First Father’s Day with our adopted son: Plus DIY Gifts

Dad Son's Feet 2018

Life changes and with that we shall adapt

Not my normal post style for my ostomy blog but life has changed and so everything must adapt, I haven’t been as “ostomy” active but I do still blog via an alternate account @insideoutlet so instead of staying dormant, I shall start to share some of these fun things with you. Let’s start with four days back and my husband’s first fathers day!

1st Father’s Day

In Australia it is the second day of Spring and the 1st Sunday, so today we celebrate Father’s Day, it’s rather special for us as it is also the first Father’s Day for my husband @shai-hulud. Our 17-month-old son who is currently sleeping joined our family in June and has been a pleasure to watch and grow ever since.

Our Adoption Adventure.

Yes we are adopting! The fertility/baby thing is was too close to home. I have started to write about it many times only to end up in crying so to save myself the tears (happy and sad) and possibly electrocution, my amazeballs husband has not only wrote our story but expanded it beyond my original concept so with out further ado, our adoption story through the eyes of my husband and soon to be awesome sauce dad!

Note: You may want to get the tissues,, if your that way inclined, as even though I tried to save myself I still bawled as I read this.

Let the Adventure Begin!

IBD Awareness Month – Interview – Bag Lady Mumma – AKA Krystal Miller

With Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness month coming to an end, instead of sharing my story with you all again, I was lucky enough to get some time with one of the strongest kick arse people and bloggers I know, Krystal Miller, A.K.A Bag Lady Mama.

Like all of us she has had trying and triumph times and I am honored to count her among my friends and fellow survivors. I just love her way with words, jest for life and willing to break all the rules. Not to mention her awesome images and fun family.

So without further ado…

QV1 Urban Descent Perth

Better late than never! On Thursday 19th of April 2018 I completed one of the last super scary things I will do before becoming a mother, who know’s it may be my last every optional scary thing I do. I hear being a parent has some of its own hair-raising experiences, so I shall never say never.

I abseiled and ziplined down the Perth QV1 building, QV1 is the fourth tallest building in my hometown of Perth, at 40 storeys high and just over 160 meters (525 feet) its no small feat.

Throwing myself off a building, but lets start with a cliff…

QV1 building - Urban Decent Training

On Thursday, April 19th at 8am I will be abseiling down the QV1 building. QV1 is the fourth tallest building in my city of Perth, at 40 stories high and just over 160 meters (525 feet) its going to be no small feat.

As part of this annual fundraising event, you need to complete a training day to assess your skills and requirements for the day as well as familiarise you with the equipment you will be using on the day.

Love isn’t always shit free. The complications of dating with an ostomy!

Love rarely goes smoothly, chuck in chronic illness and an ostomy bag and you have this story.

Spoiler Alert: There is a happy ending as today is my five year anniversary to this amazeballs man and the reason I am sharing our adventure with you all again.

Although I wasn’t looking for love in the beginning, since receiving my ostomy at 26 it’s something that played on my mind. My delightful ex had wished me dead on the eve of my first surgery so my faith in the opposite sex was at an all-time low. That and I couldn’t even look at myself let alone love myself, so how could I expect anyone else too. The fear that I would never find someone who could love me like this was real.

Best Laid Plans

Monkey Business

Going back as far as I can remember I always wanted to travel the world, there wasn’t a continent not on my dreams list. As a family we never stayed put in one place for long, first living in an old bus that had been fitted out travelling around Australia getting home-schooled before settling down if you could call it that, moving house every six months to two years until I was old enough to take flight and step out on my own. At 19 I left my rental property, my boyfriend of three years, my job and my family with $50 AUD in my purse, a back pack and a sense of adventure, from that moment I was hooked on travel. I returned just over six months later to finish my accounting and finance degree with the knowledge that I could use those skills, making the world my oyster.

Dating with an ostomy

Dress Up Party

From single to wed, with a few hiccups along the way

This was never my face when I first through about dating with an ostomy.

Although I wasn’t actually looking for love in the beginning, it’s something that played on my mind. My charming ex had wished me dead on the eve of my first surgery so my faith in the opposite sex was at an all-time low and in the beginning I couldn’t even look at myself let alone love myself, so how could I expect anyone else too. The fear that I would never find someone who could love me like this was real and being recently single with a stoma was the most daunting thing ever. My mother tried to keep me positive, even to the point of buying me a wedding dress and a cot, all with that best intentions but it all just reminded me of everything I thought I would never have the chance to have again.

Ostomy Awareness

Ostomy Awareness

What is an ostomy?

An ostomy is a surgically created opening, where a portion of the intestine is pulled through the abdominal wall to create a stoma. A stoma simply means an opening or mouth. The part of the intestine pulled through, along with the waste it diverts from the damaged part of the intestine decides the type of ostomy. The stoma itself has no never endings so it does not hurt, this, however, is not the same for the skin around the stoma, which can sometimes sting if the right appliance is not found. Someone with an ostomy can be referred to as an ostomate or in the case of having two ostomies a double bagger. Ostomies can be permanent or temporary depending on your condition and how it came about.