Hey. How are you? We don't talk much these days. I want us to stay in touch more. Let each other know how we are. We used to talk. You and I. That was a while back though. Life caught up with us since then.
I know that I'm mostly at fault here. I accept that. I can be a little selfish really. I should have started a conversation with you. Sat down and tried a little bonding. But the washing needed to be done, and Annie had another dirty nappy. It sometimes steals moments from us. This life we lead.
So what's new? I hear you have fingernails. That must work out well if you need to pick your nose. My calculations tell me you can hear us all. Ben, Annie and Miss Maggie. Quiet the madhouse huh? Did I mention we have a vacancy?
So listen, I've been thinking. It's not long before your plane lands and we have to go and pick you up from the airport. Can't believe we will see each other after all this time. I hope there's no weirdness. Anyway, so we're picking you up right? I hear the traffic down that way can be a real bitch. I hope I don't lose my shit.
You'll know who I am pretty instantly I would think. I'll be the brunette holding the epidural bag like it was the arse of Hamish Blake. I might look a bit disshelved, but fear not, I've got it together (most of the time) and actually, I'm pretty fun to hang out with. The guy with the beard and the huge grin is your father. He's a lovely specimen. Very thoughtful an very very funny. I rolled over in bed the other morning and let out a big one. He promptly replied 'Has anyone ever told you not to point a loaded weapon at someone?'. Please note: he will love you instantly. (as will I)
The mini me sitting on Dada's lap is Annie. She's your sister. She's a pretty laid back chickie. She won't fuss over you too much, but don't take it personally. She will think your the bees knees by the time you can clap to The Wiggles. Oh, and if she looks a little drunk, it's only because walking is a new pass-time for her.
When we get you home you'll notice a brown blur walking around who smells like wet socks. That's Maggie. The dog. I'm afraid she's severely pissed off you're coming. We broke the news to her the other day and she took her ball outside and hide under the outdoor table for hours. Ben had to coax her out with a piece of steak. Maggie has already been demoted from 'half dog/half human' to just 'dog with human traits' and now you're on your way, she knows all that's left is mere 'dog'. It's a bitter pill to swallow.
In case I don't get around to saying it (which is looking more and more likely) I love you ardently. You squirm around in there occasionally and my heart melts trying to imagine what you're going to look like in a Bonds Wondersuit. I wonder whether my heart is big enough to take anymore love. I love your Dada so much, and Miss Annie like I never thought possible. I know there is more for you though. It's already begun.
Righto, better go and get back to the massive list of things we need to get done before we meet. Picking your name is up there next to 'put door handles on doors'. Don't worry, we won't do what we did with Annie and decide your name over a tray of fish and chips in the TV room of the hospital.
Til we meet my sweet one,
Mumma
x
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Things that happened this week.
1. Miss Annie learn't how to walk!
She looks a little bit like an old drunk leaving the pub just after twelve. Absolutely NO balance whatsoever, but I am loving her determination and her sheer delight at being able to get around so quickly. She takes a few steps, speeds up to a trot and then laughs her head off before falling to her bum. I could watch her all day. But then who would make the Lamb & Rosemary pie.
2. Made Lamb & Rosemary Pie that I am in love with!
3. DIY Job on a wrought iron single bed given to us by my sister.
It will act as a day bed/couch in the study and house any friends or family wanting to stay over. (Jane/Marian/Siobhan/Harrison) I was happy with the job the paint did, although I thought it would be much glossier.
She looks a little bit like an old drunk leaving the pub just after twelve. Absolutely NO balance whatsoever, but I am loving her determination and her sheer delight at being able to get around so quickly. She takes a few steps, speeds up to a trot and then laughs her head off before falling to her bum. I could watch her all day. But then who would make the Lamb & Rosemary pie.
2. Made Lamb & Rosemary Pie that I am in love with!
3. DIY Job on a wrought iron single bed given to us by my sister.
It will act as a day bed/couch in the study and house any friends or family wanting to stay over. (Jane/Marian/Siobhan/Harrison) I was happy with the job the paint did, although I thought it would be much glossier.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Blissful Bali.
It's about bloody time I wrote about our luscious trip to Bali. I would have jotted something down sooner, but we have been MAD busy since we got home. Packing up for our move and actually getting our little asses into our new home last weekend. Can you believe it?? Finally, after 7 months of owning our own home, we are now tucked into our beds at night within it's walls. I haven't been this happy since I swam up to our pool bar in Bali and ordered a Strawberry martini.
Oh yeh...back to Bali. We went without Miss Annie. It was not an easy thing to do, leaving her. She looked so warm and cuddly that morning. Drinking her bot-bot and looking at me innocently as if I would NEVER leave her. My heart nearly broke in two. I cried all the way to the airport and demanded that Ben be patient with me because 'I'm fragile'. I remained in this state the entire way to Bali. As we got off the plane and the humid heat hit my pregnant belly. As we jumped out of our taxi and admired our choice of accommodation. And as we dumped our bags in our lovely little room with massive oversized bed.
It wasn't until I settled into my sun lunge and looked across our pool and out to the ocean that I turned to Ben and said 'This, is the shit!'. I knew instantly that we would not have had as relaxing a time if little Annie was with us. After all the renovating and working hard, we both needed some time out. We were planning to lap it up.
Bali now has a social place in my heart. The only other place is Asia I have been is Vietnam (which I loved!) but there was something truly 'inviting' about Bali that sinks into your skin. The people, the food, the markets. Nothing is over done. Nothing is too westernised. Everything is simple and sweet. We spent most of our time devoted to Steig Larsson and Salander, perched on our sun lounges. I would read, think about what I wanted for lunch, read and think about what I wanted for dinner. It was divine. We took a day trip to UBUD and stayed the night, hired bikes, and visited a few tourist places, but mostly we soaked up the stillness, the sleep-ins and the late night dinners in quaint little restaurants. Here are just a few photos of our trip.
When Ben's bike grows up, it wants to be a Harley.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
It's time to say well done.
Too often I beat myself up about the things that I don't get done. I've gotten very good at it since I had Annie. The days seem to merge into each other and my list of things to do sits by, smiling and twiddling it's thumbs. It's very frustrating for me, because I am a doer of things. I like to get things done. To be in a position where achieving just the evening meal and perhaps a little housework can sometimes leave me sighing.
But you know, I have to change my perception on all this. Being with my baby and watching her grow should be enough, right? If I manage to get anything else done above and beyond that, I'm doing well. So, today, I am going to celebrate the fact that I got so much done yesterday (Monday). It was a productive day on many levels. With Annie, with the house and with my inner self. Here is my tribute to the achievement of the small things. Congrats me. You're doing great!
I dropped Ben over to the house so he could meet our carpenter and help him install our new wardrobes!!!! Yipee! Imagine...somewhere to hang our things. The sheer delight of that!
Miss Annie and I ventured to our local park for a picnic lunch. She is a little obsessed with 'Birdy's' at the moment so we went to look at the ducks that live in the pond. She loved it. But, in true Annie style, would not share any of her lunch with them, opting instead to eat the bread I gave her to throw at them.
While Miss Annie slept in the afternoon I managed to take some more paint off the window we are restoring for our hallway door. I love heat guns, they are so satisfying!
And hey, while we're at it, let's whip up a tomato pie and a spinach and fetta pie too. With homemade crust of course (easiest recipe ever! will share soon)
No busy day is complete, without a little something sweet. The ripening bananas in the fruit bowl inspired some Banana Cake that was hungrily eaten for desert with cookies and cream ice cream. Yum. Yum. Yum.
But you know, I have to change my perception on all this. Being with my baby and watching her grow should be enough, right? If I manage to get anything else done above and beyond that, I'm doing well. So, today, I am going to celebrate the fact that I got so much done yesterday (Monday). It was a productive day on many levels. With Annie, with the house and with my inner self. Here is my tribute to the achievement of the small things. Congrats me. You're doing great!
I dropped Ben over to the house so he could meet our carpenter and help him install our new wardrobes!!!! Yipee! Imagine...somewhere to hang our things. The sheer delight of that!
Miss Annie and I ventured to our local park for a picnic lunch. She is a little obsessed with 'Birdy's' at the moment so we went to look at the ducks that live in the pond. She loved it. But, in true Annie style, would not share any of her lunch with them, opting instead to eat the bread I gave her to throw at them.
While Miss Annie slept in the afternoon I managed to take some more paint off the window we are restoring for our hallway door. I love heat guns, they are so satisfying!
And hey, while we're at it, let's whip up a tomato pie and a spinach and fetta pie too. With homemade crust of course (easiest recipe ever! will share soon)
No busy day is complete, without a little something sweet. The ripening bananas in the fruit bowl inspired some Banana Cake that was hungrily eaten for desert with cookies and cream ice cream. Yum. Yum. Yum.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Where has the time gone...
Dearest Miss Annie,
I have been threatening to write this update on you for months now. So much time has gone by and you have grown with every week. It's hard to believe that you are not my little 'easy-to-hold-with-one-arm' baby anymore.
However what you have become is much more delightful. You're a sweet little thing. You take moments to let things sink in. You look around a room, suss people out, decide how you feel about it all before you will relax into the moment. The other day we visited the Elsternwick Library Story Time. There's a very talented young lady there who reads stories and sings songs while all the babies (and the Mummas) sing along. There are actions to do, and sounds to make, and all the other children are actively involved. You, however, sit in muted silence just starring. I can't decide what is going on in your tiny little mind, but I'm tossing up between:
'Wow, this is intense' and 'How do all these people know my Mummas songs?'
At the very end of the session when I was sure that you had hated it, you started to clap your hands and bounce on my knee. I was delighted you were finally getting into it, but it was the last song and before you knew it was all over. Your little face nearly broke my heart.
Your current obsessions are taking lids on and off things, pointing at everything in the house and saying 'ta' as if we will just give you the microwave to play with. You are madly in love with Dada at the moment. In the morning, when you wake, we walk out of your bedroom and into the living room. Normally Dada is sitting there having his breakfast and reading the paper. With confidence you holler 'Dadaaaa!'. Some mornings he has already gone to work and you just can't figure out where he is. You have an unhealthy fascination with Maggie our dog. Now that you can crawl, you are gunning it over to her hoping to get a little pat in. Maggie is onto you though, being extra cautious now that your new movement resembles a small dog. She hops up quickly when she senses you coming and hightails it out of there. For you this is bitterly disappointing as it can take you awhile to get anywhere on all fours.
You've started giving Mumma real hugs back. For awhile there I was sure you had some kind of intimacy issue. But no, you show love now. In little hugs and soft kisses. I can't get enough of them. They make my day. It blows me away that we can be this lucky.
To honor the fact that you are officially 14 months old, I wanted to share a little video of the first 6 months of your life. Don't worry, we are currently filming the next installment and have found a good place to hide the tapes until your 21st.
xx
Here's to you my sweet little girl who I love so very much. Thank you for making my heart so light with love.
Mumma
I have been threatening to write this update on you for months now. So much time has gone by and you have grown with every week. It's hard to believe that you are not my little 'easy-to-hold-with-one-arm' baby anymore.
However what you have become is much more delightful. You're a sweet little thing. You take moments to let things sink in. You look around a room, suss people out, decide how you feel about it all before you will relax into the moment. The other day we visited the Elsternwick Library Story Time. There's a very talented young lady there who reads stories and sings songs while all the babies (and the Mummas) sing along. There are actions to do, and sounds to make, and all the other children are actively involved. You, however, sit in muted silence just starring. I can't decide what is going on in your tiny little mind, but I'm tossing up between:
'Wow, this is intense' and 'How do all these people know my Mummas songs?'
At the very end of the session when I was sure that you had hated it, you started to clap your hands and bounce on my knee. I was delighted you were finally getting into it, but it was the last song and before you knew it was all over. Your little face nearly broke my heart.
Your current obsessions are taking lids on and off things, pointing at everything in the house and saying 'ta' as if we will just give you the microwave to play with. You are madly in love with Dada at the moment. In the morning, when you wake, we walk out of your bedroom and into the living room. Normally Dada is sitting there having his breakfast and reading the paper. With confidence you holler 'Dadaaaa!'. Some mornings he has already gone to work and you just can't figure out where he is. You have an unhealthy fascination with Maggie our dog. Now that you can crawl, you are gunning it over to her hoping to get a little pat in. Maggie is onto you though, being extra cautious now that your new movement resembles a small dog. She hops up quickly when she senses you coming and hightails it out of there. For you this is bitterly disappointing as it can take you awhile to get anywhere on all fours.
You've started giving Mumma real hugs back. For awhile there I was sure you had some kind of intimacy issue. But no, you show love now. In little hugs and soft kisses. I can't get enough of them. They make my day. It blows me away that we can be this lucky.
To honor the fact that you are officially 14 months old, I wanted to share a little video of the first 6 months of your life. Don't worry, we are currently filming the next installment and have found a good place to hide the tapes until your 21st.
xx
Here's to you my sweet little girl who I love so very much. Thank you for making my heart so light with love.
Mumma
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
And then there were four...
I've just recently discovered that rolling around in bed and huffing and puffing a lot, will lead to doctors wanting to take photos of your stomach. Look what they found in me a few weeks back...
That's right...Ben, Annie, Maggie and I are all digesting the news that there is going to be another baby in the house very soon. Bubs 2 (as we have lazily named him/her) is due in early September. And whilst this was a planned thing (Ben didn't just surprise me in the middle of the night with cake and an offer of a quick rumpy pump) it has taken some time to get used to.
I suppose initially I felt overly guilty for Miss Annie. That she would no longer be the only one. I knew instantly that I would have less time for her. I didn't want her thinking it meant we didn't love her beyond comprehension. After that, I started to think about that lack of sleep that comes with a newborn. It played on my mind so much I couldn't sleep. Ironic huh? But, over the last 16 weeks I have come to feel much better about the idea of having another baby.
I know Miss Annie will be a terrific (if a bit bossy) big sister. I know Ben will be a terrific and helpful second time Dad. And I think, and hope, that I will be a much more relaxed second time Mum. I must point out how happy I really am to be growing our little family. We have had such joy from our Miss Annie that I have no doubt bubs 2 will merely add to our feeling of elation. It's hard work, let's not kid ourselves. But it's hard work with huge rewards and that makes it all worthwhile.
With all the house renos and a trip to Bali in two weeks time, I suppose I am feeling a real urge to nest. I want to set the house up. Prepare and plan. Make a nice home for this little bundle to start his/her life. With any luck that will be in the next few weeks and my feeling of panic may subside.
Tomorrow is appointment week 16 at the Royal Women's Hospital. It's my first visit there and I am looking forward to seeing the digs. I have a few friends who have given birth there, and while I will miss the homely nature of Sandringham Hospital, I am comforting myself with the thoughts that the Royal delivers, on average, 30-50 babies a week. (don't quote me on those stats)
Can anyone recommend a good book to read on natural births? Something with a headline similar to...
'How to get through the most excruciating pain and still remain attractive',
'10 ways to knock yourself out during labour',
'Simple steps to sedating yourself without drugs'.
I'll check back in regularly for your recommendations. The best answer gets to win a copy of my birth video!!
That's right...Ben, Annie, Maggie and I are all digesting the news that there is going to be another baby in the house very soon. Bubs 2 (as we have lazily named him/her) is due in early September. And whilst this was a planned thing (Ben didn't just surprise me in the middle of the night with cake and an offer of a quick rumpy pump) it has taken some time to get used to.
I suppose initially I felt overly guilty for Miss Annie. That she would no longer be the only one. I knew instantly that I would have less time for her. I didn't want her thinking it meant we didn't love her beyond comprehension. After that, I started to think about that lack of sleep that comes with a newborn. It played on my mind so much I couldn't sleep. Ironic huh? But, over the last 16 weeks I have come to feel much better about the idea of having another baby.
I know Miss Annie will be a terrific (if a bit bossy) big sister. I know Ben will be a terrific and helpful second time Dad. And I think, and hope, that I will be a much more relaxed second time Mum. I must point out how happy I really am to be growing our little family. We have had such joy from our Miss Annie that I have no doubt bubs 2 will merely add to our feeling of elation. It's hard work, let's not kid ourselves. But it's hard work with huge rewards and that makes it all worthwhile.
With all the house renos and a trip to Bali in two weeks time, I suppose I am feeling a real urge to nest. I want to set the house up. Prepare and plan. Make a nice home for this little bundle to start his/her life. With any luck that will be in the next few weeks and my feeling of panic may subside.
Tomorrow is appointment week 16 at the Royal Women's Hospital. It's my first visit there and I am looking forward to seeing the digs. I have a few friends who have given birth there, and while I will miss the homely nature of Sandringham Hospital, I am comforting myself with the thoughts that the Royal delivers, on average, 30-50 babies a week. (don't quote me on those stats)
Can anyone recommend a good book to read on natural births? Something with a headline similar to...
'How to get through the most excruciating pain and still remain attractive',
'10 ways to knock yourself out during labour',
'Simple steps to sedating yourself without drugs'.
I'll check back in regularly for your recommendations. The best answer gets to win a copy of my birth video!!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
A visit from the postman...
I was reading Dooce and came across a book that I couldn't stop thinking about. Now that we have our house I am always thinking ahead when it comes to decorating it, cooking in it and of course caring for the garden. I'm not much of a green thumb in all honesty, but I am hoping that now we own a little block we can call our own, that it will inspire the gardener in me.
This book should help quiet a bit...
What interested me most about this book was the idea that you can grow veggies in even the most awkward places. I have had a few ideas for integrating veggies and herbs into our garden without needing to take up the whole back yard, and this book has just served to inspire that. What's most wonderful about it is that it's such an easy read. I feel like I walk away from sections of it, informed rather than confused.
The organic side of it seems obvious rather than scary. And it also has a great section on preserving your produce and even a few recipes to boot. All in all, the best $23 dollars I have spent in the last few months (and my first amazon purchase too!)
In other naughty internet credit card adventures I also visited the Duckcloth website and decided to get me a little something to inspire the next project. I was thinking of making miss annie a doll, complete with her own quilt. (thanks Julia for the inspiration)
Every time I look at her I want to make that little chicken something! This could be a very expensive relationship! Will share more on my little one in the next post.
This book should help quiet a bit...
What interested me most about this book was the idea that you can grow veggies in even the most awkward places. I have had a few ideas for integrating veggies and herbs into our garden without needing to take up the whole back yard, and this book has just served to inspire that. What's most wonderful about it is that it's such an easy read. I feel like I walk away from sections of it, informed rather than confused.
The organic side of it seems obvious rather than scary. And it also has a great section on preserving your produce and even a few recipes to boot. All in all, the best $23 dollars I have spent in the last few months (and my first amazon purchase too!)
In other naughty internet credit card adventures I also visited the Duckcloth website and decided to get me a little something to inspire the next project. I was thinking of making miss annie a doll, complete with her own quilt. (thanks Julia for the inspiration)
Every time I look at her I want to make that little chicken something! This could be a very expensive relationship! Will share more on my little one in the next post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)