NYE 2011

Ever since BallFiend came on the scene, my night-time social life has been somewhat curtailed. (Actually, I can't really blame BallFiend... I'd stopped being a party animal soon after I finished uni and got a full time job). Anyway, I can't actually remember the last time I went to a New Year's Eve party. That might be because I had such a good time. But more likely it is because it was so long ago. 

So I was very exciting to receive an invitation from RedJo and CT:

Hi Everyone,

To save (us) finding a babysitter, We are going to have a NYE party at our place this year. We'll start with a kid-friendly BBQ and red cordial at say 5 or 6, then put progressively more exotic animals on the BBQ and less water in the cordial until we all fall over.

Hope you can come!

CT and RedJo 

The party was heaps of fun... just like those all-nighters we used to do when I was in my teens and 20s, except:
a) the grog was soooooo much better quality,
b) we had proper (and yummy!) food, not just packets of Twisties, and
c) we had to leave by 12.15 pm with our very over-tired children (but I was super-impressed that they managed to stay awake until midnight! By 10.30 pm, Thumper was walking like she was drunk.)

Once home, I became a whirlwind of activity and had the kids into PJs, teeth brushed and into bed within 10 minutes! I have never done this before, even when completely sober, so I have no idea how it happened this time.  Even more amazing: I achieved it all on my own, with no help from DeepSpice (who, he told me later, was simply looking on in amazement and trying to stay out of my way).

It was a fantastic way to usher in the new year, and 2012 could have only got better if Thumper hadn't decided to wake us up at 6.45 am.

--

Merricks Beach trip

With a public holiday last Tuesday, it would have been unAustralian for DeepSpice not to take the Monday off, so with little urging from me, he did and we wisely used the opportunity to get out of town for a four-day weekend. Despite only trying to book a few weeks in advance, I had managed to find a lovely beach house at Merricks Beach. I'm not going to say exactly where it is, because it was so good, I don't want to share it with anyone else! But here's a couple of photos...

View from the front verandah.

Back deck and beautiful native Australian back yard.

Unlike previous holiday departures, when we usually end up leaving at about 1 pm, we actually managed to leave within 30 minutes of my planned departure time of 10 am and were sitting down to enjoy lunch at our beach house by 1 pm. 

Then, at BallFiend's insistence, it was straight off to the beach. It was only 18 degrees but the sun was shining, and it wasn't long before BallFiend had rolled up his pants for a paddle. Thumper spent the first 10 minutes clinging to my leg, scared because it was "too noisy" - she didn't like the noise of the waves lapping on the shore! But it was wasn't long before she too was paddling. 

And of course, it was then only minutes until both kids had "fallen" (ie. deliberately sat) down fully clothed. We had come down prepared for a walk and some sand-castle building, not for two drenched kids. So I walked back to the beach house for towels and a change of clothes. After a some more serious sand-castle building, we eventually convinced them it was time to go and get some dinner. Back at the beach house, we stood the kids at the back door, and literally hosed them down to get all the sand off. Despite having paddled in the freezing water at the beach, they complained that the hose-water was too cold!

After dinner, we took the kids out for a short walk around the local area, and they were very excited to see lots of rabbits nibbling away on lawns and shrubs. Thus began Thumper's (and to a less extent, BallFiend's) weekend-long obsession with bunnies... we saw them frequently on the back lawn at our house. I'm sure the locals and the farmers in the area hate them, but it was a real novelty for our city-dwelling kids.

As it turns out, it was a good thing we spent Saturday at the beach, because for the rest of the weekend, the weather was miserable - raining and grey, with occasional breaks when the Sun would peak through long enough to give a glimmer of hope, before disappearing back behind the clouds. 

So on Sunday, we went for a drive in search of "the chocolate factory" mentioned in the "Things to Do" notes at the beach house. Apparently it was only 100m from the Merricks General Wine Store. The MGWS was just a few minutes drive away and also happened to be a wine-tasting venue for three local vineyards. After dutifully tasting some rather nice wines (and purchasing a few!), I enquired about the whereabouts of the chocolate factory. I was informed that the chocolate factory is now at Flinders, about a 20 minute drive away. BallFiend was not going to be easily dissauded, so we continued on our way... 

Flinders is a lovely little village to visit and there were a lot of people wandering around the main street shops. It was surprisingly hard to park but we eventually found a spot, right next to where a local community group were holding a fund-raising sausage sizzle (much to the delight of BallFiend, Thumper and DeepSpice). I left them to their sausages and ate one of the rolls I had packed. Then we joined the throngs wandering along main street, until we reached the chocolate factory. It turned out to be a chocolate shop, with the factory part sitting idle out the back. BallFiend and Thumper were each indulged with a chocolate car and a chocolate frog respectively, whilst DeepSpice and I each had a macron (nice, but not a patch on Choukette's!). With the kids happily munching on their chocolates, I left them with DeepSpice in a park and took the opportunity to browse through a couple of boutiques. Found some lovely earrings, on sale too! 

On our return journey, we stopped by the Ashcombe Maze, but as we arrived, it started absolutely bucketing down and then a bus load of Japanese tourists turned up, so we decided it would be best to leave the maze (and it's exhorbitant admission fees) for another day. Later in the afternoon, we enjoyed the company of The Bibliophile and her family, who were staying at their nearby hobby farm for the weekend. BallFiend and Thumper were very excited to see MasterW and LittleMissIz, and us 'groan-ups' were pleased to be able snatch a few moments of peace (in between the kids' interruptions) to enjoy a glass of wine and some adult conversation. 

On Monday morning, I took the kids down to the beach to poke around in the rock pools, leaving DeepSpice behind to have some time to himself. Thumper was terrified of all the dogs being walked along the beach and insisted I pick her up whenever one came into sight. But apart from this, she walked the entire way from our beach house, along the beach, and back again - at least 500m in each direction, plus the wandering around at the rock pools, and the extra 200m or so she did when she decided to 'run away' from BallFiend and me as we were walking back. 

BallFiend watches on as Thumper runs away. He then starts to get worried, and goes after her.
Then stops and urges me to go after her. (I stood my ground and she eventually came back.)

The rest of the day was spent lazing about doing nothing much... or at least, if we did do something of interest, I can't remember what it was! 

Thumper, unsurprising after her long walk, had a big, big sleep.

Then we went out for dinner at The Hertiage, a local restaurant/pub. The kids were served up the most enormous bowl of spaghetti bolognese each and surprising managed to eat about 90% of it. Then BallFiend ordered a choc-top ice cream for dessert. After meticulously picking all the chocolate off the top, he decided he didn't want the ice cream. Thumper was only too happy to oblige, leaving BallFiend to finish of the cone and DeepSpice and I to recite Jack Sprat. The owner, Glenda, came over to comment on our beautifully behaved children and gave them a little bag with crayons, stickers and activity sheets to keep them entertained. Overall, a surprisingly relaxing meal out, given we had children in tow.

In the morning of our last day on the Peninsula, The Bibliophile organised for us all to meet for breakfast at the Somers General Store, which was of course followed by a mandatory (thanks BallFiend) walk/play on the beach. Then it was back to our beach house to pack up. Whilst outside, loading up the car, I noticed a strange brown lump on the path and went over to investigate. A small ball of fur was just quietly sitting there and didn't even move when I approached.

Thinking it might be an injured or dead animal (I seem to attract 'em for some reason), I went over to investigate, but it suddenly got timid and scurried away into the agapanthas. I went back a few minutes later and found it out on the path again, and was able to get a much better photo:

After a quick bit of research on the Web, I reckon it might be a bush rat. 

The drive home was an easy 90 minute trip - thanks to EastLink and an endless suppply of cruskits to keep the kids from grumbling - and we were home by about 3pm. However, once we had unpacked the car, I discovered the full extent of the cruskit crumbs and so spent the next hour and a half vacuuming and wiping out the interior of the car! All worth it though. Can't wait to go back!
--

Conflict resolution 101

Another new word from Thumper today. It happened when I was visiting a local primary school, the one that BallFiend will most likely attend.

The school tour was organised by The Librarian and when she told me about it, I asked if I could tag along. She was there with LittleMissF and The Bibliophile and LittleMissIz also joined the tour. Both MasterF and MasterW were at kinder. BallFiend was also meant to be at kinder, but was home sick, with Gran minding him.

So the six of us were in the Principal's office, listening to him talk about the school, or at least trying to with three active toddlers mucking about. I had taken along a magnetic drawing toy to keep Thumper entertained and when she left it unattended on the table, LittleMissF started to play with it. Moments later Thumper noticed and started to throw a tantrum... and then I heard it: "Mine!".

It seems we have arrived at the terrible twos, about 5 months early.
--

Fully sick

The name of today is Monday. BallFiend has been learning the days of the week at kinder. He came home one day and said to me, "Mum, did you know there are seven days of the week?" and proceeded to recite them to me: "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, Friday". A few days later, he had it down pat: "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday".

Anyway, Monday is swimming lesson day, and an exercise in logistics requiring military precision:

• 7.00 am: Get up out of bed (harder than it sounds when Thumper has woken us up at 3 am and kept us up till after 4 am). Get myself showered and dressed, leaving DeepSpice to tend the young'uns... that is, start on getting them dressed and fed.
• 7.30 am: Discover that DeepSpice has got as far as getting breakfast cereals into bowls on the bench and milk out of the fridge and on to the bench, but not actually poured onto cereal yet. Spot kids playing, and still in PJs. 
• 7.35 am: Find clothes and dress the slippery eels kids. Dressing Thumper is relatively straight-forward, except for those times when she does her over-cooked spaghetti impersonation and goes all 'boneless'. Thankfully, she's decided to be al-dente today. BallFiend takes a lot longer because: (a) he dresses himself; (b) he has to hold a ball whilst dressing himself; (c) he has to run about the house playing with said ball in between putting on each item of clothing. 
• 7.45 am: Sit Thumper in the highchair with a bowl of Vitabrits. Place BallFiend's breakfast on the table. Sit down and attempt to eat my breakfast.
• 7.46 am: Get up to replenish Thumper's bowl of Vitabrits. 
• 7.50 am: Encourage, cajole, nag, suggest, nag, remind, nag and shout at BallFiend to: (a) come to the table; (b) eat his Vitabrits; (c) 'turn around and eat facing the table and stop dropping food on the floor!'; (d) 'keep eating and stop playing with your spoon/placemat/ball/other distraction'; until a sufficient quantity of breakfast has finally been eaten... 
• 7.59 am: Hand damp face-washer to BallFiend and use another to wipe up Thumper, the mess on and under the highchair. Extract Thumper from highchair. Quickly wipe up mess on floor before Thumper walks through it. 
• 8.00 am: Start packing kids bags, making snacks to take to pool. No sandwiches for lunch today because there's no bread, again. 
• 9.30 am: Encourage, cajole, nag, suggest, nag, remind, nag and shout at BallFiend to put shoes on, go to toilet, get ready to go, etc., etc. Change Thumper's nappy.
• 10.00 am: Departure, Take 1. Strap Thumper into car seat, ask BallFiend to get into car. BallFiend announces "I have a poo!". Unstrap Thumper and return to the house. Assist BallFiend with wiping up after the event. Encourage, cajole, nag, suggest, nag, remind, nag and shout at BallFiend to put his pants back on, flush toilet, wash hands, dry hands. All things that he would be able to do much more quickly if he would only put down that ball for a moment! 
• 10.15 am: Departure, Take 2. Strap Thumper into car seat, ask BallFiend to get into car. BallFiend rants that he wanted to be strapped in first. Briefly consider unstrapping Thumper then decide to weather BallFiend's tantrum instead, in the vain hope that he will learn an important life lesson (which he probably will, but that won't come back to benefit me for another 25 years). Strap BallFiend in. Strap myself in, start engine. Drive down driveway. Realise I have forgotten Thumper's blankie. Turn off car and return to house (leaving kids strapped in). If someone is fool enough to kidnap them, then so be it.
• 10.30 am: Departure, Take 3. Return to car with blankie. Drive off to Gran and GrandPaul's house. Deposit a protesting Thumper. On our way again.
• 10.45 am: Arrive at swimming pool. Quickly help BallFiend change into bathers (amazing how cooperative he becomes when it is all about getting into a swimming pool). Time for 10 mins of playtime until the lesson with Nuccio. 
• 11.00 am: Lesson starts. Quick chat with The Bibliophile, MasterW and LittleMissIz before nicking out to cafe to start reading the next book for my bookgroup. 

After the swimming lesson, I dragged a protesting BallFiend to the change rooms. He wants to play in the pool longer. But I know he needs to go and get fed, ASAP, before a hunger-induced meltdown occurs. We join The Bibliophile, MasterW and LittleMissIz at a local eatery, as we often do. Today it is Al-Alamy for some Lebanese pizzas. Part way through his cheese calzoni, BallFiend announces that he won't eat anymore because he feels sick. Not like him at all, as he loves cheese and simple carbs, which is all that the cheese calzoni is, and he is usually starving after swimming. But then he and MasterW start running around the store, so I dismiss the idea that he is really sick. They go up and down the aisles with all the loose nuts in tubs. I chase after him and tell him not to go near the nuts (BallFiend has a serious nut allergy).

Then BallFiend and MasterW settle in front of the drinks fridges and start rolling BallFiend's "soccerball beach ball with a bell in it" back and forwards, continuously getting in the way of passing customers. ThePupperMaker arrives with her son MasterD (whom we know from 3 year old kinder) and the ball rolling game gets taken up a notch, then it is back to running around the aisles next to the nuts.

We decide to make a hasty exit and The Bibliophile suggests that I drop BallFiend off at her place so that he and MasterW can have a play while I do my shopping. We wander back to our cars, with our cute little boys holding hands and chattering away to each other. Then head back to The Bibliophile's house. Once there I stop for a cup of tea and shortly after, BallFiend resumes his complaint about feeling sick and wanting to go home.

I dismiss this at first, as he often gets into a sullen mood these days with no obvious reason and/or claims to be sick as a means of getting his way. But as I watch him over my cup of tea, I can see him looking more and more pale. His posture looks awkward and uncomfortable. He says he is cold, yet it is a beautiful 24 degrees. I touch his torso and feel heat radiating from his skin. OK, so he has a temperature and he really is a bit sick. So I ask him to lie on the couch and wait while I finish my cup of tea and get ready to go. He refuses at first, insisting that he needs his dummy and blankie to rest. Five minutes later, he is sound asleep.

I carry him to the car and drive home. Then carry him to his bed. Seconds later he starts vomiting... I catch it in the only thing to hand: his precious blankie. I clean him up, take his temperature (just under 40 degrees) and give him some Panadol. Then he vomits again. But he feels marginally better now and lies down, falling straight back to sleep. By now it is about 3.30 pm and I ring Gran and GrandPaul to ask them to drive Thumper home.

At 7 pm, I wake BallFiend and check his temperature again. It's come down to 37.8 degrees and he is much chirpier, but still feels sick. So I get him ready for bed and convince him to drink a little bit of water (he refuses a Hydralyte iceblock or apple juice) . He's asleep again by 8 pm, and Thumper not long after.

Thankfully, has DeepSpice put on the washing, so I don't have to deal with cleaning up all the vomited on things (including my pants!). Here's hoping that he is all better tomorrow and more importantly, that Thumper doesn't catch it.
--

Happy New Year to me

Tuesday was my new year, the anniversary of my emergence into the world, thirty-something years ago.
It is also not long after the ten-year anniversary of my mother's death from breast cancer (on 14 January 2001).

I find that being motherless has a whole new dimension now that I am a mother myself. There are so many times when I ache for my mum and wish she was here to help me, to understand what it means to be a mother and to ask about her about her experiences of raising me. But this cannot be. All I can do is accept the way things are and do my best to remember my mum.

So I decided to mark the occasion of my birth and of the day that my mother became a mother with a small gathering at my place, with family (DeepSpice, CutLuce and DesignerMonkey, DesignerSis and Wigward) and a few friends (VolubleK and AussieG with PetitAmi, The Bibliophile with MasterW and LittleMissIs, The Librarian and The SchoolMaster with MasterF and LittleMissF).

In addition, I haven't had a birthday party since my 30th, and given that my 40th is only a few years away, I thought it would be a good idea to sneak in at least one more party before the big 4-0. (Which is going to involve a trip to France where VoluableK and I will celebrate out birthdays together in style... but that's another story for another post).

The evening was good fun, somewhat over-catered(!) and a just little chaotic, with 7 kids running amok. I am grateful for everyone's help with cleaning up (AussieG did the dishes - what a star! And a magic fairy tidied the toys up in the kids bedroom. Thank you!). I am yet to wash the watermelon juice off the deck and clean up the watermelon pieces slowly dessicating on the garden path. Though the snails seem to be helping with that! And we still haven't found the icy-pole that LittleMissIz lost somewhere - hopefully outside the house! But this is all just proof that a good time was had by all... especially me.

Thank you everyone for an enjoyable evening!
--

Wine, women and books

I've heard it said that we all destined to become our mothers (or fathers, as the case may be if you are male), and it seems I am already following in my mother's footsteps. Not simply in the sense of spawning two human beings (at least one of which is destined to become like me by virtue of her sex). No, I have joined a book group... exactly as my own mother did when she was around my current age.

It all started some months ago (back in April) when, at the invitation of The Bibliophile, I agreed (with some trepidation), to join in a monthly meet-up of other women who also all happen to be mothers of pre-school children. The premise was to read books and then chat about them.

Our book list, so far... 

April: Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung 

May: Carpentaria by Alexis Wright

June: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali 

July: Joe Cinque's Consolation by Helen Garner

August: The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas 

September: On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

October: The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery

However, The Bibliophile had a secret agenda to create an excuse a reason for us to get out to the pub for an evening of good company, good food and good wine; and as a way to continue the friendships we had formed through our childrens' playgroup as our children get older and move on to other things.

For the first few months, we met at the Edinburgh Castle Hotel. Then, when we had tired of that menu, we moved on to The Post Office Hotel (which has recently been renovated and has just opened it's kitchen...  fantastic menu!). However for our most recent meeting, ArizonaGal invited us all to her home for our book group evening because her hubbie BotanyBoy is a bit of a sustainability guru and was interested to join in the discussion on Tim Flannery's The Weather Makers.

The evening was notable because:
(a) The Adel-Lady was present for the first time (with previous absences to be fairly attributed PainterSam's ever-increasing notoriety since getting all famous and stuff);
(b) we welcomed a new member, K., bringing the number of our group to nine;
(c) the presence of BotanyBoy was the first time we have had a male in our midst; and
(d) we weren't at a pub.

Indeed, the highlight of the evening for me was the lovely atmosphere created by ArizonaGal and BotanyBoy. When we arrived, the scene was set for a garden-party, with lawn chairs set out ready for our discussion. With drinks in hands, we gathered under the hills hoist to commence proceedings. Discussion was robust, and we all seemed to find plenty to say (despite the fact that the majority of us had not finished -- or in some cases even started -- reading the book). As dusk fell, we paused to spray ourselves with insect repellent (drat those infernal mosquitoes) and to say goodnight to LittleMissL and MasterS who were off to bed after watching Mary Poppins.

As night fell, we adjourned to the outdoor dining table for dinner, surrounded by candle-lit lanterns scattered around the garden. BotanyBoy looked quite comfortable seated at the head of the table, surrounded all of us mums-on-a-night-off. Several empty bottles of wine were cleared away, making space to serve ArizonaGal's delicious vegetable lasagna (made with BotanyBoy's home-grown pumpkin). Dessert was a choice of yummy cakes (lemon or chocolate) brought by E. and L. (OK, OK, there was no choice involved, I had a piece of each!)

After a time, the discussion wandered away from the topic of climate change and onto more mundane things (including our children, which is a topic that is supposedly banned at book group) and the evening slowly drew to a close.

It was without doubt, a lovely evening, full of style and sophistication. And although we didn't manage to solve the problem of humanity-induced climate change, The Weather Makers made a strong impression on me. I am now inclined to read Here On Earth: a case for hope, Tim Flannery's new book.
--

Happy Birthday Thumper!

It's been a whole year since Thumper emerged into the world (well actually it will be a whole year in about 1 hour's time, since she was born at 4.49 pm).

Her birthday celebrations began on Sunday when we had a lovely little party with family and friends. It was to be a teddy bears' picnic at a local park but the Spring-time weather was not at it's most cooperative, so we invaded Gran and GrandPaul's house instead. In attendance to honour the birthday girl was: DeepSpice, me, BallFiend, Gran, GrandPaul, CutLuce, DesignerSis, Wigward, DesignerMonkey, The Bibliophile, MasterW, LittleMissIz, The Librarian, MasterF, LittleMissF, GreatAuntF and GreatUncleM and ElspethR.

The birthday cake was a raspberry butter cake - raspberries because Thumper is an expert at blowing them!

Today, Thumper's actual birthday, began at 6.30 am, when we woke to hear BallFiend yelling at the poor child: "Be quiet Thumper! You are being too noisy!" Apparently, Thumper was murmuring in her sleep and it was loud enough to rouse BallFiend; he in turn woke Thumper by yelling at her. Sigh.

The morning went by as usual: breakfast, getting dressed, etc. then waving goodbye to DeepSpice. Thumper has recently become very attached to her dad and she always cries when he leaves. Today was no exception - I stood with Thumper in my arms, waving bye to DeepSpice, whilst she attempted to lurch from my arms after DeepSpice, saying "Da! Da!" (no, not channeling our Russian ancestors... she does actually mean 'dad').

Next, it was time to take BallFiend to his Kinder Circus class, so as usual, Thumper was dragged along. During the class I took her for a walk in the pram so she got to have her morning nap. (Essential for today, because she had an important birthday lunch date ahead!).

After Kinder Circus, I took BallFiend for a stroll to allow Thumper to have a full hour's nap. BallFiend wasn't too impressed with having to wander around for a while, but he did enjoy seeing a fire engine, a water-company worker opening up a drain, a local primary school and the opportunity to ask me question after question about the street trees... Why:

• does this tree have a post [stake] next to it?
• does that tree not have a post but it does have a broken post?
• are these little pebbles on the ground around the tree?
• is there a hole there? [a spot where a tree used to be]

At 11.40 am it was time to wake Thumper up so we could head off to lunch at Heide with VolubleK and PetitAmi. Lunch at Cafe Vue was an experience, very nearly civilised... if it wasn't for BallFiend's (lack of) table manners and Thumper throwing her food all over the floor. But Voluble K and I enjoyed ourselves anyway... once we had a glass of bubbles in hand, nothing much else mattered! :)

After lunch, PetitAmi and BallFiend ran amok in the sculpture park whilst Voluble K and I took turns pushing the pram around... until PetitAmi realised she was missing her chance and took over the pram-pushing duties.

Then it was time to go home, where I got the news that Australia now has a (very, very, very minority) government. What a great birthday present for Thumper!

For the record, here's the other gifts that were bestowed upon you:

• a jack-in-the-box (actually a monkey-in-the-box);
• Playmobil 'coastal search and rescue' boat and car, with two people to drive them;
• a stacking ring ball toy;
• "Where is the green sheep?" by Mem Fox;
• "Can you Moo too?" by David Wojtowycz (a board book);
• clothing: a Sooki Baby wrap-around top, socks, hat;
• Miffy blocks that both nest and stack;
• a Roll Along Ball (a large inflatable ball with little bell-balls inside);
• Wooden letters that spell her name (for the bedroom door);
• an oil painting of a teddy bear (a shared family heirloom from VolubleK);
• a soft-toy snowman.

And guess who has had the most enjoyment (so far) out of all the toys? Yes, of course it is BallFiend.

So, happy birthday Thumper! Over the past year you've made us laugh, kept us company on countless nights (sigh), and despite the exhaustion, brought us lots of joy. We love you and we are looking forward to watching you grow up despite feeling sad that your babyhood is fast disappearing.

--

Have a ball at the Zoo

Went to the Zoo today with several other playgroup mums (ArizonaGal, The Bibliophile, The Seamstress, The Librarian and HM) and between us our eleven!!! offspring (BallFiend, Thumper, LittleMissL, MasterS, MasterW, LittleMissIz, MasterF, LittleMissF, MasterL, MasterM and MasterT).

The main purpose of the visit was to see Mali, the baby elephant, but also to have a change from 'the usual' (a local playground). The plan was to meet at the Elephant Barn at 10.30 am and see Mali when she was brought out at 11.00 am.

I was aiming to get to the Zoo by 9.30 am and see a few things beforehand. However, despite rushing around the house since about 8.00 am, we only just managed to make the 9.59 am train. On our way to the elephant area, we stopped off to see a few animals - the platypus, the meer cats and the tiger. Then, whilst walking along the Elephant Trail, just as we were passing the tiger enclosure, we met up with The Seamstress and her boys MasterL and MasterM.

We continued on together, past some very inquisitive pelicans, and arrived at the Elephant Barn right on 10.30 am, to find ourselves at the end of a very long queue. In the queue ahead of us were Jovial Jo with MasterW and LittleMissIz and even closer to the front of the queue ArizonaGal with LittleMissL and MasterS.

We waited half an hour in order to (eventually!) see Mali for 5 minutes along with 150 other people, before we were moved on so the next 150 people could come and do the same.

Mali, the 6-week old baby elephant, out for a stroll.

Might as well have watched a video really. But I do understand why the Zoo has such limited viewing times... Mali is only 6 weeks old after all! I did the same with my 6 week old babies - tried to protect them from too much excitement and ensure they got the rest they needed. But it was a long time to wait - especially for a bunch of three year olds. I was very impressed with how patient BallFiend was.

After Mali, we went on to see lots more: Orangutans, Seals and Little Penguins with the other playgroup friends. Then we all stopped at the cafe for lunch. After lunch, most of the others went home but The Seamstress and I (with our kids) continued on to see the Gorillas, Monkeys and other primates, a crocodile (of sorts), Lions, and Giant Tortoises.

BallFiend and MasterL

And then there was one - just me with BallFiend and Thumper (as The Seamstress needed to take MasterM home for a nap). We decided to stay and see some more, starting with the Reptiles and Frogs. After a stop-off for a hard-earned icypole, we went on to see the Bears, Big Cats, Turtles, Lemurs and finally the Giraffe and Zebras. By this point I was exhausted so we headed for the train station.

So, with all these exciting things to see - I'm sure you are wondering what was the highlight of the day for BallFiend? Was it the Lions (he is a Leo), was it the Bears (nearly - they had a ball toy in their enclosure and he couldn't understand why they weren't constantly playing with it), or was it the Giant Tortoises, which were 'this big'.

BallFiend explaining
just how big the Giant Tortoises are.

No, of course not... on our way to the exit, along the Main drive, BallFiend found a ball, surprise, surprise. A small, black one about the size of a walnut. "Can I keep it Mama?" he asked. (He calls me 'mama' whenever he is around MasterL or LittleMissZ who both call their mothers 'mama'. He also calls me 'mama' whenever he wants to suck up to me.) He was ecstatic when I said that he could. (It crossed my mind that we could hand it in to Lost Property, but I didn't think a little plastic made-in-China type trinket would be something any sensible parent was going to bring the child back to the Zoo to find and I was too tired to be bothered anyway).

BallFiend's highlight from his day

at the Zoo - a small, black, plastic ball.

When we got home, BallFiend accidentally dropped the new ball on the floorboards and it was then we discovered this was no ordinary ball - it pops open to reveal a little man inside!

The ball pops open to reveal... a man!
BallFiend's excitement at finding the ball
was nothing compared to this discovery!

So when DeepSpice got home and I encouraged BallFiend to tell him about our day, there was not a mention of the Zoo, just a show-and-tell about the new ball.

Sigh.

--

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!