staff hobbled infront of our car, he was using a walking crutch and had $20 clutch tightly in his palm. Hobbling one-tenth of Graeme's speed. I wept. A man with such a disability being forced to work on the forecourt. It seemed unjust, unfair. Didn't he have anyone to take care of him? He should be home, resting. Who knows what is wrong with him!? I was angry at the world.

The second incident, I went inside to pay. The man behind the counter was missing an arm. I wept. I didn't feel pity this time, instead I felt a surge of joy. These people are being hired. I know. It sounds so crude of me to think that. But that is what I thought.

It seems that ever since my pregnancy I can't help but notice and feel.

Last week I had a phone call from my Mother to inform me that my brother had not eaten in days. He had no money. Nothing. And he was starving. Did I mention that he had the flu? He did. I wept. I've never seen him so happy to see me as I rushed to his home with groceries in hand.

As I sit here in bed, a little bit sleep deprived and high on emotions and hormones I am furious at the world. How is it that my own brother could live in such poverty (my own freaking brother!??)!? I was angry. And then I thought, if its happening in my own family, here in first world New Zealand, it must be happening in your circles too? (or is it just me?)



I am realising more and more how blessed I am how much excess I live in.

Aren't we blogging sisters? Aren't we in excess of gifts and talents and time and energy and creativity? Aren't we able to help others?

I figure there will be at least 2 types of people reading this.

1) You feel angry like me and want to do something about it. Perhaps you could fufill a need for a fellow Sister?

2) You are in need of your Sisters help, or you know of someone who is.

Maybe its financial. Maybe its not. Maybe you just need a break from the kids, or you just really need that phone bill paid, or you really need a date with your Man.

I don't know who and I don't know how, but perhaps in my wildest dreams this could be a forum to open up and share some gifts. To be honest I don't know what we can achieve, but I know that we wont achieve anything without putting it out there.

You are my Sisterhood. You're invited. Come and be blessed or come and lend a hand. Isn't that what we're here for?

Email me. sophieslim@moo2.co.nz

I really want to hear from you. About anything. 

Our Home

This afternoon we go and view 3 more houses for rent for our little [but expanding] family.

I am so thankful to the Mutus for having us stay for the last 4 months, it has really helped us out a lot while our finances and futures seemed uncertain and gave us a reprieve to get everything in order. Now things are coming together we are looking for our own place.

I can't wait to have our massive sofa to sit on, or our red spotted mugs that are the perfect drinking size. I am looking forward to having my dresser back so I can display all of my pretty scarves and necklaces again, or to have our winter clothes out of storage. I can't wait for Graeme to finish work and come home to his own home where he can rest and zonk. I can't wait to vaccum and clean my own shower, and have pretty flowers in the toilet and on the dining table. We can have people over when ever we like, they can make a mess, and I can clean it up, knowing we all had a great time.  I can't wait to have regular connect groups, and stop inviting myself over to other peoples homes. I can't wait to have space for our life.


Hopefully these houses tonight will prove to be just what we are after. If you're of the praying type, would you join us in our mission to find *our* home. We would really appreciate that.

Hopefully we'll be hosting you for a home warming soon! :D

A Prayer Book

I have been feeling a huge calling to prayer recently. I think that prayer is essential and important in any christians life, but some times I go through seasons of being more desperate in my prayer life and God becomes more real in it. Now is one of those times.

Yesterday I made myself a prayer book and dedicated a page in it to most people I know and wrote down all of the prayer needs I could think of. I am gradually making my way through it and will use it in the future for when I'm not feeling so inspired to pray.

Now I just need a pretty cover for it :)

4 YEARS LATER EDIT:: Writing this in 2014, I recently found this book and went through it, only to discover that e.v.ery.sin.gle prayer had been answered!!! Thank you God!