My "choosing the 'right' hospital" saga continued today. I had booked to go on the official tour of other hospital (the one I am considering switching to). So I decided to leave early and catch the train into the city with DeepSpice so that BallFiend could experience what dad does when he goes to work.
Needless to say, BallFiend loved it. Oh, the excitement of a trip on a train (including picking the grotty crumbs out from the gap between the seats!), going into the office where his dad works (and pointing out the big computers) and then a bit sight-seeing around town (where every two seconds had BallFiend asking "What's that?" and pointing at some mundane thing like a sign or a verandah). Two-and-a-bit year olds really are cheap to entertain.
We wandered through a major shopping centre and went into a large department store where BallFiend saw "Thomas the Train". Then we stopped by the Library for a quick coffee with The Librarian. BallFiend had a babycino and played with the table number sign. Afterwards, we still had some time to kill before I was due at the hospital for the tour so we dropped into the Experimedia area and read a couple of stories (Hugo, the flying firefighter by Lorette Broekstra and Mr McGee and the Big Bag of Bread by Pamela Allen). Then I discovered that BallFiend still had the table-number from the cafe, so stopped back there to drop it off.
Then off to the hospital. BallFiend delighted in a short tram trip. We arrived at the hospital with nearly half an hour to spare, so I dropped into the childcare centre on the off-chance that they might be able to mind BallFiend for an hour or so. As it turned out, they had a place available. So I quickly filled in the 4-page enrolment form (!), including the section on which GP to contact for health concerns (it should be noted that the childcare centre is about 100 metres along a concourse that connects the maternity hospital to one of the major public hospitals in the city and therefore a trip to the emergency department would take all of 5 minutes!). I said goodbye to BallFiend and went off to meet the tour.
Whilst waiting for the tour, I bumped into NurseLynn, who had been my local maternal and child health nurse when BallFiend was a baby (she retired about a year ago). It was nice to see her again. I had thought about her several times since I got pregnant and wished I could see her again to tell her, because she was always really good to me and interested in whether I was going to have a number 2. (Incidentally, when I was on the tram on the way home again some hours later, I saw her again walking along the street. Weird seeing her twice in one day after a year of not at all!)
The tour was informative and the midwife who led it was very friendly and nice... although had some bad jokes! It was quite different to the informal tour I did with my midwife friend a few weeks ago. Even though what I saw was much the same, the information the midwife gave was much more detailed. I still didn't get to see inside a shared room though. So I am still in a dilemma of whether to switch hospitals or not!! This is getting really frustrating.
Anyway, after the tour, I collected BallFiend and was pleased to find out that the childcare was free as I was a patient at the hospital! Then we headed for the tram and I clambered aboard, backpack on my back and lugging a folded-up pram in one hand and helped my toddler climb up the enormous tram steps with the other hand. Meanwhile various passengers watched me and smiled at my 'so cute' little boy. I would have preferred that they got up and offered to help. We weren't the bloody hired entertainment of the day!
Finally nearly home, I managed to get BallFiend, myself and all our luggage off the tram (again, no offers of assistance from other passengers) and we set off home. I stopped by the GP to collect my 20 week ultrasound referral (which I requested about 3 weeks ago and still hadn't gotten around to collecting yet!) and then finally made it home.
After ensuring BallFiend didn't need any food or drink, I put the TV on the kids channel, set him up on his little couch with his dummy and 'blankie' and then collapsed on the couch myself. Even though BallFiend didn't sleep, I still got to nap and rest for about 90 mins! And I really needed it too!!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Buck's Night
One week after the Hen's Night for CutLuce, the obligatory Buck's Night for DesignerMonkey rolled around. This time it was DeepSpice's turn to be dragged into various drunken misadventures all in the name of 'living it up one last time before being shackled for eternity to the love of one's life'. (In contrast, I got to go out for nice and civilised -- although sadly alcohol-free for me -- dinner party at Gran and GrandPaul's house with several other friends who I had not seen for some time.)
Personally, I don't understand the whole Hen's / Buck's night thing. If you are voluntarily and willingly marrying the one you love, surely it is contradictory to have a wild night out so you can engage in all those things you are supposedly going to have to give up. If you feel you are giving something up, then why get married?
Anyway, DeepSpice drank a few beers, had a few good conversations (many with Wigward apparently) and generally participated in the 'sociological experiences' that typically occur when a Buck's night pub crawl bumps into a Hen's night pub crawl.
As DeepSpice left with Wigward at about 11.30 pm, the others were allegedly egging DesignerMonkey on to his next challenge: to pole-dance on the steps of Parliament House. Interesting... last time I looked there weren't really any poles as such outside Parliament House.
I got home from my dinner engagement (child-free for a night as BallFiend was staying over at Gran and GrandPaul's), then promptly had to drive out again to collect DeepSpice as the buses had stopped running for the night and the tram had only got him half-way home.
Personally, I don't understand the whole Hen's / Buck's night thing. If you are voluntarily and willingly marrying the one you love, surely it is contradictory to have a wild night out so you can engage in all those things you are supposedly going to have to give up. If you feel you are giving something up, then why get married?
Anyway, DeepSpice drank a few beers, had a few good conversations (many with Wigward apparently) and generally participated in the 'sociological experiences' that typically occur when a Buck's night pub crawl bumps into a Hen's night pub crawl.
As DeepSpice left with Wigward at about 11.30 pm, the others were allegedly egging DesignerMonkey on to his next challenge: to pole-dance on the steps of Parliament House. Interesting... last time I looked there weren't really any poles as such outside Parliament House.
I got home from my dinner engagement (child-free for a night as BallFiend was staying over at Gran and GrandPaul's), then promptly had to drive out again to collect DeepSpice as the buses had stopped running for the night and the tram had only got him half-way home.
Animal Farm
Yesterday, PetitAmi celebrated her third birthday at the children's farm. BallFiend, DeepSpice and I and joined other members of VolubleK's family and friends to partake in:
It was incredibly cute watching BallFiend and PetitAmi with the guinea pigs. BallFiend was so gentle when he patted his guinea pig, his hand barely made contact with her fur.
--
- the patting of goats and cows;
- the sighting of horses, chooks, ducks, geese and various other poultry;
- the stepping-over of horse shit;
- the eating of a picnic lunch and donut-birthday-cake; and
- highlight of the day: holding, patting and feeding of guinea pigs...
It was incredibly cute watching BallFiend and PetitAmi with the guinea pigs. BallFiend was so gentle when he patted his guinea pig, his hand barely made contact with her fur.
--
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Hens Night
Saturday night was "the Hens" - that all important ritual in the wedding preparation when a bride is taken out on the town to get up to all kinds of mischief. As far as hens nights go, I think this one was quite tame and tasteful. But having never been to another one, I have nothing to compare it with.
My evening began at my house with CutLuce and Miss Jo arriving around 5 pm so we could head out together (I got to be the designated driver because of the whole not-drinking-when-pregnant thing). I was happy to take a tram but Miss Jo had access to free parking in the city so talked me into driving. (In hindsight I think the tram would have been much easier than driving in the City on a Saturday night, and would have taken half the travel time. Here endeth Lesson One.)
We started off at a venue with a groovy little bar for cocktails, then went into their restaurant area for a set-menu dinner. I had a 'mocktail' and watched everyone else drink their fancy cocktails... except for our Hen, who played it safe and went with bubbles. Dinner choices included Barramundi, Chicken, Lamb Shanks or a vegetarian risotto. Everyone had Barra, except myself and DesignerSis who had Chicken and one other in the party who had the Lamb. All meals were beautifully presented and rather tasty. (Although the chicken was not served with any vegies, just lentils. Not the best thing to be digesting later in the evening when one is out in public. Here endeth Lesson Two.)
In keeping with the custom of making a hen wear a ridiculous costume and perform silly tasks, during dinner, our Hen was progressively kitted out in her outfit for the evening:
Our pimp-of-the-night was christened 'Juicy Mama Lucy' and given the task of selling off all the girls in the hen's party over the course of the night (Hell Money provided as part of the costume to ensure that willing purchasers of our services would have access to loans should they require it). She started out by giving everyone their working girl names while we tucked into our dessert (a choice of pannacotta,very very rich chocolate tart, or affogato). Then, the first 'sale' of the evening was made to a 'gentleman' at the next table.
Around 10 pm, left the restaurant for our next stop: a karaoke joint. As we were leaving the bar, a few more girls were sold off to a bouncer and various passers-by.
DesignerSis and her sister-outlaw and I went to get the car and drive it up closer to the karaoke venue, The walk back to the car was only 2 blocks, but I was very glad to change out of my low heels and into flat shoes at this point. The rest of our party walked to the karaoke venue (5 blocks in their high heels!). Here endeth Lesson Three.
Finding a new parking spot at the northern end of the City was looking impossible and we had just about given up when DesignerSis spotted a great park in what is a loading zone during the day. We only had to walk about a block-and-a-half to the karaoke place and found the others waiting in the foyer for our private room to be cleaned. About 10 minutes later we were ushered upstairs, past boxy room after boxy room, the muffled sounds of karaoke music wafting through the air. The whole place reminded me of band rehearsal studios, but full of asian karaoke enthusiasts instead of metal-head guitarists and sleazy drummers. I noticed a sign on the wall "you are responsible for cleaning up any vomit in your room" and my sense of impending doom increased.
Our room had couches around the sides, coffee tables in the middle, a wall-mounted projector, four microphones and a computer in the corner for song-selection. The first round of drinks was ordered -- a few bottles of bubbles, and a lemonade for me -- and the singing and dancing began. The rest of the party continued along similar lines, with a series of smokers coming and going every few songs and a funny interlude when CutLuce was ordered to go to another room and convince a man to come in and join us for a song. She succeeded in dragging 'Fred' back into our room where he obliged with a sexy dance.
Around 11.30 pm, I stepped out for a toilet break and to phone DeepSpice and see how he was going. I was desperately tired at this point and just wanted to go home, but felt that I should stay in case anyone needed driving home.
An hour and a half into our two-hour booking, I was told to make sure I kept ordering drinks as the drinks are included in the room booking. It was at this point I realised just how much the place charges: $460 for the room for 2 hours and this included a $300 drinks tab. Sure, the prices of the drinks were ridiculously expensive (like $40 for a bottle of Australian sparking wine that would probably be $12 in a bottle shop), but even so, for 10 or 12 women to drink their way through a tab of that size is physiologically impossible! Apart from being a rip-off, it was very disheartening to see a venue encouraging binge drinking in this way.
At 12.30 pm, a final round of drinks arrived (Midori and lemonade) and our time was up. CutLuce, Miss Jo and some others decided to go back to one of their homes and continue the night's festivities, so I was relieved of my chauffeuring duties. DesignerSis and her sister-out-law walked back to my car with me and I drove them to a location where they could flag a cab home. I was suddenly a little glad that I was driving. Cabs on a Saturday night can be hard to come by. Here endeth Lesson Four.
The drive home was 'eventful'. As I left the City and got into the 'burbs nearer home, I nearly ran down two very drunk guys who suddenly ran out across the road, leaving a brothel on one side and heading to a pub on the other. A large crowd of men were gathered on either side of the road -- either cheering them on or trying to pick a fight, I am not sure which. A few blocks further along, I saw a large crowd of drunken teenagers hanging around out the front of a non-descript shop front. Not sure what kind of party had been going on in there, but there were teenagers everywhere fighting, dancing, snogging and nearly falling onto the road. The drive home was really quite scary and I suddenly got a real sense of what police are talking about in recent media coverage of alcohol-related violence in the City at night.
I arrived home about 1.10 pm and found DeepSpice was still up, watching some old war movie whilst making his guitar effects pedals. Once in bed, I was too wired up to go straight to sleep (probably all that sugary soft drink), so I read for a while and then lay in the dark tossing and turning till about 3 am when I finally drifted off. I was awake again at 5.30 am when BallFiend started crying out for his dummy. Thankfully DeepSpice attended to this so I was able to sleep a bit more. Sometime around 7.30 am, BallFiend woke up and once again DeepSpice did the hard yards, getting BallFiend up, fed, dressed and keeping him entertained until I staggered out of bed at about 9.30 am.
Sunday was a complete write-off as I was too tired to do anything. I napped again at about 11.30 am, then again at about 3 pm. Finally around 5 pm I started to feel a bit more 'with it' and managed to stay up for dinner and a little TV before going to bed again.
Next weekend is the Bucks Night for DesignerMonkey. I can only hope that DeepSpice has a less exhausting time of it than my experience... though I suppose not being pregnant will be a bonus.
My evening began at my house with CutLuce and Miss Jo arriving around 5 pm so we could head out together (I got to be the designated driver because of the whole not-drinking-when-pregnant thing). I was happy to take a tram but Miss Jo had access to free parking in the city so talked me into driving. (In hindsight I think the tram would have been much easier than driving in the City on a Saturday night, and would have taken half the travel time. Here endeth Lesson One.)
We started off at a venue with a groovy little bar for cocktails, then went into their restaurant area for a set-menu dinner. I had a 'mocktail' and watched everyone else drink their fancy cocktails... except for our Hen, who played it safe and went with bubbles. Dinner choices included Barramundi, Chicken, Lamb Shanks or a vegetarian risotto. Everyone had Barra, except myself and DesignerSis who had Chicken and one other in the party who had the Lamb. All meals were beautifully presented and rather tasty. (Although the chicken was not served with any vegies, just lentils. Not the best thing to be digesting later in the evening when one is out in public. Here endeth Lesson Two.)
In keeping with the custom of making a hen wear a ridiculous costume and perform silly tasks, during dinner, our Hen was progressively kitted out in her outfit for the evening:
Our pimp-of-the-night was christened 'Juicy Mama Lucy' and given the task of selling off all the girls in the hen's party over the course of the night (Hell Money provided as part of the costume to ensure that willing purchasers of our services would have access to loans should they require it). She started out by giving everyone their working girl names while we tucked into our dessert (a choice of pannacotta,very very rich chocolate tart, or affogato). Then, the first 'sale' of the evening was made to a 'gentleman' at the next table.Around 10 pm, left the restaurant for our next stop: a karaoke joint. As we were leaving the bar, a few more girls were sold off to a bouncer and various passers-by.
DesignerSis and her sister-outlaw and I went to get the car and drive it up closer to the karaoke venue, The walk back to the car was only 2 blocks, but I was very glad to change out of my low heels and into flat shoes at this point. The rest of our party walked to the karaoke venue (5 blocks in their high heels!). Here endeth Lesson Three.
Finding a new parking spot at the northern end of the City was looking impossible and we had just about given up when DesignerSis spotted a great park in what is a loading zone during the day. We only had to walk about a block-and-a-half to the karaoke place and found the others waiting in the foyer for our private room to be cleaned. About 10 minutes later we were ushered upstairs, past boxy room after boxy room, the muffled sounds of karaoke music wafting through the air. The whole place reminded me of band rehearsal studios, but full of asian karaoke enthusiasts instead of metal-head guitarists and sleazy drummers. I noticed a sign on the wall "you are responsible for cleaning up any vomit in your room" and my sense of impending doom increased.
Our room had couches around the sides, coffee tables in the middle, a wall-mounted projector, four microphones and a computer in the corner for song-selection. The first round of drinks was ordered -- a few bottles of bubbles, and a lemonade for me -- and the singing and dancing began. The rest of the party continued along similar lines, with a series of smokers coming and going every few songs and a funny interlude when CutLuce was ordered to go to another room and convince a man to come in and join us for a song. She succeeded in dragging 'Fred' back into our room where he obliged with a sexy dance.
Around 11.30 pm, I stepped out for a toilet break and to phone DeepSpice and see how he was going. I was desperately tired at this point and just wanted to go home, but felt that I should stay in case anyone needed driving home.
An hour and a half into our two-hour booking, I was told to make sure I kept ordering drinks as the drinks are included in the room booking. It was at this point I realised just how much the place charges: $460 for the room for 2 hours and this included a $300 drinks tab. Sure, the prices of the drinks were ridiculously expensive (like $40 for a bottle of Australian sparking wine that would probably be $12 in a bottle shop), but even so, for 10 or 12 women to drink their way through a tab of that size is physiologically impossible! Apart from being a rip-off, it was very disheartening to see a venue encouraging binge drinking in this way.
At 12.30 pm, a final round of drinks arrived (Midori and lemonade) and our time was up. CutLuce, Miss Jo and some others decided to go back to one of their homes and continue the night's festivities, so I was relieved of my chauffeuring duties. DesignerSis and her sister-out-law walked back to my car with me and I drove them to a location where they could flag a cab home. I was suddenly a little glad that I was driving. Cabs on a Saturday night can be hard to come by. Here endeth Lesson Four.
The drive home was 'eventful'. As I left the City and got into the 'burbs nearer home, I nearly ran down two very drunk guys who suddenly ran out across the road, leaving a brothel on one side and heading to a pub on the other. A large crowd of men were gathered on either side of the road -- either cheering them on or trying to pick a fight, I am not sure which. A few blocks further along, I saw a large crowd of drunken teenagers hanging around out the front of a non-descript shop front. Not sure what kind of party had been going on in there, but there were teenagers everywhere fighting, dancing, snogging and nearly falling onto the road. The drive home was really quite scary and I suddenly got a real sense of what police are talking about in recent media coverage of alcohol-related violence in the City at night.
I arrived home about 1.10 pm and found DeepSpice was still up, watching some old war movie whilst making his guitar effects pedals. Once in bed, I was too wired up to go straight to sleep (probably all that sugary soft drink), so I read for a while and then lay in the dark tossing and turning till about 3 am when I finally drifted off. I was awake again at 5.30 am when BallFiend started crying out for his dummy. Thankfully DeepSpice attended to this so I was able to sleep a bit more. Sometime around 7.30 am, BallFiend woke up and once again DeepSpice did the hard yards, getting BallFiend up, fed, dressed and keeping him entertained until I staggered out of bed at about 9.30 am.
Sunday was a complete write-off as I was too tired to do anything. I napped again at about 11.30 am, then again at about 3 pm. Finally around 5 pm I started to feel a bit more 'with it' and managed to stay up for dinner and a little TV before going to bed again.
Next weekend is the Bucks Night for DesignerMonkey. I can only hope that DeepSpice has a less exhausting time of it than my experience... though I suppose not being pregnant will be a bonus.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
A busy morning
Yesterday, the carers at crèche were concerned about BallFiend's coughing and wheezing, especially because he kept trying to eat through a coughing fit (boys!) and so was gagging on his food. So I decided I better take him to the doctor. I needed to get him a new referral to the allergy clinic at the hospital anyway (he is due for his annual review in November).
The doc listened to his chest and said he is definitely wheezing. She thought that it was probably due to his mild cold, but wanted to 'get on top of it' before it takes hold, so prescribed Redipred (3mg per day) and Ventolin (2 puffs, four times a day). She was also concerned about his eczema which has flared up quite a lot in the past few days. Good news is that the ear infection he had about 6 months ago has definitely cleared up.
Redipred must be strong stuff because the doc asked me to bring him back tomorrow morning for a review.
BallFiend is given a purple balloon as we leave and (as usual) acts it like it is the most amazing thing he has ever seen.
After the doc, I head off to the pharmacy to buy the drugs. Bloody pension day. Every single car park was full. I try three different car parks, then I give up and park on the side of the road, a good 10-minute walk away from the chemist. The first thing BallFiend does after getting out of the car is investigate an oily, black puddle in the gutter.
"Look mum! A puddle!"
Next thing, a smallish stone is thrown in.
"Plop!"
Then little fingers fish the stone out so it can be thrown in again.
"Oooh! Look mum, rubbish!"
A screwed up piece of paper is added to the puddle. BallFiend stands up to admire his work, wiping his blackened fingers all over his (clean this morning) t-shirt.
I hadn't brought BallFiend's stroller so we did the walk at toddler-pace and eventually reached the chemist about 20 mins later.
Medicine purchased, I decide that since we were at the shops with the car anyway, I might as well stop at the supermarket. But BallFiend has other ideas. He sees the neatly-stacked piles of biscuits in the window of a Greek cake shop.
"I need to go in there." he announces.
What the hell, I decide that I could do with a rest and a snack. I get a babycino for BallFiend, a cuppacino for me, and a cake (sponge base with custard filling and chocolate icing on top) for each of us. BallFiend enjoys playing with the sugar sachets while we wait, then tucks in with gusto.
Next stop is the ATM since I have about $2 in cash on me. Another short walk at toddler-pace ends up taking 10 mins. BallFiend enjoys helping to push the buttons on the ATM and is excited when I give him the 'ticket' (receipt slip) to put into the waste-paper slot.
Then off to get a BBQ chook. There is a shop which sells "free-roaming, chemical-free, hormone-free" chickens so whenever I am in the area, I usually get one. At $8.50 for a whole chook, it would cost more to puchase a raw chook and roast it myself. On the way, BallFiend decides to jump over every crack in the footpath and onto each white line at the pedesterian crossing. Then we stop to look at a tree and I spy a deformed leaf that has grown in a beautiful twist. BallFiend is fascinated, so we pick the leaf and then he immediately asks me to 'put it back on, fix it'.
Eventually we reach the chook shop, make the purchase, and BallFiend has a long conversation with the shop keeper about the twisty leaf, and then we finally leave. BallFiend wants a drink but I have left his water bottle in the car. I 'bribe' him with a visit to the 'toy shop' (a discount variety store) which is right next to the supermarket. Inside, BallFiend finds a bag of "shiny pink stones" (those polished glass pebbles used for putting in the bottom of vases). So I give him 'one dollar' so he can buy them.
Finally, we head off to the supermarket. At last, a lucky break: there is a trolley waiting out the front which isn't locked up to the one in-front, so I don't have to put the coin deposit in. This is a real bonus today, since I am parked on the side of the street, not in the car park, and pushing the trolley all the way back to the trolley depot would have been a major pain.
I grab my groceries as quick as I can (still takes 45 minutes at least). BallFiend enjoys spotting all the balls hanging up around the aisles:
"Look mum, LittleMissL's ball" he says, pointing out a ball that his friend LittleMissL has at home.
"Look mum, my soccer ball", this time pointing out a soccer ball and cone set that he has at home (won in the pass-the-parcel at a friend's three-year-old birthday party).
"Look mum, a little tennis ball"... and so on.
Suddenly I hear a loud clatter and look down. BallFiend's stones have scattered all over the floor. He was enjoying the sound they made as he shook the bag, but unfortunately the knot in the bag has been shaken loose. He starts bawling, until he realises I am putting them back into the bag for him. Then it's all smiles again.
"You pickin' them up mum!" he says with delight. An emotion I have trouble sharing as I squat over my pregnant belly trying to gather them up and get them back into the bag. The bag is eventually placed safely in my pocket until we get home. (Unfortunately my maternity pants are still a little loose -- I need a bigger belly bump -- and the weight of the stones starts pulling them down, so I spend the rest of my time at the shop hiking them back up.) At the checkout I realise there are two more stones that have fallen into the cuff on my pants.
I leave the supermarket with my impossible-to-steer trolley and nearly wipe out two teenage boys who are sitting at the bottom of the ramp drinking homebrand orange fruit drink. I push the trolley through the car park towards the street.
"Look at all the fucking cars mum", comments BallFiend. Hmm... I guess I must have been swearing earlier when I couldn't get a parking spot. That thing people say about kids copying everything we do must be true.
I exit the car park, cross the road and then the trolley gets one wheel stuck on the driveway ramp and another in a small pot-hole. I grunt and grimace trying first to push, then pull it up over the edge. Two women sit on a low brick fence, talking and watching me. When I finally get the trolley onto the footpath, I have to walk past them. Their feet are blocking half the path but strangely I don't feel any great need to say 'excuse me' as I go past.
I finally reach the car, get BallFiend's water bottle for him and begin to unload the shopping into the car. First, one of the plastic bags breaks. Then BallFiend complains that the water bottle is empty. Then the driver of the car parked next to mine appears. He has a small dog, a dressing on his forehead and a walking stick, and is parked in a 'disabled' spot... yet another pensioner, I presume. He opens both doors on the right side of his car while he encourages his dog into the back seat, blocking my path from the footpath to the boot of my car. I don't feel the need to apologise when my shopping bag full of UHT milk cartons bumps his car door closed, onto his walking stick, as I pass.
We head for home. Just as I start to back out, BallFiend waves the balloon around blocking my view and I nearly back into a passing car. I confiscate the balloon and suffer the tantrum. When I finally make it home (about 1.00 pm), BallFiend runs inside, leaving me to haul in the medicine, other refrigerable items, the nappy bag, the snacks bag, my handbag, the drink bottle, a soccer ball, and the 'yellow bouncing ball'. I leave the rest of the shopping in the boot for DeepSpice to bring in.
Then I get BallFiend more water to drink (after he has attended to his thirst, he enjoys letting it run out of his mouth, down his chin and onto his front), make a toilet stop (I had been hanging on since just after we left the cafe), answer the phone (Telemarketer. Hmph.), make us both lunch, ring the doctor to ask about when I am meant to give the Redipred (as I have forgotten the instructions) -- she isn't there so I wait for a call back, distract BallFiend from throwing his stones around the room, discover BallFiend has a pooey nappy, change nappy, answer the phone (the doctor calling back), administer the Redipred and Ventolin, prepare BallFiend's cot for his nap (while he runs amok -- probably the drugs hyping him up), prepare BallFiend for his nap (change him out of damp t-shirt with oily black finger marks on the front, lather him in eczema creams, read story, cuddle).
It's now about 1.30 pm and the end is in sight... BallFiend holds my hand (just one finger actually) as we walk to his cot. He insists on carrying the balloon, kissing it goodnight and placing it in the ballpit. Then he has to hug kiss the sparkly ball and the 'Earth beachball' goodnight. Finally, he is in the cot and lying down. I start to leave the room, but he is sitting up again.
"Mmphk me in, want mvrs 'n" he mumbles through his dummy.
I eventually work out that he wants to be tucked in under the covers and cheerfully oblige.
I leave the room again, this time ignoring any further statements ('I don't want to sleep, time to get up'). The crying fades as I get further down the hall and 15 minutes later there is nothing but sweet, sweet silence.
I collapse on the couch for while, till hunger and thirst drive me back to the kitchen. This baby is already feeding at least 4 hourly. Then tackle guest list for CutLuce and DesignerMonkey's forthcoming wedding. RSVPs were due back three days ago and yet there are still about 10 guests who have not replied... almost all of them are from our extended family.
The next time someone asks me what I do on my "day off work" I will direct them to this post.
The doc listened to his chest and said he is definitely wheezing. She thought that it was probably due to his mild cold, but wanted to 'get on top of it' before it takes hold, so prescribed Redipred (3mg per day) and Ventolin (2 puffs, four times a day). She was also concerned about his eczema which has flared up quite a lot in the past few days. Good news is that the ear infection he had about 6 months ago has definitely cleared up.
Redipred must be strong stuff because the doc asked me to bring him back tomorrow morning for a review.
BallFiend is given a purple balloon as we leave and (as usual) acts it like it is the most amazing thing he has ever seen.
After the doc, I head off to the pharmacy to buy the drugs. Bloody pension day. Every single car park was full. I try three different car parks, then I give up and park on the side of the road, a good 10-minute walk away from the chemist. The first thing BallFiend does after getting out of the car is investigate an oily, black puddle in the gutter.
"Look mum! A puddle!"
Next thing, a smallish stone is thrown in.
"Plop!"
Then little fingers fish the stone out so it can be thrown in again.
"Oooh! Look mum, rubbish!"
A screwed up piece of paper is added to the puddle. BallFiend stands up to admire his work, wiping his blackened fingers all over his (clean this morning) t-shirt.
I hadn't brought BallFiend's stroller so we did the walk at toddler-pace and eventually reached the chemist about 20 mins later.
Medicine purchased, I decide that since we were at the shops with the car anyway, I might as well stop at the supermarket. But BallFiend has other ideas. He sees the neatly-stacked piles of biscuits in the window of a Greek cake shop.
"I need to go in there." he announces.
What the hell, I decide that I could do with a rest and a snack. I get a babycino for BallFiend, a cuppacino for me, and a cake (sponge base with custard filling and chocolate icing on top) for each of us. BallFiend enjoys playing with the sugar sachets while we wait, then tucks in with gusto.
Next stop is the ATM since I have about $2 in cash on me. Another short walk at toddler-pace ends up taking 10 mins. BallFiend enjoys helping to push the buttons on the ATM and is excited when I give him the 'ticket' (receipt slip) to put into the waste-paper slot.
Then off to get a BBQ chook. There is a shop which sells "free-roaming, chemical-free, hormone-free" chickens so whenever I am in the area, I usually get one. At $8.50 for a whole chook, it would cost more to puchase a raw chook and roast it myself. On the way, BallFiend decides to jump over every crack in the footpath and onto each white line at the pedesterian crossing. Then we stop to look at a tree and I spy a deformed leaf that has grown in a beautiful twist. BallFiend is fascinated, so we pick the leaf and then he immediately asks me to 'put it back on, fix it'.
Eventually we reach the chook shop, make the purchase, and BallFiend has a long conversation with the shop keeper about the twisty leaf, and then we finally leave. BallFiend wants a drink but I have left his water bottle in the car. I 'bribe' him with a visit to the 'toy shop' (a discount variety store) which is right next to the supermarket. Inside, BallFiend finds a bag of "shiny pink stones" (those polished glass pebbles used for putting in the bottom of vases). So I give him 'one dollar' so he can buy them.
Finally, we head off to the supermarket. At last, a lucky break: there is a trolley waiting out the front which isn't locked up to the one in-front, so I don't have to put the coin deposit in. This is a real bonus today, since I am parked on the side of the street, not in the car park, and pushing the trolley all the way back to the trolley depot would have been a major pain.
I grab my groceries as quick as I can (still takes 45 minutes at least). BallFiend enjoys spotting all the balls hanging up around the aisles:
"Look mum, LittleMissL's ball" he says, pointing out a ball that his friend LittleMissL has at home.
"Look mum, my soccer ball", this time pointing out a soccer ball and cone set that he has at home (won in the pass-the-parcel at a friend's three-year-old birthday party).
"Look mum, a little tennis ball"... and so on.
Suddenly I hear a loud clatter and look down. BallFiend's stones have scattered all over the floor. He was enjoying the sound they made as he shook the bag, but unfortunately the knot in the bag has been shaken loose. He starts bawling, until he realises I am putting them back into the bag for him. Then it's all smiles again.
"You pickin' them up mum!" he says with delight. An emotion I have trouble sharing as I squat over my pregnant belly trying to gather them up and get them back into the bag. The bag is eventually placed safely in my pocket until we get home. (Unfortunately my maternity pants are still a little loose -- I need a bigger belly bump -- and the weight of the stones starts pulling them down, so I spend the rest of my time at the shop hiking them back up.) At the checkout I realise there are two more stones that have fallen into the cuff on my pants.
I leave the supermarket with my impossible-to-steer trolley and nearly wipe out two teenage boys who are sitting at the bottom of the ramp drinking homebrand orange fruit drink. I push the trolley through the car park towards the street.
"Look at all the fucking cars mum", comments BallFiend. Hmm... I guess I must have been swearing earlier when I couldn't get a parking spot. That thing people say about kids copying everything we do must be true.
I exit the car park, cross the road and then the trolley gets one wheel stuck on the driveway ramp and another in a small pot-hole. I grunt and grimace trying first to push, then pull it up over the edge. Two women sit on a low brick fence, talking and watching me. When I finally get the trolley onto the footpath, I have to walk past them. Their feet are blocking half the path but strangely I don't feel any great need to say 'excuse me' as I go past.
I finally reach the car, get BallFiend's water bottle for him and begin to unload the shopping into the car. First, one of the plastic bags breaks. Then BallFiend complains that the water bottle is empty. Then the driver of the car parked next to mine appears. He has a small dog, a dressing on his forehead and a walking stick, and is parked in a 'disabled' spot... yet another pensioner, I presume. He opens both doors on the right side of his car while he encourages his dog into the back seat, blocking my path from the footpath to the boot of my car. I don't feel the need to apologise when my shopping bag full of UHT milk cartons bumps his car door closed, onto his walking stick, as I pass.
We head for home. Just as I start to back out, BallFiend waves the balloon around blocking my view and I nearly back into a passing car. I confiscate the balloon and suffer the tantrum. When I finally make it home (about 1.00 pm), BallFiend runs inside, leaving me to haul in the medicine, other refrigerable items, the nappy bag, the snacks bag, my handbag, the drink bottle, a soccer ball, and the 'yellow bouncing ball'. I leave the rest of the shopping in the boot for DeepSpice to bring in.
Then I get BallFiend more water to drink (after he has attended to his thirst, he enjoys letting it run out of his mouth, down his chin and onto his front), make a toilet stop (I had been hanging on since just after we left the cafe), answer the phone (Telemarketer. Hmph.), make us both lunch, ring the doctor to ask about when I am meant to give the Redipred (as I have forgotten the instructions) -- she isn't there so I wait for a call back, distract BallFiend from throwing his stones around the room, discover BallFiend has a pooey nappy, change nappy, answer the phone (the doctor calling back), administer the Redipred and Ventolin, prepare BallFiend's cot for his nap (while he runs amok -- probably the drugs hyping him up), prepare BallFiend for his nap (change him out of damp t-shirt with oily black finger marks on the front, lather him in eczema creams, read story, cuddle).
It's now about 1.30 pm and the end is in sight... BallFiend holds my hand (just one finger actually) as we walk to his cot. He insists on carrying the balloon, kissing it goodnight and placing it in the ballpit. Then he has to hug kiss the sparkly ball and the 'Earth beachball' goodnight. Finally, he is in the cot and lying down. I start to leave the room, but he is sitting up again.
"Mmphk me in, want mvrs 'n" he mumbles through his dummy.
I eventually work out that he wants to be tucked in under the covers and cheerfully oblige.
I leave the room again, this time ignoring any further statements ('I don't want to sleep, time to get up'). The crying fades as I get further down the hall and 15 minutes later there is nothing but sweet, sweet silence.
I collapse on the couch for while, till hunger and thirst drive me back to the kitchen. This baby is already feeding at least 4 hourly. Then tackle guest list for CutLuce and DesignerMonkey's forthcoming wedding. RSVPs were due back three days ago and yet there are still about 10 guests who have not replied... almost all of them are from our extended family.
The next time someone asks me what I do on my "day off work" I will direct them to this post.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Bye bye toes
It's lucky I got my maternity wear sorted out the other day because in the past week (at 14 weeks pregnant), my belly has just popped out! I went from looking a bit 'thicker' around the middle to suddenly having a pregnant bump. I reckon when I was pregnant with BallFiend, my bump didn't get this big till I was about 4 to 5 months pregnant. Now I am a bit nervous about just how big I might end up being at 9 months!
Went to the playground this morning to meet ArizonaGal, LittleMissL and MasterS for playgroup. A lovely surprise too when The Bibliophile, MasterW and LittleMissIz joined us too.
I also arranged to meet MidwifeS, a student midwife who I found via an online pregnancy forum, at the park -- our first meeting in person after several exchanges via email. She was very easy to talk to... we chatted for about two hours, on-and-off, while I chased BallFiend around the place, fed him and changed his pooey nappy, etc.
I think I am going to like having a student midwife 'follow' me through my pregnancy, birth and the post-natal period; after all, who doesn't love the opportunity to talk about oneself for a couple of hours on end?! Assuming MidwifeS also attends my birth I am going to have quite a team in the room: with DeepSpice, VolubleK, MidwifeS plus the other hospital midwives. Just as long as they make sure I am the centre of attention and they don't all chat amongst themselves!
Went to the playground this morning to meet ArizonaGal, LittleMissL and MasterS for playgroup. A lovely surprise too when The Bibliophile, MasterW and LittleMissIz joined us too.
I also arranged to meet MidwifeS, a student midwife who I found via an online pregnancy forum, at the park -- our first meeting in person after several exchanges via email. She was very easy to talk to... we chatted for about two hours, on-and-off, while I chased BallFiend around the place, fed him and changed his pooey nappy, etc.
I think I am going to like having a student midwife 'follow' me through my pregnancy, birth and the post-natal period; after all, who doesn't love the opportunity to talk about oneself for a couple of hours on end?! Assuming MidwifeS also attends my birth I am going to have quite a team in the room: with DeepSpice, VolubleK, MidwifeS plus the other hospital midwives. Just as long as they make sure I am the centre of attention and they don't all chat amongst themselves!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Private Tour
I toured the other hospital today, the one I am considering changing to. A friend who works there as a midwife showed me around. It is nice and new, having only opened in June 2008, and CutLuce will approve of the colour scheme - very, very pink! Apparently patients are assigned to one of four teams of midwives (the teams are based on postcodes to make post-natal domecillary visits simpler).
Here are the pros and cons...
PROS
Here are the pros and cons...
PROS
- I met several other midwives in passing and they all seemed friendly and nice.
- Brand, spanking new, clean and not drab and dreary.
- Fairly easy to get to from the City via two tram routes (one stops right out the front, the other requires a 1-block walk).
- Also easy to get to from my home (about 25 mins on a tram and a 1-block walk).
- Pedesterian access is good (especially in comparison to the hospital I am currently booked in with) - just walk in the front entrance and straight to the lifts.
- Private rooms with double beds are available, and some of them are beautiful - spacious with nice views.
- Nice courtyard garden near the post-natal wards.
- Post-natal stay rooms have baby bathing facilities in the room (plumbed in sink, changing area).
- Birth suites are lovely - spacious, with a private en suite which has a large bath tub, shower and toilet. Medical equipment and resuscitation tables are neatly hidden away inside built-in cabinets.
- Birthing philosophy is quite closely aligned to the philosophy of family birth centres - that women should be able to have a natural birth without unnecessary interventions.
- Seems to provide more equipment for use during birth (compared to the other hospital). The other hospital requires women to BYO things like hot/cold packs.
- Neonatal intensive care ward is co-located on the same floor as the post-natal rooms for the mothers.
- Tram ride takes 10 mins, plus a 10 min walk from my office just to get to the tram, means that the total travel time from work takes about 20 -30 mins. (Direct from home, the travel time will actually be similar - more time on tram but less walking.)
- Many of the private rooms are really tiny. (Especially when compared to the FBC rooms at the hospital I am currently booked in with.)
- Private rooms share one bathroom between two rooms.
- Chance of getting a private room with double bed so that DeepSpice can stay over is about 33%. Chance of getting put into a shared room (2 beds in each) is about 66%. (However caeserarian-section patients are always put into shared rooms because it is easier for them to manage in a single bed, so this changes the odds a bit, since about 15-25% of births are c-sections these days, but I don't know how to do the maths to work out the odds!)
- The hospital only allows a 48-hour stay and the clock starts ticking from the the time of the baby's birth. Discharge times are either 10 am or 6 pm. Apparently some midwives will allow a slightly longer stay. Eg. if the baby is born at midnight, rather than sending you home at 6 pm (after 40 hours), they let you stay till 10 am the next day (a 46-hour stay).
- There is a huge waiting area for pre-natal appointments and it doesn't look particularly child-friendly (if I am dragging BallFiend along). I have read in various forums that women often wait an hour or more for appointments as the place gets very busy. (Apparently evening appointments are better as it is quieter then.)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Big Shop on my day off
I took the day off work today, as Gran offered to mind BallFiend for the day at their house. What a treat!
After a slow start to the day, and a hair-raising drive over to Gran and GrandPaul's house on the wet roads (yes it has rained in Melbourne again!! Amazing!!! but for some reason when it is rainy, people seem to think that they must drive more stupidly), I dropped BallFiend off and went on my way.
Spent most of the day shopping for maternity wear (ugh). For my first pregnancy (BallFiend), I scrimped and made do - I figured that I would only be wearing the stuff for a few months (my belly didn't really stick out until I was 6 months gone), and I wasn't ever going to have a second baby, so it wasn't worth spending much on maternity clothes. My maternity wardrobe consisted of two pairs of pants for work (this gets really tedious when you are working full time), three or four tops and a Belly Belt combined with a 'belly-band' (like a boob-tube for your tummy area) which allowed me to keep wearing my normal clothes right up to 8 months. I added a black Boob nursing top to the mix when BallFiend was about 6 months old.
This time, I know better. I will be wearing this stuff day-in, day-out for the next 6 months, longer if I take a while to shake the post-natal baby-bump. Plus if the items are chosen carefully, many can be worn as regular clothes later on (though most likely I will be sick of them if my first pregnancy experience is anything to go by). The other alternative is that CutLuce or DesignerSis might soon be requiring maternity wear... hopefully! BallFiend needs cousins!
I decided on Pea in a Pod's factory outlet and it was a good choice - a one-stop-shop! After trying on about 50 different items (pants, skirts, tops, etc.), I left with 4 pairs of pants, 4 tops, a knitted wrap and a free belly band, all purchased (on credit) for $324.00. I hate shopping so it was a hard slog for me, but I now feel relieved to have got all my clothing needs sorted for the rest of the pregnancy. My sincere thanks to the patient and helpful staff member who kept me motivated (even if she did tell me I looked good in certain items when I clearly didn't!).
Rounded the evening off with dinner at Gran and GrandPaul's then rushed home at 8.00 pm to get a yawning BallFiend off to bed.
--
After a slow start to the day, and a hair-raising drive over to Gran and GrandPaul's house on the wet roads (yes it has rained in Melbourne again!! Amazing!!! but for some reason when it is rainy, people seem to think that they must drive more stupidly), I dropped BallFiend off and went on my way.
Spent most of the day shopping for maternity wear (ugh). For my first pregnancy (BallFiend), I scrimped and made do - I figured that I would only be wearing the stuff for a few months (my belly didn't really stick out until I was 6 months gone), and I wasn't ever going to have a second baby, so it wasn't worth spending much on maternity clothes. My maternity wardrobe consisted of two pairs of pants for work (this gets really tedious when you are working full time), three or four tops and a Belly Belt combined with a 'belly-band' (like a boob-tube for your tummy area) which allowed me to keep wearing my normal clothes right up to 8 months. I added a black Boob nursing top to the mix when BallFiend was about 6 months old.
This time, I know better. I will be wearing this stuff day-in, day-out for the next 6 months, longer if I take a while to shake the post-natal baby-bump. Plus if the items are chosen carefully, many can be worn as regular clothes later on (though most likely I will be sick of them if my first pregnancy experience is anything to go by). The other alternative is that CutLuce or DesignerSis might soon be requiring maternity wear... hopefully! BallFiend needs cousins!
I decided on Pea in a Pod's factory outlet and it was a good choice - a one-stop-shop! After trying on about 50 different items (pants, skirts, tops, etc.), I left with 4 pairs of pants, 4 tops, a knitted wrap and a free belly band, all purchased (on credit) for $324.00. I hate shopping so it was a hard slog for me, but I now feel relieved to have got all my clothing needs sorted for the rest of the pregnancy. My sincere thanks to the patient and helpful staff member who kept me motivated (even if she did tell me I looked good in certain items when I clearly didn't!).
Rounded the evening off with dinner at Gran and GrandPaul's then rushed home at 8.00 pm to get a yawning BallFiend off to bed.
--
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Holiday
We spent the Labour Day long weekend in South Gippsland. DeepSpice also took the Tuesday off work, so we got to have 4 days away. It was lovely to get out of the city and smell that fresh country/coastal air.
We stayed at Bear Gully Coastal Cottages at Walkerville South -- a beautiful place to be! The accommodation was quite comfy (although the mattress on our bed was rather firm) and we had the most marvellous views across the sea.
BallFiend enjoyed having his parents all to himself for days on end. He also enjoyed playing with the Boules (Petanque) set that the hosts supplied and watching kids from a neighbouring cottage fly kites. BallFiend also got to enjoy classic holiday treats such as Milo (described as "not your-lo, my-lo"), Dixie cup vanilla ice-cream and deep-fried disasters such as potato cakes, dim sims and calamari rings. Another highlight was "playing" a round of minigolf at Sandy Point... BallFiend got his own teeny-tiny putter and a yellow golf ball. Of course he didn't really play by the rules, preferring to roll/throw the ball towards the hole rather than use the putter, but he had fun and didn't even chuck a tantrum when it was time to return the ball and putter at the end.
DeepSpice made sandcastles for BallFiend, which BallFiend promptly kicked, stomped upon or sat on. After jumping on the first sandcastle, BallFiend declared that these shall hereforth be called "jumping castles".
A variation on a theme: making a sandcastle into a head/face. DeepSpice put most of the creation together, then BallFiend stuck some shells for ears on either side of the eyes. We were very impressed!
The drive home became a very, very long drive home when an over-tired BallFiend threw his (white) dummy away and then demanded it back. The offer of a yellow dummy replacement was not good enough and a tantrum ensued, lasting over an hour before we finally gave in and stopped (at Cranbourne!) to hunt for the white dummy. Alas it was not to be found, but fortunately a different white dummy from the nappy bag was begrudgingly accepted, and BallFiend fell asleep within a few minutes of us driving on our way, murmuring 'want the white dummy' as he drifted off. DeepSpice found the missing white dummy the next day in the car, under BallFiend's car restraint!
We stayed at Bear Gully Coastal Cottages at Walkerville South -- a beautiful place to be! The accommodation was quite comfy (although the mattress on our bed was rather firm) and we had the most marvellous views across the sea.
BallFiend enjoyed having his parents all to himself for days on end. He also enjoyed playing with the Boules (Petanque) set that the hosts supplied and watching kids from a neighbouring cottage fly kites. BallFiend also got to enjoy classic holiday treats such as Milo (described as "not your-lo, my-lo"), Dixie cup vanilla ice-cream and deep-fried disasters such as potato cakes, dim sims and calamari rings. Another highlight was "playing" a round of minigolf at Sandy Point... BallFiend got his own teeny-tiny putter and a yellow golf ball. Of course he didn't really play by the rules, preferring to roll/throw the ball towards the hole rather than use the putter, but he had fun and didn't even chuck a tantrum when it was time to return the ball and putter at the end.
We spent much of our time checking out the local beaches - first the one that we could walk to from our cottage, and over the next two days, a beach within the Cape Liptrap coastal park, the beach at Sandy Point and the beach rocks at Walkerville. We also visited the lighthouse at Cape Liptrap. BallFiend was unusually camera-shy at first, but settled down once we sat down to our picnic lunch.
DeepSpice made sandcastles for BallFiend, which BallFiend promptly kicked, stomped upon or sat on. After jumping on the first sandcastle, BallFiend declared that these shall hereforth be called "jumping castles".
A variation on a theme: making a sandcastle into a head/face. DeepSpice put most of the creation together, then BallFiend stuck some shells for ears on either side of the eyes. We were very impressed!
The drive home became a very, very long drive home when an over-tired BallFiend threw his (white) dummy away and then demanded it back. The offer of a yellow dummy replacement was not good enough and a tantrum ensued, lasting over an hour before we finally gave in and stopped (at Cranbourne!) to hunt for the white dummy. Alas it was not to be found, but fortunately a different white dummy from the nappy bag was begrudgingly accepted, and BallFiend fell asleep within a few minutes of us driving on our way, murmuring 'want the white dummy' as he drifted off. DeepSpice found the missing white dummy the next day in the car, under BallFiend's car restraint!
Monday, March 02, 2009
Results are in!
Finally, after weeks of waiting, I got the results for my combined first trimester screening test today!! All is good... everything is within the 'normal range' and no further tests are recommended. It is such a relief, and now I can break the news to colleagues at work... just in time too, since my belly is starting to pop out.
In other pregnancy-related news, I am thinking of changing to another hospital... just not feeling right at the one I have booked in with. The alternative is another major maternity hospital for the State and is where I had BallFiend, but they don't offer a family birth centre option anymore which is why I had initially decided to go elsewhere. Am hoping to go on a tour of the other hospital with an acquaintance who works there as a midwife soon, but have already booked in ayway, so I can keep my options open. If I don't like what I see I will just cancel my booking and stick with the family birth centre at current hospital. Though if I end up going with this option, I intend to look into hiring a private midwife - I am just not getting the right feeling from the hospital's own midwives.
In other pregnancy-related news, I am thinking of changing to another hospital... just not feeling right at the one I have booked in with. The alternative is another major maternity hospital for the State and is where I had BallFiend, but they don't offer a family birth centre option anymore which is why I had initially decided to go elsewhere. Am hoping to go on a tour of the other hospital with an acquaintance who works there as a midwife soon, but have already booked in ayway, so I can keep my options open. If I don't like what I see I will just cancel my booking and stick with the family birth centre at current hospital. Though if I end up going with this option, I intend to look into hiring a private midwife - I am just not getting the right feeling from the hospital's own midwives.
The return of StompyDad
At about 8.30 am today, StompyDad's plane touched down in Melbourne. Three long months of travel concludes with a very low-key airport greeting party - just BallFiend and me. But StompyDad was nicely surprised because he wasn't expecting me to be there at all. (Our car had to go in for a service and I wasn't sure if I could arrange an alternative... but I ended up getting StompyDad's own enormous tank and driving that out to the airport.)
We returned to my place and StompyDad handed out travel gifts and trinkets (handmade keyrings from Sappada, clothing sized 6 - 8 for BallFiend (should fit him in about 3-4 years from now) and a neck-scarf for me), showed a few photos and recanted some travel highlights.
Then, despite saying he wasn't tired and that he had adjusted to the timezone already (due to having a 3-day stopover in Singapore), StompyDad promptly fell asleep on the couch, only to be woken 15 minutes later when BallFiend went over to him and yelled "WAKE UP!!!!" at the top of his lungs.
When he decided he better head home, do some shopping and generally come back down to earth after three months of travelling, the spirit of Frank Spencer emerged:
We returned to my place and StompyDad handed out travel gifts and trinkets (handmade keyrings from Sappada, clothing sized 6 - 8 for BallFiend (should fit him in about 3-4 years from now) and a neck-scarf for me), showed a few photos and recanted some travel highlights.
Then, despite saying he wasn't tired and that he had adjusted to the timezone already (due to having a 3-day stopover in Singapore), StompyDad promptly fell asleep on the couch, only to be woken 15 minutes later when BallFiend went over to him and yelled "WAKE UP!!!!" at the top of his lungs.
When he decided he better head home, do some shopping and generally come back down to earth after three months of travelling, the spirit of Frank Spencer emerged:
- First StompyDad had to repack his stuffed-to-bursting suitcase (complete with brown packing tape holding the corners together). He insisted that he did not want to take a bag I offered to hold the overflow ("I don't want to carry another bag"). Eventually space was created when some of the contents from a backpack were removed -- including a genuine Italian ski-jacket in white with red and navy trim and a genuine Italian racing ski-helmet with visor(!!) -- and placed into the bag I offered (a freebie from the street festival yesterday). StompyDad only conceding to take the extra bag when I said he could throw it away later, or keep it in the car as a spare shopping bag.
- Then, StompyDad made his initial attempt at a get-away in the aforementioned tank - he could not disengage the 'hand brake' (which in this particular vehical is a foot-pedal). After much ado and insistence that 'it must be broken', it was finally released and he was on his way home. Well, it was the first car he had driven in three months I suppose...
Sunday, March 01, 2009
The long, long walk
Went to the Sydney Road Street Festival with DeepSpice, BallFiend, Gran and GrandPaul. Walked all the way from home to the northern most end of the festival area, then walked the full length of the festival (Victoria St down to Union St), zig-zagging back and forward to the stalls on either side of the road and lots of backtracking to go back to the others when they were being slow pokes.
Then I walked all the way home again! That's well over 5 km of walking Not bad for 13-week pregnant woman!
Saw a couple of performances, including sitting through one of the kids' ones at the Children's stage. (The sacrifices we make...)
I will have to remember that going with the grandparents to these sorts of things is a brilliant move - they insisted on pushing BallFiend in the stroller, and whenever DeepSpice and I wanted to wander off and look at something else, they insisted on keeping BallFiend with them... it was almost like being on a date. The day amounted to 5 or 6 hours of free babysitting and I didn't have to wipe BallFiend's snotty nose even once.
Grandparents also took BallFiend into a mini-fairground set up the grounds of a church where he enjoyed a junping castle and playing the laughing clowns and winning a windmill thingy. However the real highlights for BallFiend were:
Got to vent my spleen at the disgustingness of people dumping rubbish in our local area at the Council's stall where they were survey residents about which anti-civic behaviour is worst - littering, dumping, graffiti, etc. Now that I think about it, there was one missing off the list - dog poo on the streets! I hate that. People who don't clean up after their dogs should be forced to come and clean the dog shit off my pram's wheels and change my toddler's pooey nappies.
Then I walked all the way home again! That's well over 5 km of walking Not bad for 13-week pregnant woman!
Saw a couple of performances, including sitting through one of the kids' ones at the Children's stage. (The sacrifices we make...)
I will have to remember that going with the grandparents to these sorts of things is a brilliant move - they insisted on pushing BallFiend in the stroller, and whenever DeepSpice and I wanted to wander off and look at something else, they insisted on keeping BallFiend with them... it was almost like being on a date. The day amounted to 5 or 6 hours of free babysitting and I didn't have to wipe BallFiend's snotty nose even once.
Grandparents also took BallFiend into a mini-fairground set up the grounds of a church where he enjoyed a junping castle and playing the laughing clowns and winning a windmill thingy. However the real highlights for BallFiend were:
- the gi-normous soccer balls hanging up on one of the stalls (he wanted one of course, but we parents now have mastered the superpower of "resist two year old whining" and successfully walked on by... using my now oft-used phrase: "they are just for decoration");
- getting a free, but not yet inflated, soccer ball, courtesy of GrandPaul who happened to spot them being handed out at the right moment and rushed over to grab one.
Got to vent my spleen at the disgustingness of people dumping rubbish in our local area at the Council's stall where they were survey residents about which anti-civic behaviour is worst - littering, dumping, graffiti, etc. Now that I think about it, there was one missing off the list - dog poo on the streets! I hate that. People who don't clean up after their dogs should be forced to come and clean the dog shit off my pram's wheels and change my toddler's pooey nappies.
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