Life is pretty good. Now my youngest is one and 3/4, life is getting easier as she is more independent with walking and talking. Oldest is off to school next calendar year! I'm so excited! Still a long way off though!
Work is good - the position suits me still and I still seem to be suited to the position! Such a nice way to be after 2 less well suited contracts between having the children. They recently offered me an extra 1/2 day a week, and I've been doing this (the extra time is done flexibly when I like - I don't need to be in the office).
There was now no excuse for not getting a cleaner and we bit the bullet and did it! How on earth did we manage without one? (the answer is of course that we didn't - the bathrooms were only cleaned every month or so and the flooring and dusting... well we did the best we could, but it's much cleaner now!). There is still more than enough housework to do with 4-5 loads of washing per week, cooking and tidying. I'm also managing to sew, knit and crochet, and I joined a book club that meets in a pub every 2 months (no one DARE say it's time that I should be cleaning the house!!).
My partner and I also hit 10 years of marriage and over 12 years together. Quite a big milestone! The big thing to avoid at this stage we find is taking each other for granted, and we've been working a little bit on avoiding this becoming an issue.
So of course not everything is perfect - I don't see good friends as often as I'd like, and friendships present challenges from time to time. People who you thought were becoming good friends stop making the effort, or you start to realise they have attributes you're not sure you can be bothered with. Sounds harsh, but when there is such limited time to socialise, you become choosey about who you spend that time with. For me it's a struggle to find someone who is not busy all the time, or who might be free to spend time with me and kids in tow and who isn't at work the same days as me. I expect I'll make new friends next year when E-chan starts school, and see certain people more often, because our kids will be at the same school. It kind of feels like a holding pattern in the meantime...
You have a time when you are happy, then perhaps a little too cruisey, then you stuff up and feel like a goose for a while - want to crawl into a shell somewhere. In a 2nd or 3rd-hand bit of wisdom from a friend I've long since lost touch with - some old wise being (Buddha? Confucious?) said: the first thing to master is to do wise things, then you need to master saying wise words, then finally thinking wise thoughts. Well I've stuffed up on the 2nd point - not saying wise things - a few times in the past few days and now wish to crawl into a shell somewhere. Humph.
I'm struggling to know what to write in this blog of late. I started it thinking it'd be a good way to keep in touch with some old friends and share ideas via links and photos. However, there are other ways to do this electronically these days. The one benefit of the blog I think is that you can be more anonymous and control which of your friends know about it. But because of some of the personal things I've put in here, particularly when I was younger, I'm a bit shy about sharing with newer friends. But for now it is still here...
Showing posts with label Keep it in the family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Keep it in the family. Show all posts
24 April 2011
23 January 2011
Cycles
Things come and go in cycles – we all know. And of course with a period of uncertainty, one can feel a little low when additional setbacks, the ones that come out of the blue, make you feel worse than it should. A few things are changing in our household this year – mostly the children are transitioning to a new childcare centre.
This is better in the long run, I’m sure – we can walk there with the kids & not have to worry about being reliant on the car and parking and all those hassles, there should be more time at the end of the day between picking them up and starting dinner which means more quality and playing time for me with them. But there have been a few teething problems to sort out in this centre which made us wonder if we were doing the right thing.
Moving from the familiar – where our kids have been going since E-chan was 11 months, where he has bonds with all his teachers and good friends, where Astro-girl feels comfortable and was starting to make baby friends – to the unfamiliar. We have needed to reach out to new people to put down as our Emergency Contacts on the children’s forms, to cover us in case in the rare instance that we are both unable to be reached in emergency, and some people we regard as good friends did not give us a very straightforward answer which was slightly bewildering.
And then things start to cycle upwards again…. 2 other families who live in our immediate neighbourhood have been more than happy to help out as “emergency contacts”, as we are with them. And of course it’s a good centre, and our kids are starting to orient themselves. Our eldest is doing us proud – introducing himself to his new carers and telling them his age, and asking where the toilets are, and telling his little sister that he will show her around on her first day. All this he came up with himself. He’s growing up and all the things we teach him are gradually sinking in.
After his 3rd week, however, he spat the dummy and didn’t want to go. I totally understand how he feels – I started a new job recently, and I didn’t know anyone, and no one offered to take me to lunch. But I am self sufficient and have dealt with this many times, while E-chan is dealing with it for probably the first time since he has been old enough to fully comprehend his position. By contrast, his baby sister bumbles along in the new centre and is happy to follow along other kids and play with new toys.
What to do? There is nothing we can do – we can’t change him back to his old centre, we can’t keep him at home with us, I can’t quit my job, I can’t get family to look after him. What’s more, he’ll go through all this again next year starting school. It’s just one of those situations where as a parent all you can do is offer your support and understanding and give lots of extra cuddles to cheer them up, because only he can teach himself how to make new friends…. a life skill truly worth learning.
----
And then there’s cycles of the menstrual kind. Apparently – according to my Dr – in your mid to late 30’s, cycles start to get irregular again. And for many, heavier. Great. My cycles have always been light and just under 4 weeks long, and I have just had a long time either pregnant or breastfeeding, which has meant no periods or very light ones. Part of me is transported back to my teens again, worried about when my period might start, will I be caught out without pads etc, wearing the wrong kind of thing? Exiting the “young lady” category is meant to be more dignified, surely?
This is better in the long run, I’m sure – we can walk there with the kids & not have to worry about being reliant on the car and parking and all those hassles, there should be more time at the end of the day between picking them up and starting dinner which means more quality and playing time for me with them. But there have been a few teething problems to sort out in this centre which made us wonder if we were doing the right thing.
Moving from the familiar – where our kids have been going since E-chan was 11 months, where he has bonds with all his teachers and good friends, where Astro-girl feels comfortable and was starting to make baby friends – to the unfamiliar. We have needed to reach out to new people to put down as our Emergency Contacts on the children’s forms, to cover us in case in the rare instance that we are both unable to be reached in emergency, and some people we regard as good friends did not give us a very straightforward answer which was slightly bewildering.
And then things start to cycle upwards again…. 2 other families who live in our immediate neighbourhood have been more than happy to help out as “emergency contacts”, as we are with them. And of course it’s a good centre, and our kids are starting to orient themselves. Our eldest is doing us proud – introducing himself to his new carers and telling them his age, and asking where the toilets are, and telling his little sister that he will show her around on her first day. All this he came up with himself. He’s growing up and all the things we teach him are gradually sinking in.
After his 3rd week, however, he spat the dummy and didn’t want to go. I totally understand how he feels – I started a new job recently, and I didn’t know anyone, and no one offered to take me to lunch. But I am self sufficient and have dealt with this many times, while E-chan is dealing with it for probably the first time since he has been old enough to fully comprehend his position. By contrast, his baby sister bumbles along in the new centre and is happy to follow along other kids and play with new toys.
What to do? There is nothing we can do – we can’t change him back to his old centre, we can’t keep him at home with us, I can’t quit my job, I can’t get family to look after him. What’s more, he’ll go through all this again next year starting school. It’s just one of those situations where as a parent all you can do is offer your support and understanding and give lots of extra cuddles to cheer them up, because only he can teach himself how to make new friends…. a life skill truly worth learning.
----
And then there’s cycles of the menstrual kind. Apparently – according to my Dr – in your mid to late 30’s, cycles start to get irregular again. And for many, heavier. Great. My cycles have always been light and just under 4 weeks long, and I have just had a long time either pregnant or breastfeeding, which has meant no periods or very light ones. Part of me is transported back to my teens again, worried about when my period might start, will I be caught out without pads etc, wearing the wrong kind of thing? Exiting the “young lady” category is meant to be more dignified, surely?
09 November 2010
ASD
Not just one, but two (ie both) of my nephews have been diagnosed with Austism Spectrum Disorder – one has is more mildly than the other. I think I might have mentioned this in a previous post. When you’re a long way from your family and they're coping with a big thing like this you feel kind of useless. I have no idea what life is like for them on a day to day basis, I have no idea whether this brings my brother and his partner to tears on occasion, and when I talk to him, the kids are around (his and mine), so it’s not appropriate to dwell on things like that.
I’ve been meaning to read up more on the topic for a while. I did a few web searches a while ago, but much of what is on the internet is either very basic introductions to the topic, or forums for parents of autistic kids (who would already have a lot of knowledge). I chatted to my brother over the internet the other weekend, and saw him interacting with his son, and could see that he was learning how to manage certain behaviours. It was so good to see. And given their first 2 children are the ones with ASD’s, they compare notes with me and my children, as they are realising they don’t really know what normal is.
So I went and found myself a book on the weekend. I’m really glad I did, although it has sent me on a mini emotional rollercoaster. Nothing compared to what my brother has gone through, I’m sure, but it still upsetting.
Autism and related disorders like Aspergers are relatively new to the world of Psychology and Psychiatry. It was first described, with a few misconceptions, in the 1940’s, with big leaps in understanding made in the 1970’s & 80’s, but there is still much to be learned. Verbal communication is a big challenge for kids with ASD – they don’t read faces well, often don’t pick up social cues and can’t really see when they’ve upset someone. At first I heard that someone with autism can lead an almost normal life, but I am beginning to understand that there may not be a great chance of that for my nephews. We’ll have to see how things develop as they grow older, of course. See how they manage school and life outside school.
There is still a lot to be learned, especially about what causes ASD’s. There seems to be some level of heritability with the condition – that is, siblings have a higher chance of getting it where there is already a diagnosed case in the family. This has led me to think about my family – has this sprung up before? And me? For a fleeting moment I dwelt upon times when I’ve missed critical social cues. But I know I don’t have this problem, nor does anyone else in my immediate family. Extended family? Not sure. Sister-in-law’s family? Even less sure. And then, is there any point in knowing this? Anyway, one of the theories is that people who develop ASD may be of the personality type that is prone to social difficulties, but ASD is brought on due to difficulties in early life, possibly even in utero. This fits with what we know about my nephews somewhat.
So, I am yet to read the chapters in my book about treatments, interventions, management, and more in depth descriptions of how someone with autism functions. This is far more practical to know about as a family member… Hoping to become a fount of knowledge, enough to bore my next dinner party with!
I’ve been meaning to read up more on the topic for a while. I did a few web searches a while ago, but much of what is on the internet is either very basic introductions to the topic, or forums for parents of autistic kids (who would already have a lot of knowledge). I chatted to my brother over the internet the other weekend, and saw him interacting with his son, and could see that he was learning how to manage certain behaviours. It was so good to see. And given their first 2 children are the ones with ASD’s, they compare notes with me and my children, as they are realising they don’t really know what normal is.
So I went and found myself a book on the weekend. I’m really glad I did, although it has sent me on a mini emotional rollercoaster. Nothing compared to what my brother has gone through, I’m sure, but it still upsetting.
Autism and related disorders like Aspergers are relatively new to the world of Psychology and Psychiatry. It was first described, with a few misconceptions, in the 1940’s, with big leaps in understanding made in the 1970’s & 80’s, but there is still much to be learned. Verbal communication is a big challenge for kids with ASD – they don’t read faces well, often don’t pick up social cues and can’t really see when they’ve upset someone. At first I heard that someone with autism can lead an almost normal life, but I am beginning to understand that there may not be a great chance of that for my nephews. We’ll have to see how things develop as they grow older, of course. See how they manage school and life outside school.
There is still a lot to be learned, especially about what causes ASD’s. There seems to be some level of heritability with the condition – that is, siblings have a higher chance of getting it where there is already a diagnosed case in the family. This has led me to think about my family – has this sprung up before? And me? For a fleeting moment I dwelt upon times when I’ve missed critical social cues. But I know I don’t have this problem, nor does anyone else in my immediate family. Extended family? Not sure. Sister-in-law’s family? Even less sure. And then, is there any point in knowing this? Anyway, one of the theories is that people who develop ASD may be of the personality type that is prone to social difficulties, but ASD is brought on due to difficulties in early life, possibly even in utero. This fits with what we know about my nephews somewhat.
So, I am yet to read the chapters in my book about treatments, interventions, management, and more in depth descriptions of how someone with autism functions. This is far more practical to know about as a family member… Hoping to become a fount of knowledge, enough to bore my next dinner party with!
11 April 2010
Me kids done me proud, and other adventures...
Easter took us off on another trip to our home town, Adelaide. Except it was Astro-girl's first plane trip ever. And she was a little trooper! She travels really well, sometimes just needing a cuddle when she's tired. She fell asleep on my lap on both flights. There were mishaps on the way home: well and truly in her "grabbing phase", she grabbed a breakfast bowl half filled with milk and tipped it over - it landed on the seat between C-chan and me, so we both had our pants covered with milk. We laughed it off. E-chan was good also, playing with toys in his seat, and only getting a bit restless from time to time. This is a stark contrast to our last trip, the xmas before last, when I had morning sickness, and a 2 1/2 year old E-chan screamed for half an hour straight (on a 6am flight) out of fear we would crash. Parenting does get easier, people!
Our kids adjusted to a lot of things apart from the journey: strange beds, strange houses, strange prams, with no bedwettings, and not too many tantrums. E-chan even spontaneously said "this is the nicest lunch I ever had!" when we went to my parent's house! I had been coaching him to say "thanks for the dinner/lunch" and "thanks for having us", but not what he said!! Manners are slowly sinking in! We went to Henley beach on Good Friday, to the city and the SA Museum on Saturday, the Zoo on Sunday (saw the new pandas, but they were sleepy that afternoon), and to the hills on Monday. A lovely, but brief trip - no time to do much but see family, which was kind of the point.
------------
We look at Adelaide with different eyes these days - gone is the sentimentality with which we used to look at our flat, blue-skied city. In the years immediately after moving to Sydney, we used to wax lyrical about the ease of getting around Adelaide, the Central Markets, the affordability, the quiet.
Now things are different:
- the endless sky is slightly overwhelming, now that we are used to Sydney's many hills.
- the city looks like a little toy town
- in the quiet, I can hear my ears ringing (was that something to do with the aeroplane trip, or do I need to go to an Ear specialist again??)
- we stay on sofa beds at our parents places
- the vegetation looks dry - many lawns (public and private) have just been left to fend for themselves, as long term water restrictions and below average rain takes its toll. My Dad has installed not one but 3 rain water tanks for his 1/4 acre garden
- our activities are driven by the needs and desires of our children
- public transport really isn't as frequent
- Crows, Crows, Port Power, Crows...
- unfavourable family traits are these days overlooked as family becomes more important - more on this below.
Many of these things are not bad things - Adelaide is a very good place to live. It's just we don't have so many friends there any more. And career prospects will never be as good there. But what is becoming more important is family. Kids can tell the difference between those who love them unconditionally (such as grandparents, uncles) and those who are just fond of them or good friends with us.
But as well has the support we would get from having our kids' grandparents in the same city, there is another issue looming - the ageing of our parents... While my parents are in excellent health at present, and in their early sixties, things can go downhill fast in the 70's. My father commented that travel will probably get hard from him from then on. That is less than a decade away! I watched my own parents rather helplessly liase with their sibilings as their own parents descended into alzheimers or old age, frequently having to prepare for sudden trips interstate as their parents' health teetered. I was the only one home the night my Grandma's nursing home called to say Dad's mother had died, and had to call my Dad on a work trip to tell him the news.
So I understand the difficulties involved with ageing parents living interstate. At least my own grandparents had other children and grandchildren nearby to check up on them. My parents have no relatives but each other in Adelaide, and my in-laws have one son, who has a recurring illness himself - the rest of their relatives are ageing themselves or not very close. This is something for us to ponder over the next few years.
Our kids adjusted to a lot of things apart from the journey: strange beds, strange houses, strange prams, with no bedwettings, and not too many tantrums. E-chan even spontaneously said "this is the nicest lunch I ever had!" when we went to my parent's house! I had been coaching him to say "thanks for the dinner/lunch" and "thanks for having us", but not what he said!! Manners are slowly sinking in! We went to Henley beach on Good Friday, to the city and the SA Museum on Saturday, the Zoo on Sunday (saw the new pandas, but they were sleepy that afternoon), and to the hills on Monday. A lovely, but brief trip - no time to do much but see family, which was kind of the point.
------------
We look at Adelaide with different eyes these days - gone is the sentimentality with which we used to look at our flat, blue-skied city. In the years immediately after moving to Sydney, we used to wax lyrical about the ease of getting around Adelaide, the Central Markets, the affordability, the quiet.
Now things are different:
- the endless sky is slightly overwhelming, now that we are used to Sydney's many hills.
- the city looks like a little toy town
- in the quiet, I can hear my ears ringing (was that something to do with the aeroplane trip, or do I need to go to an Ear specialist again??)
- we stay on sofa beds at our parents places
- the vegetation looks dry - many lawns (public and private) have just been left to fend for themselves, as long term water restrictions and below average rain takes its toll. My Dad has installed not one but 3 rain water tanks for his 1/4 acre garden
- our activities are driven by the needs and desires of our children
- public transport really isn't as frequent
- Crows, Crows, Port Power, Crows...
- unfavourable family traits are these days overlooked as family becomes more important - more on this below.
Many of these things are not bad things - Adelaide is a very good place to live. It's just we don't have so many friends there any more. And career prospects will never be as good there. But what is becoming more important is family. Kids can tell the difference between those who love them unconditionally (such as grandparents, uncles) and those who are just fond of them or good friends with us.
But as well has the support we would get from having our kids' grandparents in the same city, there is another issue looming - the ageing of our parents... While my parents are in excellent health at present, and in their early sixties, things can go downhill fast in the 70's. My father commented that travel will probably get hard from him from then on. That is less than a decade away! I watched my own parents rather helplessly liase with their sibilings as their own parents descended into alzheimers or old age, frequently having to prepare for sudden trips interstate as their parents' health teetered. I was the only one home the night my Grandma's nursing home called to say Dad's mother had died, and had to call my Dad on a work trip to tell him the news.
So I understand the difficulties involved with ageing parents living interstate. At least my own grandparents had other children and grandchildren nearby to check up on them. My parents have no relatives but each other in Adelaide, and my in-laws have one son, who has a recurring illness himself - the rest of their relatives are ageing themselves or not very close. This is something for us to ponder over the next few years.
17 February 2010
Whirlwind weeks. Again.
Introducing solids to babies is a drag at first. They push food out, grab the spoon off you, fling food, grimace at new textures and flavours, take ages to eat a tablespoon of mush. That, and until they're eating well and they have less frequent milk feeds, you seem to be feeding them constantly. And cleaning up constantly. And washing bibs and clothes constantly. This can leave little time for anything else, some days.
And this term* E-chan is doing 2 classes - Gymbaroo and swimming lessons. Every day except Sunday has something on. Poor little Astro Girl gets carted around everywhere. It's a wonder she gets any time to practice sitting, rolling, babbling, and eating. But she somehow manages it, and is progressing as she should. No teeth yet (nearly 7 months), but we expect them any day.
Last week was almost an nightmare week. It started with me being a little bit more down than usual: our neighbours, who have little twin boys, and who are great neighbours, and who I'm starting to do more with now that she is managing to get out and about and the boys are older, have put their place on the market. My first thought was "great, yet another person moving away". That, and the lack of job/career issue which bothers me from time to time. And the horrible horrible humid weather, which I hate and makes my skin break out in eczema, and my hands are a complete mess, and I have to wear cotton gloves a lot of the time to stop myself scratching. Then hubby came down with the flu (luckily it turned out to be mild). Then Astro-girl got a fever. Then I got a blocked milk duct (you don't want to know more). Throw in a few nights with less than my (infant-adjusted) average sleep due to all the above factors, and I am knackered.
My eyelids feel like they are lined with sandpaper. My brain is foggy and I keep forgetting things. I've been forgetting to do important things. Forgetting to even reply to invitations, let alone confirm I can't make it. Forgetting doctors appointments.
On the upside, my parents sent us "my" piano - after more than a decade of sitting in their living room as a glorified picture frame stand, they managed to send it over to me so we can play it. It is dreadfully out of tune, but I hope to have the fixed soon. Can't wait to play some more. I hope one, if not both of my kids will get some joy out of playing it, and that I might be able to practice enough to get to a stage where I can have fun with it - playing nursery rhymes for E-chan's kindy, playing sing along songs or christmas carols for example.
Another upside is that I'm starting to get out with friends on my own again. I managed 2 hours out last week after the kids were in bed out with my friend, and we talked for 2 hours straight. It was so nice to not be interrupted by things that needed doing, a babbling baby or a yabbering preschooler. Nice to think this sort of thing can become more frequent now, and that in probably around 6 months, my body will be mine again, mostly.
Another upside (in what must be a 4-sided pyramid?) is that we're a happy family, getting through life's "ups and downs" with plenty of laughter, chaos, yelling, cuddling, and love. All around. Each of us loves the other three. Even the youngest - Astro-girl - pouts when her daddy leaves in the morning, beams at me when I go to get her from her cot, and studies her big brother adoringly. This makes the hard weeks more than worthwhile.
* suddenly things are run in "terms". This is getting scarily close to school, if you ask me.
And this term* E-chan is doing 2 classes - Gymbaroo and swimming lessons. Every day except Sunday has something on. Poor little Astro Girl gets carted around everywhere. It's a wonder she gets any time to practice sitting, rolling, babbling, and eating. But she somehow manages it, and is progressing as she should. No teeth yet (nearly 7 months), but we expect them any day.
Last week was almost an nightmare week. It started with me being a little bit more down than usual: our neighbours, who have little twin boys, and who are great neighbours, and who I'm starting to do more with now that she is managing to get out and about and the boys are older, have put their place on the market. My first thought was "great, yet another person moving away". That, and the lack of job/career issue which bothers me from time to time. And the horrible horrible humid weather, which I hate and makes my skin break out in eczema, and my hands are a complete mess, and I have to wear cotton gloves a lot of the time to stop myself scratching. Then hubby came down with the flu (luckily it turned out to be mild). Then Astro-girl got a fever. Then I got a blocked milk duct (you don't want to know more). Throw in a few nights with less than my (infant-adjusted) average sleep due to all the above factors, and I am knackered.
My eyelids feel like they are lined with sandpaper. My brain is foggy and I keep forgetting things. I've been forgetting to do important things. Forgetting to even reply to invitations, let alone confirm I can't make it. Forgetting doctors appointments.
On the upside, my parents sent us "my" piano - after more than a decade of sitting in their living room as a glorified picture frame stand, they managed to send it over to me so we can play it. It is dreadfully out of tune, but I hope to have the fixed soon. Can't wait to play some more. I hope one, if not both of my kids will get some joy out of playing it, and that I might be able to practice enough to get to a stage where I can have fun with it - playing nursery rhymes for E-chan's kindy, playing sing along songs or christmas carols for example.
Another upside is that I'm starting to get out with friends on my own again. I managed 2 hours out last week after the kids were in bed out with my friend, and we talked for 2 hours straight. It was so nice to not be interrupted by things that needed doing, a babbling baby or a yabbering preschooler. Nice to think this sort of thing can become more frequent now, and that in probably around 6 months, my body will be mine again, mostly.
Another upside (in what must be a 4-sided pyramid?) is that we're a happy family, getting through life's "ups and downs" with plenty of laughter, chaos, yelling, cuddling, and love. All around. Each of us loves the other three. Even the youngest - Astro-girl - pouts when her daddy leaves in the morning, beams at me when I go to get her from her cot, and studies her big brother adoringly. This makes the hard weeks more than worthwhile.
* suddenly things are run in "terms". This is getting scarily close to school, if you ask me.
14 January 2010
Band on the Rug
Happy new year, folks!
Our christmas was good this year - we had family come stay with us in waves - C-chan's family for xmas, and my parents for the new year. I'm finding these days when family come to stay, it's a good thing mostly because I get a chance to hand over the kids to someone else and get some things done! C-chan and I enjoyed designing a christmas day menu, shopping for it, & making it, after 3 years in a row of visiting Radelaide for christmas. We got the odd opportunity to go out and see a movie or go out for dinner. Our baby is a pretty good sleeper, and sleeps for at least 6 hours in her first nightly stretch, and is usually down by 7pm, which has meant going out is possible. We had a full house, yet our house guests were pretty good - we had a nice mix of hanging around at home, getting out and about, and my parents went off by themselves once or twice to give us a little bit of space.
The Grandparents of course went gaga over the baby Astro Girl, whilst our little 3 1/2 year old E-chan ensured he had attention by talking non-stop for a few weeks. This almost drove me nuts. I couldn't think clearly, and almost every conversation I tried to have was talked over the top of constantly. At times I just had to tune out so I could follow a thought through to it's logical conclusion, but often if we didn't acknowledge what he said, he would repeat the same thing over and over - broken record style - until he got a response. Nothing would stop him from talking - even though he was getting plenty of attention. Eventually we challenged him to see how long he could stay quiet. He lasted 53 seconds! Finally on New Year's Day, the constant chatter subsided a bit, and things have returned to normal now. He's still on the talkative side, but as he gets more and more articulate, we're starting to have some really fun and funny conversations.
For christmas, E-chan got a little CD player from his grandparents. This has come just at the right time, as despite having music pushed on him all his life particularly by his Dad who is a big music fan, he seems to finally be receptive to listening to pop music and getting to know songs. Strangely (I think) his first preference was for Paul McCartney and Wings. Not the Beatles, but that followed soon after. His first favourite song that he danced to and played over and over was "C Moon" which is hilarious. At night, when we're putting him to bed, we listen to a compilation we've made and he asks us lots of questions:
- Mummy what's this song?
- What's he singing here?
- Is Paul McCartney a Beatle? Didn't he want to be a Beatle any more?
Often he doesn't hear the lyrics properly (hey, who doesn't?), and sometimes we tell him what they are and he sings them properly, but sometimes he stubbornly decides his are better such as:
- Band on the Rug (aka "Band on the Run")
- Mibby om man (? aka "Maybe I'm Amazed")
So next he was made a Robot Music compilation, made of Daft Punk and Kraftwerk. "Daddy, this isn't a robot singing, it's a MAN!"
True...
He doesn't quite get the concept of robot dancing yet, but I will persist...
Our christmas was good this year - we had family come stay with us in waves - C-chan's family for xmas, and my parents for the new year. I'm finding these days when family come to stay, it's a good thing mostly because I get a chance to hand over the kids to someone else and get some things done! C-chan and I enjoyed designing a christmas day menu, shopping for it, & making it, after 3 years in a row of visiting Radelaide for christmas. We got the odd opportunity to go out and see a movie or go out for dinner. Our baby is a pretty good sleeper, and sleeps for at least 6 hours in her first nightly stretch, and is usually down by 7pm, which has meant going out is possible. We had a full house, yet our house guests were pretty good - we had a nice mix of hanging around at home, getting out and about, and my parents went off by themselves once or twice to give us a little bit of space.
The Grandparents of course went gaga over the baby Astro Girl, whilst our little 3 1/2 year old E-chan ensured he had attention by talking non-stop for a few weeks. This almost drove me nuts. I couldn't think clearly, and almost every conversation I tried to have was talked over the top of constantly. At times I just had to tune out so I could follow a thought through to it's logical conclusion, but often if we didn't acknowledge what he said, he would repeat the same thing over and over - broken record style - until he got a response. Nothing would stop him from talking - even though he was getting plenty of attention. Eventually we challenged him to see how long he could stay quiet. He lasted 53 seconds! Finally on New Year's Day, the constant chatter subsided a bit, and things have returned to normal now. He's still on the talkative side, but as he gets more and more articulate, we're starting to have some really fun and funny conversations.
For christmas, E-chan got a little CD player from his grandparents. This has come just at the right time, as despite having music pushed on him all his life particularly by his Dad who is a big music fan, he seems to finally be receptive to listening to pop music and getting to know songs. Strangely (I think) his first preference was for Paul McCartney and Wings. Not the Beatles, but that followed soon after. His first favourite song that he danced to and played over and over was "C Moon" which is hilarious. At night, when we're putting him to bed, we listen to a compilation we've made and he asks us lots of questions:
- Mummy what's this song?
- What's he singing here?
- Is Paul McCartney a Beatle? Didn't he want to be a Beatle any more?
Often he doesn't hear the lyrics properly (hey, who doesn't?), and sometimes we tell him what they are and he sings them properly, but sometimes he stubbornly decides his are better such as:
- Band on the Rug (aka "Band on the Run")
- Mibby om man (? aka "Maybe I'm Amazed")
So next he was made a Robot Music compilation, made of Daft Punk and Kraftwerk. "Daddy, this isn't a robot singing, it's a MAN!"
True...
He doesn't quite get the concept of robot dancing yet, but I will persist...
27 March 2009
Consumerism gone bonkers
I grew up in a different state from my relatives. I got the odd letter from my grandparents and on occasion, from favoured Aunties. Many of Grandma's letters in particular I still have, because they make me laugh and remember what she was like. I think I got a present (nb - singular) for birthdays and Christmas. I don't really remember - it can't have been that important. We agreed amongst family that this would stop when we turned 18. I do remember (most ungratefully) that many of the clothes sent to me from interstate relos were really not my style (e.g. pink or disney), or were ill fitting (even then, I had broad shoulders and muscular legs).
So now I look at what is sent over to my son. He gets:
- multiple birthday presents from each set of grandparents and from each uncle (ie toys plus clothes)
- multiple Christmas presents from each set of grandparents and from each uncle
- and 3-5 parcels per year, for no apparent reason usually with 3-5 things for him
And, in his short life, he has accumulated:
- 50 gazillion matchbox cars, planes, helicopters*
- a sizable train set and more trains and carriages than he can fit on the track
- 5 teddy bears, plus another 10 or so soft toys
- 5-6 tip trucks
- Over 20 DVD's of TV series and kids movies
- Gazillions of baby toys, rattles, things to teethe with etc (which were about as interesting to him as a plastic bottle filled with dried rice or chickpeas).
- 2 and a half shelves of books (some of them my old books from when I was a kid, and includes Harry Potter, which we bought relatively recently, but still...)
- and much much more.
* more than my brother and I had combined by the time we were 8-9 years old.
So here is my conundrum. I'm trying to cut down the stuff we have, and not get things we don't need. I'm ashamed of all the stuff and clutter we have, yet I know most of the stuff we have isn't stuff we've bought. However, it's ungrategul to say you don't want the gifts you are given out of generosity and love. But did my Grandparents love me any less because they gave me less stuff? No, of course not.
One grandparent's view is that if we don't want something, we can get rid of it. Sounds simple, but in reality, it means:
- storing stuff somewhere to take to a charity bin (none very close to my place, and I keep forgetting, therefore have bags of stuff at home to get rid of).
- saving stuff somewhere to give away to closer friends when the time is right (again, I forget about them, and invariably find them a year later)
- throwing out perfectly good stuff in the trash (WASTE WASTE WASTE!)
- Videos - what do you do with them? Charities don't want them, e-bay maybe (I'd rather not go there), or garage sale (don't really have somewhere to do it).
All the above is fine when you have plenty of time and mobility, but we don't at the moment, having both of us working, and a toddler, and me pregnant. I would argue that them compulsively buying stuff makes them feel warm and fuzzy, helps them to express their feelings. At times the presents are thoughtful or something we don't have already, but much of the time, it is just more "stuff".**
I've told my mum many times not to give me clothes, because she never ever buys anything that I like (it was getting ridiculous - I had to say something to her bluntly in my early 20's ...), and when she gives me her old clothes, they are always in colours that she knows I never wear. Yet SHE STILL DOES IT to this day !! Getting hand-me-downs in general is fine, by the way, as I don't feel like resources are being wasted making them. But really - does anyone have the same taste in clothes as their mother? I suppose I should at least be grateful that she does shop in her local St Vinnes sometimes for clothes for E-chan rather than buying brand new. Babies sometimes wear things for 3 months or less before they grow out of them.
Anyway, I've tried dropping hints, discussing gently the possibility that presents are being given to make up for not being able to be living in the same city, and that while we appreciate that sentiment, it's way more than I was given as a kid, and I never felt like I went without. They agree. But as C-chan and I were talking about the other night, a lot of people acknowledge their behaviour, then keep on doing it. I also talk about trying to keep down the amount of "stuff" we have (particularly when we lived in the 2 br unit). But it falls on deaf ears. Except with my Father, who I know has similar feelings to me about buying stuff, but it's not him doing the buying, anyway.
I'm thinking maybe in future visits from the grandparents in particular, I'll get them involved with helping me get rid of all the stuff we don't need... But really, can people not control their urges to shop for new things all the time? Does loving your grandchild justify all the wasted resources? I know I should look more at my own buying behaviour more rather than worrying about theirs, but all this "stuff" is our problem to sort out too...
So now I look at what is sent over to my son. He gets:
- multiple birthday presents from each set of grandparents and from each uncle (ie toys plus clothes)
- multiple Christmas presents from each set of grandparents and from each uncle
- and 3-5 parcels per year, for no apparent reason usually with 3-5 things for him
And, in his short life, he has accumulated:
- 50 gazillion matchbox cars, planes, helicopters*
- a sizable train set and more trains and carriages than he can fit on the track
- 5 teddy bears, plus another 10 or so soft toys
- 5-6 tip trucks
- Over 20 DVD's of TV series and kids movies
- Gazillions of baby toys, rattles, things to teethe with etc (which were about as interesting to him as a plastic bottle filled with dried rice or chickpeas).
- 2 and a half shelves of books (some of them my old books from when I was a kid, and includes Harry Potter, which we bought relatively recently, but still...)
- and much much more.
* more than my brother and I had combined by the time we were 8-9 years old.
So here is my conundrum. I'm trying to cut down the stuff we have, and not get things we don't need. I'm ashamed of all the stuff and clutter we have, yet I know most of the stuff we have isn't stuff we've bought. However, it's ungrategul to say you don't want the gifts you are given out of generosity and love. But did my Grandparents love me any less because they gave me less stuff? No, of course not.
One grandparent's view is that if we don't want something, we can get rid of it. Sounds simple, but in reality, it means:
- storing stuff somewhere to take to a charity bin (none very close to my place, and I keep forgetting, therefore have bags of stuff at home to get rid of).
- saving stuff somewhere to give away to closer friends when the time is right (again, I forget about them, and invariably find them a year later)
- throwing out perfectly good stuff in the trash (WASTE WASTE WASTE!)
- Videos - what do you do with them? Charities don't want them, e-bay maybe (I'd rather not go there), or garage sale (don't really have somewhere to do it).
All the above is fine when you have plenty of time and mobility, but we don't at the moment, having both of us working, and a toddler, and me pregnant. I would argue that them compulsively buying stuff makes them feel warm and fuzzy, helps them to express their feelings. At times the presents are thoughtful or something we don't have already, but much of the time, it is just more "stuff".**
I've told my mum many times not to give me clothes, because she never ever buys anything that I like (it was getting ridiculous - I had to say something to her bluntly in my early 20's ...), and when she gives me her old clothes, they are always in colours that she knows I never wear. Yet SHE STILL DOES IT to this day !! Getting hand-me-downs in general is fine, by the way, as I don't feel like resources are being wasted making them. But really - does anyone have the same taste in clothes as their mother? I suppose I should at least be grateful that she does shop in her local St Vinnes sometimes for clothes for E-chan rather than buying brand new. Babies sometimes wear things for 3 months or less before they grow out of them.
Anyway, I've tried dropping hints, discussing gently the possibility that presents are being given to make up for not being able to be living in the same city, and that while we appreciate that sentiment, it's way more than I was given as a kid, and I never felt like I went without. They agree. But as C-chan and I were talking about the other night, a lot of people acknowledge their behaviour, then keep on doing it. I also talk about trying to keep down the amount of "stuff" we have (particularly when we lived in the 2 br unit). But it falls on deaf ears. Except with my Father, who I know has similar feelings to me about buying stuff, but it's not him doing the buying, anyway.
I'm thinking maybe in future visits from the grandparents in particular, I'll get them involved with helping me get rid of all the stuff we don't need... But really, can people not control their urges to shop for new things all the time? Does loving your grandchild justify all the wasted resources? I know I should look more at my own buying behaviour more rather than worrying about theirs, but all this "stuff" is our problem to sort out too...
09 October 2008
Blaargh!
Breathing a sigh of relief today, as life has somewhat returned to normal.
We are all recovered, E-chan is back at kindy today, and we are trying to make up our lost hours. Nanna has left and taken all of her lack-of-personal-boundaries issues with her, which of course came to a head again as it always does when she stays with us for more than a couple of days, and always when C-chan isn’t around. I mean seriously matriarchs of the world – drop your “need to be needed” approach to everything once your kids have grown up, and leave the issue alone if your offer for help is turned down on occasion. It’s not the end of the world, and independence is healthy for your adult kids. My own mother would have been like this too, had I not given her grief as a teenager with my fierce independence. And she has at least worked out that it’s best for everyone if you organise the odd activity on your own and away from the house when staying somewhere for extended periods. But I sound ungrateful. As well as looking after E-chan for a week, she helped out with the dishes, vacuumed and a few other helpful odd tasks!
Other issues and thoughts:
– perhaps we will get a cleaner mostly to clean the bathroom and maybe do some ironing??
– Toilet cleaner commercials ridiculously overstate the dirtiness of your average toilet, as well as implying that a good old toilet brush and a bit of elbow grease won’t do the trick most of the time.
– We have some ferals over the back fence! What would life be without some weird neighbours to scrutinise?
– Must clean up my language. NOW. Picked up E-chan to carry him to his pram when it was time to leave this morning, and he objected and struggled out of my arms, causing me to lose me balance and almost fall to the ground. Uttered “S—t, Ethan!”, to which he called out “S—t Mummy!” as if it is the appropriate response, whilst continuing to squirm out of my arms. Attempt 2 involved coaxing to the pram with favourite toy in hand, which worked much better and involved no expletives.
- Radio going on about the economy, whilst I can hear "tractor tractor tractor tractor...." to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!
What is happening in everyone else’s world? Betty Sue, do you still exist? B Sharp, are you still frantically busy? Seagreen, read and loved your zine which arrived on Tuesday. Angel, how are you now? We are free of gastro now and there is no risk of contamination. Who else is reading this thing?
We are all recovered, E-chan is back at kindy today, and we are trying to make up our lost hours. Nanna has left and taken all of her lack-of-personal-boundaries issues with her, which of course came to a head again as it always does when she stays with us for more than a couple of days, and always when C-chan isn’t around. I mean seriously matriarchs of the world – drop your “need to be needed” approach to everything once your kids have grown up, and leave the issue alone if your offer for help is turned down on occasion. It’s not the end of the world, and independence is healthy for your adult kids. My own mother would have been like this too, had I not given her grief as a teenager with my fierce independence. And she has at least worked out that it’s best for everyone if you organise the odd activity on your own and away from the house when staying somewhere for extended periods. But I sound ungrateful. As well as looking after E-chan for a week, she helped out with the dishes, vacuumed and a few other helpful odd tasks!
Other issues and thoughts:
– perhaps we will get a cleaner mostly to clean the bathroom and maybe do some ironing??
– Toilet cleaner commercials ridiculously overstate the dirtiness of your average toilet, as well as implying that a good old toilet brush and a bit of elbow grease won’t do the trick most of the time.
– We have some ferals over the back fence! What would life be without some weird neighbours to scrutinise?
– Must clean up my language. NOW. Picked up E-chan to carry him to his pram when it was time to leave this morning, and he objected and struggled out of my arms, causing me to lose me balance and almost fall to the ground. Uttered “S—t, Ethan!”, to which he called out “S—t Mummy!” as if it is the appropriate response, whilst continuing to squirm out of my arms. Attempt 2 involved coaxing to the pram with favourite toy in hand, which worked much better and involved no expletives.
- Radio going on about the economy, whilst I can hear "tractor tractor tractor tractor...." to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!
What is happening in everyone else’s world? Betty Sue, do you still exist? B Sharp, are you still frantically busy? Seagreen, read and loved your zine which arrived on Tuesday. Angel, how are you now? We are free of gastro now and there is no risk of contamination. Who else is reading this thing?
27 September 2008
Sleep torture
Lots of topics have come to the fore of my brain this week – it’s been another stress filled week, where my son has come down with gastro a second time, really badly, after having it last week and being temporarily sick with it, then having it move through the family, one by one, gradually recovering. This time, as if a cruel cosmic prank has been played on us, he has a night time cough, so that by day, we are changing nappies all the time, and at night, our sleep is interrupted by coughing at the least, and at other times a very upset little boy, working himself up into an inconsolable frenzy of coughing, crying, frustration at not being able to say what he wants to, and on 2 occasions, being sick all over me, so that we both have to have a midnight shower while Dad frantically cleans up around the place. Situations around you can seem worse than they actually are, in these conditions...
- To work or not to work?
That is not really the question. I kind of need to for now. But I'm beginning to see the attraction of being a full time mother. Especially when illnesses strike repeatedly. Cold after flu after gastro and back again at the beginning. It's wearing down our defenses. No matter how understanding your boss, or how family friendly your work-place's policies are, it's one of the downsides of being a working parent. Your private life is always thrust out there for all to see... "my son is sick, I have to work a half day today"... or "my son is sick, and my partner can't take today off". No matter whether you have enough leave, or if you make the time up later, you always feel as if you are on the back foot, in a poorer negotiating position.
I chat to my Mum about how they made do with less and she stayed home until I was three, then worked night shift at a nursing home so that she could be home for us. She was in the same boat as us, with all her family interstate as we grew up, but then airfares were more expensive and child care rare. But I also know for much of my childhood, my mother was unfulfilled on many levels. C-chan and I also think it would be preferable for us both to maybe work 3 or 4 days, or something like that. We'll aim for that in the long run. However on some levels I do think that E-chan benefits from his days in care - he's learning to share, care and befriend.
-Sick with worry...
E-chan has been sick so much this year, I'm beginning to worry about him. All anecdotal evidence suggests that in a few years, his immune system will strengthen, and he'll start fighting off more bugs than he comes down with. The Doctor has a sample in for analysis, says only time will mend things, and for him to rest, eat what he can and try to avoid lactose in case gastro-induced intolerance has set in. He's not dehydrated, and much of the day he seems happy and quite active. His height and weight are average, not below. He's delightful to be around most of the time (except when having the requisite 2 year old tantrum). But I hate to see him suffering - coughing and spluttering in the middle of the night, with a "tummy sore! tummy sore!", and NOT A THING I CAN DO ABOUT IT but give him cuddles, kisses, water, and maybe get him interested in a book to distract him from his aches, pains and coughing spasms.
- Career crisis #46
What area should I work in? Will I ever get to work in a field again that I really believe in? When and what might I study in the future? Is my career going backwards? Yawn.
- Why have my last 2 bosses been the same type of personality??
Having realised in the the last month that my current and last boss have both been of a similar personality, I this week almost wanted to give up. Too hard. (see below). Is dealing with these kinds of people a lesson the cosmos has decided I must learn? Do my bosses pick me because they think I'm a pushover and can boss me around? Why does it bug me that a Boss can boss me around - isn't that what bosses do? I know how to deal with them, so why don't I just do that? Why am I so bloody willful at times? Is it that hard to change as a just-over-30-year-old?
- I really need more than 3 hours sleep to function properly...
The actual source of most of my problems, insecurities, neuroses, tears and feelings of unempowerment this week, is sleep deprivation I realise, when I get out into the sunshine and talk to some friends.
- I am supermum!!
While Ethan was not fully recovered, he demanded to go to playgroup on his usual day. Climbed in the pram and waited for me to get ready, but insisting all the while we go to playgroup. So we got there late and left early, so he could have his fix of sandpits, toy kitchens, and trikes (I was careful to avoid contaminating others, and he mostly played on his own). I was on dishwashing duty and my phone rang, and it was a work related matter. I managed to hold an intelligent, 5 minute long conversation with someone whilst doing the dishes and keeping an eye on my 2-year-old. There wasn't even a moment later where I realised I omitted to say something, or said something wrong. I pulled off some multi-tasking there, and it felt fabulous! All is not quite that bad perhaps.
- Don Bradman's bloody cricket bat up for auction (again), a.k.a. "I can't believe the news today"
Is it just me, or does some Don Bradman memorabilia seem to be up for auction just about every week? I've yet to find a person who cares. So why does it keep turning up on the news and in papers? And in other news, greedy, large banking corporations are failing and going bankrupt and getting bailed out with hundreds of billions of dollars, while millions of middle to low income earners are being evicted, seeing their property's value plummet, or at the best, just managing to scrape together their mortgage payments, with no such help from their government. Even if every American citizen was given a million dollars, it would cost less than a billion dollars. Where is the equity in that?
- my friends are lovely
I'm inspired by my friends this week, they do all sorts of amazing things. They publish their own zines; they live overseas and work freelance; they suffer miscarriages and burst into tears telling us about it, but still see it from a philosophical perspective; they stick to their dreams, they say things like "they almost had us by the tits" instead of the masculine "they had us by the balls" in meetings and don't care that more conventional people sitting around the table are mouths agape (how I miss working with her!); they read books comparing Orwell and Evelyn Waugh and in her mummy-brain moment, mentions it to her mum-friends, apparently unaware that most of our company haven't read books by either of these authors (and even I, the next most well read in the group, could not get past the first page of Brideshead Revisited, despite having read a few Orwells). But what a mummy-brain moment to have?
And best of all, some of these new friends I've made since having E-chan are beginning to feel like old friends, like family.
- To work or not to work?
That is not really the question. I kind of need to for now. But I'm beginning to see the attraction of being a full time mother. Especially when illnesses strike repeatedly. Cold after flu after gastro and back again at the beginning. It's wearing down our defenses. No matter how understanding your boss, or how family friendly your work-place's policies are, it's one of the downsides of being a working parent. Your private life is always thrust out there for all to see... "my son is sick, I have to work a half day today"... or "my son is sick, and my partner can't take today off". No matter whether you have enough leave, or if you make the time up later, you always feel as if you are on the back foot, in a poorer negotiating position.
I chat to my Mum about how they made do with less and she stayed home until I was three, then worked night shift at a nursing home so that she could be home for us. She was in the same boat as us, with all her family interstate as we grew up, but then airfares were more expensive and child care rare. But I also know for much of my childhood, my mother was unfulfilled on many levels. C-chan and I also think it would be preferable for us both to maybe work 3 or 4 days, or something like that. We'll aim for that in the long run. However on some levels I do think that E-chan benefits from his days in care - he's learning to share, care and befriend.
-Sick with worry...
E-chan has been sick so much this year, I'm beginning to worry about him. All anecdotal evidence suggests that in a few years, his immune system will strengthen, and he'll start fighting off more bugs than he comes down with. The Doctor has a sample in for analysis, says only time will mend things, and for him to rest, eat what he can and try to avoid lactose in case gastro-induced intolerance has set in. He's not dehydrated, and much of the day he seems happy and quite active. His height and weight are average, not below. He's delightful to be around most of the time (except when having the requisite 2 year old tantrum). But I hate to see him suffering - coughing and spluttering in the middle of the night, with a "tummy sore! tummy sore!", and NOT A THING I CAN DO ABOUT IT but give him cuddles, kisses, water, and maybe get him interested in a book to distract him from his aches, pains and coughing spasms.
- Career crisis #46
What area should I work in? Will I ever get to work in a field again that I really believe in? When and what might I study in the future? Is my career going backwards? Yawn.
- Why have my last 2 bosses been the same type of personality??
Having realised in the the last month that my current and last boss have both been of a similar personality, I this week almost wanted to give up. Too hard. (see below). Is dealing with these kinds of people a lesson the cosmos has decided I must learn? Do my bosses pick me because they think I'm a pushover and can boss me around? Why does it bug me that a Boss can boss me around - isn't that what bosses do? I know how to deal with them, so why don't I just do that? Why am I so bloody willful at times? Is it that hard to change as a just-over-30-year-old?
- I really need more than 3 hours sleep to function properly...
The actual source of most of my problems, insecurities, neuroses, tears and feelings of unempowerment this week, is sleep deprivation I realise, when I get out into the sunshine and talk to some friends.
- I am supermum!!
While Ethan was not fully recovered, he demanded to go to playgroup on his usual day. Climbed in the pram and waited for me to get ready, but insisting all the while we go to playgroup. So we got there late and left early, so he could have his fix of sandpits, toy kitchens, and trikes (I was careful to avoid contaminating others, and he mostly played on his own). I was on dishwashing duty and my phone rang, and it was a work related matter. I managed to hold an intelligent, 5 minute long conversation with someone whilst doing the dishes and keeping an eye on my 2-year-old. There wasn't even a moment later where I realised I omitted to say something, or said something wrong. I pulled off some multi-tasking there, and it felt fabulous! All is not quite that bad perhaps.
- Don Bradman's bloody cricket bat up for auction (again), a.k.a. "I can't believe the news today"
Is it just me, or does some Don Bradman memorabilia seem to be up for auction just about every week? I've yet to find a person who cares. So why does it keep turning up on the news and in papers? And in other news, greedy, large banking corporations are failing and going bankrupt and getting bailed out with hundreds of billions of dollars, while millions of middle to low income earners are being evicted, seeing their property's value plummet, or at the best, just managing to scrape together their mortgage payments, with no such help from their government. Even if every American citizen was given a million dollars, it would cost less than a billion dollars. Where is the equity in that?
- my friends are lovely
I'm inspired by my friends this week, they do all sorts of amazing things. They publish their own zines; they live overseas and work freelance; they suffer miscarriages and burst into tears telling us about it, but still see it from a philosophical perspective; they stick to their dreams, they say things like "they almost had us by the tits" instead of the masculine "they had us by the balls" in meetings and don't care that more conventional people sitting around the table are mouths agape (how I miss working with her!); they read books comparing Orwell and Evelyn Waugh and in her mummy-brain moment, mentions it to her mum-friends, apparently unaware that most of our company haven't read books by either of these authors (and even I, the next most well read in the group, could not get past the first page of Brideshead Revisited, despite having read a few Orwells). But what a mummy-brain moment to have?
And best of all, some of these new friends I've made since having E-chan are beginning to feel like old friends, like family.
16 August 2008
finding his own style...
Ethan is demanding that he wear t-shirts with planes, trains, cars and things that go. Day, and night. Even if that means putting them under his PJ's. Gets tricky when they're all in the wash. I have been able to convince him to wear his t-shirt with bugs and spiders on it instead, but it's not easy.
I was telling my Dad about this last weekend while he stayed with us, and he told me that my own (older) brother went for a year or so when he wouldn't leave the house without his cowboy gear! Yeee har! didn't know that! A rare tid bit I can store and save for a moment when he deserves to be teased!!
I was telling my Dad about this last weekend while he stayed with us, and he told me that my own (older) brother went for a year or so when he wouldn't leave the house without his cowboy gear! Yeee har! didn't know that! A rare tid bit I can store and save for a moment when he deserves to be teased!!
15 April 2008
(explanation of previous post title...)
So it seems you can get chicken pox even if you are immunised. Had to ask the Dr if she was sure E-chan had them, as the tiny red dots didn't seem like the pox I had as a kid, but she was sure. And sure enough, more appeared over the next few days. If you are immunised, and are one of the 20-30% who still gets chicken pox, the virus could be mistaken for a cold with a cough, as the pox symptoms are much milder....
But regardless, a week at home in quarantine is required. This of course coincided with C's Nanna dying, which requires him to take tomorrow off. So I'm off work first half of the week, and E should be clear to go back to childcare on Friday. It's hard explaining to him when he'll see his little friends again. It's also a bit of a challenge coming up with ideas to entertain when it's rainy outside, and hanging out with other kid is verboten, given we're trying to do the responsible thing and not give the pox to others. Oh and of course it's raining this week.
Anyone - who's had chicken pox - keen to come over for take away and knitting (or whatever) session this Wednesday night? I'll be on my own until C gets back from funeral, at about 9:30.
But regardless, a week at home in quarantine is required. This of course coincided with C's Nanna dying, which requires him to take tomorrow off. So I'm off work first half of the week, and E should be clear to go back to childcare on Friday. It's hard explaining to him when he'll see his little friends again. It's also a bit of a challenge coming up with ideas to entertain when it's rainy outside, and hanging out with other kid is verboten, given we're trying to do the responsible thing and not give the pox to others. Oh and of course it's raining this week.
Anyone - who's had chicken pox - keen to come over for take away and knitting (or whatever) session this Wednesday night? I'll be on my own until C gets back from funeral, at about 9:30.
Contagion and cabin-fever
Stimulating conversation at a play dinner party...
Me: would you like some dinner?
E: !(nods enthusiastically)
Me: here you go then... (ladles out imaginary food into bowl for each of us, and pretends to eat)
E: Hot?
Me: Yes it might be a bit. (Blows on food) That's better!
E: Hot?
Me: No, warm now. (Keeps pretending to eat)
E: Hot?
Me: no, not any more - are you going to have some?
E: !(nods enthusiastically, pretends to eat)
Me: (makes pouring noise and pretends to pour drink in tea cups)
E: (Copies, smiles) Mummy!
Me: would you like some dinner?
E: !(nods enthusiastically)
Me: here you go then... (ladles out imaginary food into bowl for each of us, and pretends to eat)
E: Hot?
Me: Yes it might be a bit. (Blows on food) That's better!
E: Hot?
Me: No, warm now. (Keeps pretending to eat)
E: Hot?
Me: no, not any more - are you going to have some?
E: !(nods enthusiastically, pretends to eat)
Me: (makes pouring noise and pretends to pour drink in tea cups)
E: (Copies, smiles) Mummy!
21 March 2008
Cool things about 21-month-olds
- They understand much of what you say to them, can say "please"
- will help out around the house willingly if you ask (and sometimes just to copy what you are doing).
- can communicate their basic needs
- hilarious misunderstandings as you try to understand what they are saying - at times these are long babble sentences said with inflections, accompanied by a furrowed brow, pointing and a question mark at the end of it, to which you can only answer "uh huh?"
- big koala round-the-neck snuggles
- stumbly but enthusiastic running in the park
- the challenge of working out their logic
- love being chased around and giggles maniacally
- have a favourite bed time song (currently Morningtown Ride) and yawn and rub their eyes as you get part way through
- obsessions with planes, trains, cars and buses
- they start to make friends, and mention them at home when they see something that reminds them
- loves cheesy classics such as: La Cucaracha, Popcorn, the Chipmunks, Baby Elephant Walk, and Puff the Magic Dragon, and dances like a lunatic!!
- they call out "Mama!" when you've been in the other room for a while, when they're ready to get up in the morning, or sometimes when they're just happy!
10 March 2008
off target t-shirt presents from parents
I hope you won't think me ungrateful and mean-spirited for writing this post - my parents-in-law and my own parents are dear things, but the generational gap sometimes gives rise to some amusing misses with presents:
1) after coming back from Japan a year or two ago, they found me some groovy tops - my surprise was great - they fitted and they were wearable in public! They then turned to C-chan "and for YOU!...":
- a very large white t-shirt that said "the last supper" and had a picture of all the sesame street characters sitting around a table with a big roasted bird on a plate, with big-bird's legs...
- some groovy looking cartoon printed y-fronts. "but we got the largest size we could...I hope they're big enough" they said. On closer inspection, the label said "Hip-star girls under wear". Lucky me!
2) another gem from my folks - an over-sized black t-shirt, saying "CountDown" in the style of the old tv show logo. Our eyebrows raised up when they said "we almost got you a Led Zeppelin t-shirt then decided to get this one...." What a shame, C-chan is actually a LZ fan and probably could have worn that t-shirt in public...
3) and from my in laws, the first of what I hope won't be many... t-shirt sets. A litte white t-shirt for E-chan saying "like father" and another over-sized white t-shirt for C-chan saying "like son". Haw haw! My M-I-L apologised that there were no such sets for mothers and sons. I assured her it was fine.
We have no idea how C-chan is ever going to wear out these three oversized t-shirts as pyjamas, but are trying. But sadly, these t-shirts stay in our drawers in almost pristine condition, and all his favourite t-shirts keep getting holes, stains, and warping out of shape....
1) after coming back from Japan a year or two ago, they found me some groovy tops - my surprise was great - they fitted and they were wearable in public! They then turned to C-chan "and for YOU!...":
- a very large white t-shirt that said "the last supper" and had a picture of all the sesame street characters sitting around a table with a big roasted bird on a plate, with big-bird's legs...
- some groovy looking cartoon printed y-fronts. "but we got the largest size we could...I hope they're big enough" they said. On closer inspection, the label said "Hip-star girls under wear". Lucky me!
2) another gem from my folks - an over-sized black t-shirt, saying "CountDown" in the style of the old tv show logo. Our eyebrows raised up when they said "we almost got you a Led Zeppelin t-shirt then decided to get this one...." What a shame, C-chan is actually a LZ fan and probably could have worn that t-shirt in public...
3) and from my in laws, the first of what I hope won't be many... t-shirt sets. A litte white t-shirt for E-chan saying "like father" and another over-sized white t-shirt for C-chan saying "like son". Haw haw! My M-I-L apologised that there were no such sets for mothers and sons. I assured her it was fine.
We have no idea how C-chan is ever going to wear out these three oversized t-shirts as pyjamas, but are trying. But sadly, these t-shirts stay in our drawers in almost pristine condition, and all his favourite t-shirts keep getting holes, stains, and warping out of shape....
23 February 2008
Update from the ranch...
It seems we are not to have the quiet life anymore.
We've just emerged from a few weeks of lurgy-ville - a cough that E-chan had that got progressively worse, until I got food poisoning (and E-chan did a bit but not as badly as he only had a few bites of my lunch that day), and wham bam! all 3 of us came down with the full blown cough-and-phlegm fest all at once. [Haven't I written this 3 or 4 times before!?]. As usual when you're a bit down, you worry about everything - job, rental and housing prices, the way the world is going.
Thankfully, after a week or two of what felt like swimming in mud, things are more or less normal. Still need more sleep, but even work seems tolerable. Am ready to get back into the pool for laps tomorrow!
E-chan is going great guns after a few weeks of adjusting to going back to child-care (whilst having above cold). One thing I didn't realise is that carer:child ratios are really small at the start of the year - the 2-2.5 year olds go off to pre-school (more like kindy) from January each year, and those who have birthdays later in the year get to enjoy one carer to 2 children instead of 3-4. After a few weeks of wondering where some of his little classmates have gone, then watching them through the fence in the bigger kid's playground, E-chan seems to have decided he likes going to care again. He's made friends with a little girl called Ruby, and they read books together and shared teddies. He's enjoying being more mobile and articulate than some of the newer, younger babies.
His vocabulary is ever expanding, and sometimes we can have little conversations that, while a tad one-sided, I feel he understands. He's sleeping really well too. We now read to him a bit (after putting on PJ's and brushing teeth - or is that chewing toothbrush and sucking off paste?), then cuddles and into bed with a night night. He complains for a few minutes, but goes off to sleep and we rarely hear from him again until morning.
We get lovely frontal koala hugs - legs clining around our middle, arms curled around our neck, and he even says "please" when prompted. Must keep up the manners training - who knows? one day it might even come unprompted. When we can we try to have dinner as a family at around 6pm - he loves it when I serve up his food in front of him at the table then serve the same for myself. Has resulted in him eating steamed green vegetables where before he wouldn't touch them, probably because he sees us eat them.
Ciao and hope you are all well, and sorry for the "update" style post. Will try to write something more interesting when I think of it...
We've just emerged from a few weeks of lurgy-ville - a cough that E-chan had that got progressively worse, until I got food poisoning (and E-chan did a bit but not as badly as he only had a few bites of my lunch that day), and wham bam! all 3 of us came down with the full blown cough-and-phlegm fest all at once. [Haven't I written this 3 or 4 times before!?]. As usual when you're a bit down, you worry about everything - job, rental and housing prices, the way the world is going.
Thankfully, after a week or two of what felt like swimming in mud, things are more or less normal. Still need more sleep, but even work seems tolerable. Am ready to get back into the pool for laps tomorrow!
E-chan is going great guns after a few weeks of adjusting to going back to child-care (whilst having above cold). One thing I didn't realise is that carer:child ratios are really small at the start of the year - the 2-2.5 year olds go off to pre-school (more like kindy) from January each year, and those who have birthdays later in the year get to enjoy one carer to 2 children instead of 3-4. After a few weeks of wondering where some of his little classmates have gone, then watching them through the fence in the bigger kid's playground, E-chan seems to have decided he likes going to care again. He's made friends with a little girl called Ruby, and they read books together and shared teddies. He's enjoying being more mobile and articulate than some of the newer, younger babies.
His vocabulary is ever expanding, and sometimes we can have little conversations that, while a tad one-sided, I feel he understands. He's sleeping really well too. We now read to him a bit (after putting on PJ's and brushing teeth - or is that chewing toothbrush and sucking off paste?), then cuddles and into bed with a night night. He complains for a few minutes, but goes off to sleep and we rarely hear from him again until morning.
We get lovely frontal koala hugs - legs clining around our middle, arms curled around our neck, and he even says "please" when prompted. Must keep up the manners training - who knows? one day it might even come unprompted. When we can we try to have dinner as a family at around 6pm - he loves it when I serve up his food in front of him at the table then serve the same for myself. Has resulted in him eating steamed green vegetables where before he wouldn't touch them, probably because he sees us eat them.
Ciao and hope you are all well, and sorry for the "update" style post. Will try to write something more interesting when I think of it...
02 August 2007
Thanks, and talking about long term relationship habits....
Thanks for kind expressions of sympathy about my Nan. I didn't go to the funeral, but took a moment somewhere by myself to say goodbye.
My RL friend Seagreen was talking about family relationships. Kind of in a similar vein... Both my sets of grandparents reached at least 50 years together, and no doubt created a few dynamics of their own in that time.
I thought it was interesting to hear, amongst the grief, what my Gran had to say about losing Grandad many years ago, and (superficially) how my Pop has changed after losing his partner of 60 years.
I think my Mum's parents were truly happy and content together. Nan did all the talking, and Pop was quite quiet - e.g. "How are you, Pop?" "Oh, well thanks, dear!". And that was often the limit of his conversation. Mum says after Nan's funeral last week, he just started talking all the time!! Mum was suprised!! Perhaps he always talked more than we knew, but mostly when alone with Nanna?
My dad's dad was a bit, well, traditional (didn't talk about emotions and at times said insensitive things). But all in all, I think they were fairly happy companions, until Granny started to get alzeimers. Anyway, years ago I was visiting Granny just before Grandad's funeral, and one morning, after a sleep in, she said "oh, it's sooooo nice to sleep in! I haven't done it for 50 years!!". (She used to do a lot for Grandad, who had hurt his back during his life and was quite an invalid for the last 10 or so years).
My RL friend Seagreen was talking about family relationships. Kind of in a similar vein... Both my sets of grandparents reached at least 50 years together, and no doubt created a few dynamics of their own in that time.
I thought it was interesting to hear, amongst the grief, what my Gran had to say about losing Grandad many years ago, and (superficially) how my Pop has changed after losing his partner of 60 years.
I think my Mum's parents were truly happy and content together. Nan did all the talking, and Pop was quite quiet - e.g. "How are you, Pop?" "Oh, well thanks, dear!". And that was often the limit of his conversation. Mum says after Nan's funeral last week, he just started talking all the time!! Mum was suprised!! Perhaps he always talked more than we knew, but mostly when alone with Nanna?
My dad's dad was a bit, well, traditional (didn't talk about emotions and at times said insensitive things). But all in all, I think they were fairly happy companions, until Granny started to get alzeimers. Anyway, years ago I was visiting Granny just before Grandad's funeral, and one morning, after a sleep in, she said "oh, it's sooooo nice to sleep in! I haven't done it for 50 years!!". (She used to do a lot for Grandad, who had hurt his back during his life and was quite an invalid for the last 10 or so years).
26 July 2007
Bye bye Nanna
My Nan died early on Monday morning, aged 78. My poor Pop - who described Nanna as his soul mate and has been with her for nearly 60 years - is a bit lost, and I don't know how things will go for him with time. My Mum is naturally upset, but over the years (ever the practical nurse), she has talked honestly with Nanna about her mortality. While it was a bit sudden, in some ways it wasn't - she smoked for 40 or so years, was quite obese for much of her life, and in the past 15 or so years, there have been many angina attacks, bad arthritis, and a few other conditions that increased with frequency over more recent years. So when it came down to Nanna being in a coma hooked up to machines, it was clear to her immediate family what Nanna's wishes were, they were able to instruct the doctors accordingly. And her poor old body had really had enough.
My Nan was born at the beginning of the Depression, and her mother died when she was 3. She and her sister were fostered out with family, and her father went back to living a bachelor life and went looking for work. She lived for a while with an Aunty and Uncle who loved her, but who were having difficult pregnancies, therefore she was handed around the family a bit. Sometimes she was "a bit of a handful" - according to her - and she was whipped or hit for it. Her dad remarried later, but she didn't go back to living with him. She went to work as a nurse when she was 17, soon met Pop, and they married by the time she was 19, and had my Mum when she was 20, followed rapidly by my Auntie and Uncle. They lived in rental houses most of their life, but bought a beach shack north of Hobart as Pop neared retirement - they moved into their first fully owned home when they were retired. They moved back to Hobart recently, when it became apparent they were too far away for ambulances to reach them in time if something went wrong.
I didn't get to see my Nanna that often, as I grew up interstate. However, she always loved me unconditionally, was kind and loving, and I know she thought of me often. Nanna had such a difficult childhood, yet became the loving matriarch of 3 children, 7 grand-children, and 9 great-grandchildren, and she remembered every birthday! I realise now how important that unconditional love is - I am grateful that she was able to give my own mother such a loving foundation to her life, with flow-on benefits to me and my family.
My Nan was born at the beginning of the Depression, and her mother died when she was 3. She and her sister were fostered out with family, and her father went back to living a bachelor life and went looking for work. She lived for a while with an Aunty and Uncle who loved her, but who were having difficult pregnancies, therefore she was handed around the family a bit. Sometimes she was "a bit of a handful" - according to her - and she was whipped or hit for it. Her dad remarried later, but she didn't go back to living with him. She went to work as a nurse when she was 17, soon met Pop, and they married by the time she was 19, and had my Mum when she was 20, followed rapidly by my Auntie and Uncle. They lived in rental houses most of their life, but bought a beach shack north of Hobart as Pop neared retirement - they moved into their first fully owned home when they were retired. They moved back to Hobart recently, when it became apparent they were too far away for ambulances to reach them in time if something went wrong.
I didn't get to see my Nanna that often, as I grew up interstate. However, she always loved me unconditionally, was kind and loving, and I know she thought of me often. Nanna had such a difficult childhood, yet became the loving matriarch of 3 children, 7 grand-children, and 9 great-grandchildren, and she remembered every birthday! I realise now how important that unconditional love is - I am grateful that she was able to give my own mother such a loving foundation to her life, with flow-on benefits to me and my family.
23 July 2007
The big things in life
I find myself thinking a lot of the past at the moment - in fact have done this a lot since having a baby. Suddenly my family history, the stories of what came before me and what happened when I was too young to remember are becoming important. When in this mode, I'll just be standing there waiting for the kettle to boil, and faces from my past flash before me - people I haven't seen in years. The memories aren't tinged with longing or upset or undue happiness - they just are. It's been a necessary and helpful time of review, but even so, I think I need to do more thinking of the present, and have just decided to work on that.
But first, there are two things looming that are forcing particular memories of my Father and my Nanna (Mum's Mum) to bounce around in my head:
The first looming thing is my Dad's 60th, and that I decided to write a speech for my brother and I to read out at his party later on in the year. Was chatting to my bro yesterday, and having lived overseas for over 12 years now, I was interested to find he partitions a lot of his memories of growing up as ancient history. I have had an almost equivalent moving out and moving away, but have a continuum of memories of my dad, starting off as a caring and fun Dad as a young child, evolving to a slightly dorky alien during teenagerhood, to a good friend from my late teens until now. I suppose the difference is that living in the same city or country allows weekly contact, whereas moving overseas in the mid-90's was a big barrier to communication when we weren't emailing, phoning, or skyping as much as we do now.
The other thing that has loomed rapidly over the weekend is that my Nanna had a fall, and they found out when she went to hospital that she has serious liver problems, and septicaemia (all-over infection in blood). She's now in an induced coma, and having surgery this afternoon to remove a large cyst on her liver. Mum has flown interstate to be with her Dad, and everyone is "on standby", as she may not survive surgery. My thoughts are mostly with my Mum, and my Pop who has lived a symbiotic relationship with Nanna for 58 years, one of the few truly long and happy marriages I have known. All the things Mum told me about her upbringing are floating about in vacant moments...
-----------------------
In a similar vein to above - I'm someone with a long memory, and a good memory for faces. There are some people I've met and re-met, with me remembering each time, and me apparently being new to them each time! Young people, not people with alzheimers either! I often used to think that I must have made such a small impression on them that they forgot me each time. Now I can give my battered self esteem a rest, and tell myself it is more than likely just that they suffer from face blindness.
But first, there are two things looming that are forcing particular memories of my Father and my Nanna (Mum's Mum) to bounce around in my head:
The first looming thing is my Dad's 60th, and that I decided to write a speech for my brother and I to read out at his party later on in the year. Was chatting to my bro yesterday, and having lived overseas for over 12 years now, I was interested to find he partitions a lot of his memories of growing up as ancient history. I have had an almost equivalent moving out and moving away, but have a continuum of memories of my dad, starting off as a caring and fun Dad as a young child, evolving to a slightly dorky alien during teenagerhood, to a good friend from my late teens until now. I suppose the difference is that living in the same city or country allows weekly contact, whereas moving overseas in the mid-90's was a big barrier to communication when we weren't emailing, phoning, or skyping as much as we do now.
The other thing that has loomed rapidly over the weekend is that my Nanna had a fall, and they found out when she went to hospital that she has serious liver problems, and septicaemia (all-over infection in blood). She's now in an induced coma, and having surgery this afternoon to remove a large cyst on her liver. Mum has flown interstate to be with her Dad, and everyone is "on standby", as she may not survive surgery. My thoughts are mostly with my Mum, and my Pop who has lived a symbiotic relationship with Nanna for 58 years, one of the few truly long and happy marriages I have known. All the things Mum told me about her upbringing are floating about in vacant moments...
-----------------------
In a similar vein to above - I'm someone with a long memory, and a good memory for faces. There are some people I've met and re-met, with me remembering each time, and me apparently being new to them each time! Young people, not people with alzheimers either! I often used to think that I must have made such a small impression on them that they forgot me each time. Now I can give my battered self esteem a rest, and tell myself it is more than likely just that they suffer from face blindness.
26 April 2007
Birthday bonanza
No, it's nowhere near my birthday, nor C-chan's. But E-chan is 10.5 months old, and some of his "mates" are turning One. So the inevitable "let's have a group birthday party" suggestions get floated, and we, inevitably not wanting to be party poopers, but thinking the idea is a tad on the ridiculous side, bumble along semi-enthusiastically. Please don't think of the three of us, sitting there in the corner with glum faces, making sarcastic comments all afternoon, while the rest went overboard with helium balloons, "happy birthday" banners, and Elmo cream cakes. (I think I avoided sarcasm, and only managed to utter one "they're only one years old! they won't remember this!" comment, at which point some of the other parents nodded heartily in agreement but decided it was wiser to remain silent).
It's always fun to catch up with other parents, and see how the babies are all so similar, yet so individual. 3 of the other babies are walking, and little E-chan sits there watching quietly, occasionally getting pushed, shoved, or climbed over, but bearing it like a trooper. He's such a gentle baby, and he's often content watching and interacting with adults because other babies rarely return his smiles. He'll probably just bypass crawling and go straight to walking, as I hear some babies do.
The group we caught up with yesterday are from our Antenatal class, who are an interesting bunch to stay in touch with. When we met them, we felt we had little in common. We had a reunion after the babies were born, and I kept an open mind about the whole thing. From a purely pragmatic point of view, there are 2 ladies and 1 man who work in Preschool/childcare industry, and another lady who is a Primary teacher. As I have no close friends or family in this area, inside knowledge is useful. Strangely, but as I half expected might happen, gross-out Dad (who always asked questions about epesiotomies in our antenatal class) and his partner are the ones we possibly have most in common with, and he's being a stay-at-home Dad, which is rare and very cool.
The whole birthday and christmas thing is so wierd for the under 2's. People are so impatient to make a fuss about it. But in reality, the kids play more with the wrapping paper than the presents. We felt it unnecessary to give E-chan chocolate at his first Easter, nor did we give him cake yesterday. We're waiting until he understands what it's all about. However, E-chan's actual birthday falls on a long weekend, and all the rellies are coming over from 'delaide. And we're not about to knock back visits from doting family because we want to keep his birthday low-key and not go overboard with buying stuff...
By the way, if the weather's fine, we might have a picnic on the Queens B'day long weekend (his birthday). Too late to catch Bsharp I understand :( but others are welcome if you want to come along and give him a birthday cuddle.
It's always fun to catch up with other parents, and see how the babies are all so similar, yet so individual. 3 of the other babies are walking, and little E-chan sits there watching quietly, occasionally getting pushed, shoved, or climbed over, but bearing it like a trooper. He's such a gentle baby, and he's often content watching and interacting with adults because other babies rarely return his smiles. He'll probably just bypass crawling and go straight to walking, as I hear some babies do.
The group we caught up with yesterday are from our Antenatal class, who are an interesting bunch to stay in touch with. When we met them, we felt we had little in common. We had a reunion after the babies were born, and I kept an open mind about the whole thing. From a purely pragmatic point of view, there are 2 ladies and 1 man who work in Preschool/childcare industry, and another lady who is a Primary teacher. As I have no close friends or family in this area, inside knowledge is useful. Strangely, but as I half expected might happen, gross-out Dad (who always asked questions about epesiotomies in our antenatal class) and his partner are the ones we possibly have most in common with, and he's being a stay-at-home Dad, which is rare and very cool.
The whole birthday and christmas thing is so wierd for the under 2's. People are so impatient to make a fuss about it. But in reality, the kids play more with the wrapping paper than the presents. We felt it unnecessary to give E-chan chocolate at his first Easter, nor did we give him cake yesterday. We're waiting until he understands what it's all about. However, E-chan's actual birthday falls on a long weekend, and all the rellies are coming over from 'delaide. And we're not about to knock back visits from doting family because we want to keep his birthday low-key and not go overboard with buying stuff...
By the way, if the weather's fine, we might have a picnic on the Queens B'day long weekend (his birthday). Too late to catch Bsharp I understand :( but others are welcome if you want to come along and give him a birthday cuddle.
19 January 2007
Wild, wild life
Over many years, my parent's house has been visited by possums... they somehow get into the walls and ceiling, and set up residence, causing a lot of hassle. Possums, you see, travel long distances, and if you capture one and drive many km away to get it away from your house, you are a) removing a native animal from familiar surroundings, and b) wasting your time, as it will probably find it's way back to your house within a couple of nights. Once, a possum set up camp in the wall above the electricity meter box, and decided to scratch a hole in the wall so that it could hang its tail through and thermoregulate when things got a bit too warm! Imagine the suprise when my folks found a possum tail hanging through a hole in my old bedroom!
So over the years, my father has waged a war against the possums with chicken wire - his only defence for his house being to keep the darling things OUT! He thought he had every possible possum-sized hole covered, but recently, has heard the suspicious sounds of possums scratching and hissing somewhere under the house. This has my father just about pulling his hair out in frustration (he nearly does pull his hair out, so lucky he has a good head of hair still).
The other week, a swarm of bees decided to follow a rebel queen bee and set up hive in their light fitting, leading to a bee plague in their kitchen and up in the ceiling cavity. And just then, I got this email from my parents, and had to post an excerpt, as I could not help laughing:
"Our amazing run of annoyances continued when mum found a large blue tongue lizard on the step of the store room by the freezer yesterday morning. It ran into the wardrobe and crapped all over the place. Mum thinks it went outside when she left the door open, but I'm still wondering if it's in the wardrobe. How it got in is a mystery."
I think they should move before the house is taken over!
So over the years, my father has waged a war against the possums with chicken wire - his only defence for his house being to keep the darling things OUT! He thought he had every possible possum-sized hole covered, but recently, has heard the suspicious sounds of possums scratching and hissing somewhere under the house. This has my father just about pulling his hair out in frustration (he nearly does pull his hair out, so lucky he has a good head of hair still).
The other week, a swarm of bees decided to follow a rebel queen bee and set up hive in their light fitting, leading to a bee plague in their kitchen and up in the ceiling cavity. And just then, I got this email from my parents, and had to post an excerpt, as I could not help laughing:
"Our amazing run of annoyances continued when mum found a large blue tongue lizard on the step of the store room by the freezer yesterday morning. It ran into the wardrobe and crapped all over the place. Mum thinks it went outside when she left the door open, but I'm still wondering if it's in the wardrobe. How it got in is a mystery."
I think they should move before the house is taken over!
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