Dear Me

Friday, December 28, 2012

Dear Blogger,
I've missed you. I've been wanting to share so much with the blogging world, but due to lack of internet (other than on my mobile which is, let's face it, super annoying for anything other than a quick post) I have been unable to share my world with you. This will be ongoing for probably a few more weeks, but knowing Hubs, internet connection will be amongst the top priorities once we move.

Dear Baloo,
You remind me almost every minute (okay, at least every hour) of your presence with your kicks and tumbles in my tummy. I can't tell you how excited I am about meeting you, but don't be in a hurry to arrive, little one. We have a lovely home to prepare for you and our little family and we can't wait to give you "outside cuddles". You are already loved by so many people, and your big brother Chanbe promises to be gentle with you. There is so much I want to know about you, and I truly can't wait to look into your eyes. I'll see you soon.

Dear Chanbe,
My sweet, superstar son. You are an angel and have been so well adjusted in these crazy few weeks. You want such simple things (walk on beach? Fruit?) and have slept through almost every night, even though your routine has been out of wack. There is so much more change to come, but I know you will handle it well. Your resilience makes me a better mama, and I can't wait to see you and Baloo together.

Dear Brisbane,
You have been preparing me for the heat in Townsville. It has been a tough month of heat and humidity, but I do love you and I wonder if we will live here again some time soon. Only time will tell.

Dear Townsville,
Be kind to me when we arrive please. I will be big and you will be hot. Some summer storms will be much appreciated to cool things down and green things up. See what you can do?

Dear Me,
You're almost there, Wifey. You keep saying to yourself "once we are all together in Townsville, I can relax." That will be a reality in a matter of days. This past year has tested you in so many ways, but you have gotten through it with the love and support of family and friends. The last month in particular has thrown some extra curvy balls, but you have hit them back and made a few home runs as a bonus. You rock. Be kind to yourself and your family in the weeks and months to come. There will be time for adjusting and settling in, and as always, you will make it out the other side, stronger than ever.

Dear Hubs,
You are a saint. I love you.

Dear kombi,
Start. For the love of all human kind, please start.

Gimme a break

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Usually at this time of year I'm excited about Christmas. Usually my Christmas cards, which I usually start making in October, are completed and sent out. Usually I love reading our Christmas letter repeatedly, reminiscing over another great year. Usually I have a list of gift ideas for family and friends, many of which have been bought by now. Usually I have planned "too many" social gatherings that leave me happily exhausted at the end of each day.

Usually I'm not 33 weeks pregnant. Usually I'm not in between houses. Usually I'm not running around after my adorable 2 year old. Usually I'm not feeling like it's all too much.

I'm feeling stuck between wanting to put myself and Chanbe and Hubs first, and keeping up with family and friendship commitments. I'm sick of small talk. I want some deep conversations with friends who know me too well.

Do you know what 3 of the most stressful life events are? Moving house (check); starting a new job (check); and having a baby (check).

I don't want sympathy - that doesn't really help. Many people have said they can't imagine doing what we're doing. But we have choices and we made these choices. Somehow it doesn't make it easier.

So here it is: I'm taking this Christmas off. I will be participating in Christmas day activities, and fulfilling commitments I have already made, but there will be no Christmas card mailout this year, which I'm sad about, but if I do it, it has to be done properly otherwise there's no point. Plus, I wrote our Christmas letter and it kind of depressed me. It hasn't been a great year for us in many ways, (and one of our best in other ways!) so I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things.

So instead, I will be doing an early year mailout with a birth announcement (weeeeee!) and news of the year to come. I am finding blogging very therapeutic at the moment, so I thank you for letting me indulge in my feelings here, so I can hopefully get some perspective and notice all the wonderful things around me.

I'm already starting to look forward to Christmas a little bit...

Indulgent much?

Friday, December 7, 2012

I'm currently toddler-free, at Chermside shopping centre, new pair of Italian leather shoes in one hand, mocha chiller in the other hand, on the way to get a pedicure.

Jealous?

Whatever doesn't kill you...

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

...gives you gastro?

When I last left you, we had conquered Sydney and were celebrating our victory in Gosford. We got an early start the next morning, hoping to clock up about 500km or so. We had a great run in the morning and decided to push through to our friends place in Kempsey. The cars were running beautifully and we were all in great spirits!

We bid our friends farewell around 3pm, and things went downhill from there. The falcon made it about 2km before it stopped. We tried again, but after the third time, and only a few km down the road, we reviewed our options and decided to ditch the falcon and trailer at our friends place and just keep on going. I jumped in the kombi with Hubs and Mum and Dad went ahead with Chanbe.

This man can drive a van.


We met up for Maccas and fuel in Grafton at around 7pm, and decided to just push on to Brisbane. Mum and Dad took Chanbe ahead and we followed behind.

So we covered 800km in the first 2 and a half days, and then 900km on the last day. It was a long one, and we arrived home at midnight Queensland time (1am "our time") about an hour after Mum and Dad. Chanbe was not ready to go to sleep after such an exciting day and it took another hour or so to settle him, so by 1am Queensland time, everyone was in bed, mostly asleep. Saturday was spent preparing for Chanbe's birthday party on Sunday, while Hubs had some much needed man-time with his man-friends, and I headed out for a hens party which turned out to be just what I needed!

Chanbe's birthday party was a great success and it was lovely to be surrounded by family again. Here's the robot cake I whipped up for him: (actually, I bought a slab of cake and just cut it out and decorated it :-) )


I haven't downloaded any of my photos from my camera as yet, so you'll have to make do with the phone photos for the time being. Monday was a lazy old day, and we caught up briefly with our nieces and nephew and Hubs' sister. I came home feeling a little off colour, and within an hour, I had lost my lunch and was in bed. It came out of nowhere, but wasn't going anywhere! After hourly "attacks" (for want of a better word), by midnight we thought it best I go to hospital, as I was a little worried about Baloo with me getting so dehydrated. So my mother in law took me to the local hospital and I was given some anti-nausea tablets and given 2L of fluid. They took some bloods and did a few other tests, but I was told it was "just" gastro and that I could go home at 4:30am.

So the good news is, we have family and friends around to help out in this tricky time, and hopefully this bad run is over. Hubs has gone down to Kempsey with his BFF today to pick up the car and trailer and I'm expecting him home in the next few hours. Chanbe is having a little grizzle to himself in bed, but will nod off soon, and I'm trying to decide what I actually want to eat, now that I'm feeling a bit better.

Yest it's been a rough week, but whatever doesn't kill you... well, you know the rest :-)

Ha ha ha. You gotta laugh, right?

Thursday, November 22, 2012

We did it! We moved out of our house in Wang, had the cleaning etc done, and got outta there in time. We had our last Bead Shop coffee in the morning, and handed over our clown bike to the dear owners.


We'll miss you guys!!


We then handed in our keys and had a farewell lunch at Espresso on Ovens - one of the first places we ever had coffee in Wang. We farewelled Juan and he wished us well in our next adventure.

 
The last thing we had to do was pick the kombi up from the mechanic, who basically said "good bye and good luck!!" We knew it was going to be a rough ride, but we hoped it would get to Brisbane okay, so we left Wang the same way we arrived 2.5 years ago - Hubs at the wheel of the kombi, me by his side and up the duff, and running late. It was bitter sweet.

We headed up the Hume Highway, and after a quick rendezvous north of Albury, we decided to take the coast road (for various reasons.) The Falcon was struggling a bit under the weight of the BIG TRAILER...


though, we can't imagine why! So the next morning, after a night in Gundagai while Chance was with the babysitter...

 
... the boys did a re-pack and evened things out somewhat. Things were looking up! And then we hit the road. And the Falcon stopped. And it just got worse from there. We were going to try and make it to Mittagong for lunch, then north of Sydney for the night. Instead, we made it to Mittagong for lunch okay, but didn't leave that night. The Falcon went to the autoelectrician, and we went to a motel.

But the fun didn't stop there. The kombi started playing up as well, so that went to a different mechanic. So this morning there was a lot of hanging around and praying. And playing!

 
By 3pm, both cars were back on the road, but only slightly fixed - enough to get us to Brisbane (please please please!!!). So there we were. 80km south of Sydney, peak hour approaching, and the desire to get a 3-car-convoy through to the other side, without a) breaking down; b) getting lost or c) going crazy.

So Mum, Chanbe (who fell asleep immediately) and I led the way for the 150km journey. It was a little terrifying, and just after we got off the toll roads (remind me - I need to pay some tolls!!) we lost Hubs. I got a text, assuring me he would be okay, so we just ploughed on. We all met up in Gosford just after 6pm and I have never been so proud and relieved to get through traffic in my LIFE! We did it!!

So after 2 and a half days, we have traveled less than 800km, but all in all, we're really only a day behind our very loose schedule. If all goes to plan (which nothing has so far!) we will make it to Grafton tomorrow for the night, then arrive in Brisbane on Saturday afternoon. If nothing goes to plan, (which seems much more likely!) at least we'll have more travel stories to laugh about in times to come :-)

I'm never moving house again

Sunday, November 18, 2012

I'm serious. If I write the words "we're moving" again, slap me across the face, kick me in the shin and put chilli in my eyes. Then tell me that moving is so much worse than that. I'm in a special kind of hell right now. The kind reserved for the real baddies. My back and feet are aching, my sciatica is killing me, the pain in my stomach is back, and my eyes are stinging from staring at this damn phone screen for to long.

My only saving graces are my beloved Hubsband, my little champion Chanbe, and my dear sweet parents. We could not have done this without them.

I just keep thinking "this time tomorrow it will all be over". I know I'm sounding a tad dramatic, but that's because I'm way past exhausted, I'm incredibly hormonal, I'm very very sad that we are leaving lovely Wangaratta, and I'm sitting on a mattress, surrounded by stuff to do, and wondering how we're going to get it all out before the cleaners arrive at 9am. The bottom line is, it has to be done, so it will be done.

1 more day......

"Rosemary" Lamb

Thursday, November 15, 2012

I'm not sure how it came about, but when we moved in to this place in April, for some reason I thought we had a whole bush of rosemary growing in our front yard. It didn't look like the rosemary I'm used to, but when I picked some off and smelt it, it smelled familiar and I was convinced it was rosemary. So I started cooking my lamb it in. In the last 6 months, I have perfected a recipe for lamb shanks in my Chasseur and have had people rave about how good they are.

Last week, I was going to make my famous lamb shanks for Mum and Dad and told Dad that there was some rosemary growing in the front yard. He couldn't find any so I went and showed him.

Rosemary it was not. I had, in fact, been cooking with lavender. I couldn't believe it! Dad got some rosemary and I had a smell of the two, side by side, and I swear I could barely tell the difference! What can I say? I make a mean lavender lamb :-)

Lists

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

My list of things I don't need right now:
- Chanbe had a temperature last night and was generally miserable, so neither of us got any sleep. Barely keeping my eyes open right now.
- An obstetrician at the hospital has ordered another glucose test to rule out gestational diabetes, even though the first one I had came back clear. The test takes 2.5 hours and you have to drink this disgusting sugar drink and get blood taken 3 times. Cos I have so much time to spare right now.
- I have a rash on my neck that has come out of nowhere and is itchy.
- I'm still getting pains in my guts that stop me in my tracks and force me to lie down.

To do:
- Keep packing boxes. (just keep packing, just keep packing)
- Attend my last mother's group tomorrow (heartbreaking)
- Pick up trailer from Albury
- Buy a sexy dress for the Rural Clinical School graduation dinner on Saturday night in Ballarat
- Plan Chanbe's 2nd birthday party

Up until yesterday I was feeling like I was being productive and really getting stuff done. Today, I'm yet to achieve anything and just want to go back to bed. Maybe I should do just that and try and have a productive afternoon and evening. Hubs get back tomorrow evening after his boys camping trip (he's having a great time) which will take the pressure off somewhat.

This time next week we'll be on the road. So much to do before then...

Random photo for your viewing pleasure.


Romantic night for 2

Monday, November 12, 2012

Hubs and I were able to head out to dinner on Saturday night, just the 2 of us, and we both agree that it was one of the nicest meals out we have had in a very long time. We went to the Watermarc restaurant in Wangaratta - we hadn't been there before but had heard good things about it. We arrived around 7pm and sat at a table outside, along the river. We really wanted to take our time and make the evening last, so we ordered some wine and started off with some oysters kilpatrick. They were fantastic - a great start to a delightful culinary experience. We then ordered 2 more entrees - a margarita pizza and soft-shelled crab. Our theory is that if a place can simple things well, they are onto something. The margarita pizza was delicious and the soft-shelled crab, delightful.

We then went for 2 more entrees to share - house made fettuccine with calamari ragu (yes, we love seafood) and the house made gnocchi with pumpkin and shredded boccocini. Scrumptious! We then went for the jugular and ordered dessert. I had the vanilla creme brulee and Hubs had the Affogato with Frangelico which looked something like this:


The presentation of the meals, the service, the flavours, the freshness, the wine and the company were all sensational. We took our time and didn't feel at all rushed. It was one of those nights we will remember for some time, and a great way to celebrate the end of 4 and half tough years of study, moving around, and great times that we have had.

It was just one of those meals that reminds of this scene from one of my favourite movies, What About Bob:


Every mouthful left me wanting more, and I'm so glad we could end our time in Wangaratta with such a lovely memory.

I told you so!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

As I knew it would be, the last week has been huge, and today is the first day I've had more than 10 minutes to sit down and play on the computer. Sunday was a glorious day and we had a lovely walk to Paradise Falls, followed by lunch at Dal Zotto winery. It was such a lovely day with lovely friends, though I was having some annoying pains in my stomach that wouldn't go away. I was pretty certain it was ligament pain and it eventually subsided in the evening so I wasn't too concerned. Monday night we had a crowd over for dinner and Revenge and both left us wanting more. Tuesday we dolled up and headed to the races, and, as usual, Chanbe stole the show:


Suspenders were certainly the order of the day for the boys!


I wasn't happy with any of the photos that were taken of me, so you can just tell me how dashing my boys looked instead!! Mum and Dad were running a bit ahead of schedule and ended up on our doorstep at 6:30pm Tuesday night, much to Chanbe's delight! Hubs headed to Shepparton on Wednesday for his final med exams which was very exciting! Thursday was supposed to be spent preparing for the garage sale on Thursday, but the pains in my stomach came back and I thought it was best to get them checked out at the hospital. After 3 hours of monitoring, I finally got to see the doctor who said it didn't seem like anything too serious, and sent me home. Which was good, but frustrating that he couldn't tell me what it might be, other than "probably ligaments" which I wasn't convinced about as it was so isolated to one spot.

I got a fair bit done Thursday night which was good, but at 9am Friday, the pains came back and I couldn't stand or walk, so back to the hospital we went. It was so much worse that day, and I saw the doctor immediately and he said we'd try and get to the bottom of it. He did an examination and assured me that the baby is absolutely fine, then gave me some morphine and let me rest. He said it was most likely either a kidney infection, appendicitis, or an ovarian cyst that was twisting on itself. After bloods and an ultrasound, they could rule out appendicitis and kidney problems, and although he is pretty sure it's an ovarian cyst, they couldn't actually see it on the ultrasound as Baby Baloo was in the way. So he gave me some strong pain killers and said that we'd touch base again the following week, but really there's not much they would  be happy to do until after the baby is born.

So needless to say, not much got done on Friday for the garage sale until I got home at 6pm. Hubs is now officially finished medicine (woooooo hooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and we decided to postpone our dinner til Saturday night. The garage sale was a HUGE success yesterday, and it was so nice to just relax in the afternoon and know that all the hard work over the last few weeks/months of getting all the stuff ready and making pretty signs etc had all paid off.

That's enough from me for now. More on our romantic night out soon....


A truffling thought

Saturday, November 3, 2012

I've been a bit absent from regular blogging lately, and I fear this trend will continue for the next few weeks months. We are in the midst of planning and packing and (sadly) counting down the days til we leave Wang (18). We are fitting lots of socialising in which has been lovely. We headed to Melbourne last weekend to farewell our "med friends" - this group of people have really made the last 4 years of our lives somewhat amazing, and they will always hold a VERY special place in our hearts. I know that we will certainly keep in touch over the years to come.

Here are the graduates of 2012. Hard to believe we only met them in 2008!



And here is the "support crew" (missing a wife and twins of one the the graduates!!)



And the graduation cake I made for them:



And as yesterday was Hubs' last day of medicine (he has 2 days of exams next week and then that's really it!!) we have had a few end-of-med dinners and lunches to attend which has been great. The one we went to on Thursday night was a thank you from the students to the Doctors and teaching staff, and I offered to make some baked goods to hand out as a thank you. I decided to make truffles, as I'd never made them before and it's always a great idea to try something new when you are making presents for 20 people. (Ahem.) Thankfully, they turned out beautifully:


And everyone was very thankful which was lovely. I made the little boards out of cardboard wrapped in alfoil, and stuck the patties down with melted chocolate. I was worried about them melting but I believe they stayed intact. I made over 100 of these little friggers!


 This coming week:
- tonight I'm making lamb shanks as an end-of-uni treat for Hubs
- tomorrow we're doing a bit of local sight-seeing and maybe catching a bit of the Wangaratta Jazz Festival (I can hear it from our house)
- Monday night we're having 6 people over for dinner + Revenge episodes (yes I'm hooked. Don't judge.)
- Tuesday we are going to the local races for Melbourne Cup Day (like last year)
- Wednesday Mum and Dad arrive and Hubs heads to Shepparton for his exams til Friday
- Thursday I'm hosting Mums group at my house for the last time (boo)
- Friday Hubs and I will hopefully go out to dinner to celebrate the real end of Hubs' medical degree!!
- Saturday we are having a garage sale

So, you know, enough to keep us busy. I've been having a bit of anxiety lately, most likely centred around getting ready for the big move, and am just trying to be aware of it, acknowledge it, and not let it manifest itself in crazy ways. I know we'll get there. We always do :-)

Inspections

Friday, October 26, 2012

Since we gave plenty of notice of our intention to leave this house, we have already had 6 lots of people come through with the real estate agent to inspect the house. We are not breaking our lease - I signed up until the 17th of November - so I just thought I would be extra nice and give over 2 months notice, so they could find new people to rent the house.

As I have mentioned, I don't generally keep our house in a particularly tidy state, mainly because, since we moved in in April, we never fully unpacked and a lot of our stuff has never had a "place" so often I don't even bother trying. For the inspections, however, I have always made sure things are relatively tidy, vacuuming done, and kitchen spotless. We have been excellent tenants, in my opinion, so today's inspection left me feeling quite deflated.

I've just started feeling okay with our huge move coming up - we've sold a couple of things, have interest in a couple of other things, and designated a lot of stuff to give away. I have picked up some packing boxes, and have already filled several bags for the op-shop. After showing the prospective tenants around, the real estate agent came back to where I was on the computer, gave me a look, and said "So, you're still right for your vacating date? I noticed the back garden is getting out of hand. Are you getting someone in to professionally clean it up?"

"Ummmm... yes?"

"Have you got the checklist that you need to complete before you vacate? Are you still okay with the date you're leaving?"

"Ummmm... yes?

And it went on like this for a bit longer.

Seriously. I'd just started feeling okay. And now, not so much. Maybe she was just doing her job. Maybe she thought she was being helpful. (And maybe I made a face at her as she walked out the door.) But if she had known the crazy life we have lived in the last year, she would have BACKED OFF. I do NOT need that kind of "help" and yes, moving house is a big job, but I know it will work out. You know how I know? Not just because we've done it 4 times in the last 4 years, but because it has to work out. There is no other option.

So excuse me for letting the gardens get "out of hand." I've had other things on my mind thank-you-very-much.


Chanbe helping Mama with the vacuuming


Our 10 hour trip, 8 hours in the ED, and threefold guilt PART II

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Did I mention that Chance had a rash? No? It started 2 weeks ago as little pimply patches on his shoulders and was diagnosed as "post viral". When you go to the doctor and you get a diagnosis, you believe them, right? I had heard that there had been a case of school sores reported at his childcare centre, but the doctor ensured me it wasn't that. So I went on my merry way with my not-so-well little boy and had a fitful night sleep on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, the rash had gotten worse and it had spread. 

But I had been told it was post-viral, and that it should get better within a week. My instincts were telling me otherwise, but I was trying not to overreact. Plus, Chanbe was fine. No fever, no fuss, so we went about our day. Though, I avoided contact with kids in case his "virus" was still contagious, as per the doctors orders. By Wednesday night, I was starting to wonder, and after another sleepless night, and a worsened rash on Thursday morning, I booked him back in to the doctor.

The look on her face when she saw him made me so upset and angry. Definitely school sores. The rash was all over his shoulders and arms, and covered his legs and butt, and it was no longer pimply, but red and angry. I was given the antibiotics script and assured that we would be okay to fly to Brisbane the next day. When I got into the car, I burst into tears. I knew there was more to it, and had the doctor said at the first visit "if it gets worse, bring him back" I would have been back on Wednesday. I felt so guilty and horrible. Just thinking about it now makes me feel ill.

So Friday we set off for Brisbane on our 10 hour trip, and on Saturday morning, I was overcome with "the rash should be getting better. Why isn't it getting better???" There were going to be other kids at the party and I was paranoid about them getting sick too, and after a couple of outsiders looked in, I insisted we take Chanbe to the Emergency Department at the Hospital. It was 10:45am when we got there. For the next hour or two, I was either crying or about to cry. We got in to see at doctor at 12:15pm, but he was called away 5 minutes later and never came back so we had to wait some more. At 1:15pm we saw another doctor who stuck around, looked at the rash and scratched her head. "Not a typical case of school sores. I'd like to run some tests and call my boss to have a look."

The party had already started, and I was told to go along as there was no point in all of us missing out. I felt SO guilty for leaving Hubs there, especially since he was pretty sure it was going to be the same diagnosis as before, but he insisted. So after arriving at the party, having a cry with Mum, and getting hugs from my gorgeous family, I settled down somewhat. This was the third lot of guilt I felt - for not having Mum's only grandchild at her 60th birthday party. Of course she understood, but I felt awful.

At one stage I got a text from Hubs to say that the big Dr was thinking it might be chicken pox, infected with staph. More tears. I left the party around 5pm when it was wrapping up and went to see my boys. They were doing great, under the circumstances. I kept apologising to Hubs and he kept telling me it was okay. Chanbe was an absolute trooper, playing with a balloon I had left him, and watching YouTube on Dadda's phone. The Paediatrician came in around 6pm and said it was not a typical case of anything, and the best they could determine was that it was school sores, but they weren't responding to the treatment. They changed his antibiotics and sent us home just before 7pm.

We took our little Chanbe home and he was fast asleep in no time. The rash started clearing up over the next couple of days, but it is still there, 2 weeks later. So now I feel like I don't want to send him back to ChildCare in case he gets sick again. An irrational fear, yes, but one that I have to get over in my own time. The lesson I learned is to trust my gut. Even if I get told the same thing, I won't be left wondering.

Our 10 hour trip, 8 hours in the ED, and threefold guilt

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The weekend before last was supposed to look like this: Arrive in Brisbane at 7pm Friday, have dinner with the parents, sleep, wake up, attend Mum's 60th birthday party Saturday lunch time, have a leisurely brekky with Hubs Sunday, drop him off at the airport, and relax.

What actually happened, was this: We left Wang at 12:30pm Friday for our 6pm flight from Melbourne. We wanted to leave plenty of time as the Melbourne Ring Road can come to a standstill and can delay you for a hour if there is an accident (that happened to me one time with Chanbe in the car) and we had to drop our car off at long-term parking and catch a shuttle. And we were travelling with a 2 year old. Chanbe didn't sleep the whole car trip which was weird and a little concerning, but nonetheless, we arrived at the parking at 3:30 and were at the airport at 4. After almost being able to get on the 5pm flight instead, and our hopes being dashed, our boarding time was 5:30.

By the time we grabbed sushi for Chanbe and Hubs and got through security, we had an hour to kill, so Hubs mostly looked after Chanbe and took him for long walks up and down the terminal. He was so well behaved! And so was Chance!! :-) We got word that the flight was delayed 20 minutes, so we kept pacing. Then it was delayed another 20 minutes, and we didn't end up boarding until 6:30, and the flight left close to 7pm. Not fun. But still, Chanbe was a dream. Not long after takeoff, he was asleep in my arms while Hubs and I did the inflight magazing quiz.

We arrived close to Brisbane when the captain informed us that we were to be put in a holding pattern, delaying us by another half an hour. Grumble grumble. We FINALLY landed at 8:40pm local time, 9:40pm Victoria time, and we had the pleasure pain of experiencing Brisbane's new Pick Up Zone. It sucked. Big time. After his little nap, Chance was again happy as can be. I, however, was whingy and whiney and wanted to sulk. After doing a sneaky avoiding-the-pick-up-zone pickup, we got to Mum and Dad's at 9:30pm local time; 10:30pm Victoria time. And Chanbe didn't go to sleep for another hour because it was time to play with Gran and Grumpy.

And the worst was yet to come....

Catching up

Monday, October 22, 2012

Today has been a good day. I heard Chanbe stir at 5:45am this morning, but then he went back to sleep for another hour and was ready to get up as Hubs was getting ready for work around 6:45am. He was in a good mood, and so was I! We said goodbye to Hubs and had brekky together and then had a lovely play before going for a walk. He then went down for a nap around midday, after lunch, and I thought I'd have a little lie down 2. My alarm went off after an hour, then an hour and a half, and then after 2 hours I felt rested. Chanbe is still asleep, 2.5 hours later! Which means he'll wake up happy and we'll have a lovely afternoon together.

Last week in Townsville was hard work, but it was a very successful trip. My main reasons for going were to get a feel for the town and look at some houses in the areas we are keen on. I looked at 14 houses for sale (yes! We're getting all responsible and grown up!!!) and there were 3 that I/my support crew felt would be a good investment. You see, we're only going to be living there for a year or 2, then we want to rent it out indefinitely. We are currently in negotiations about one of the houses, but I've started having some doubts about it so we'll see how things progress over the next few days.

We had such a great week up there, Mum, Chance and myself. We stayed with family friends who are around my age and who have a 5 year old girl and 3 year old boy and the kids had a nice time playing. Chance was an absolute dream and had a great week with his Gran looking after him while I raced around (drove sensibly) looking at houses. It was hard without Hubs there - he had to work - but we might make another mad dash up in November/December before we move there for good at the end of December.

Only 4 and a half weeks until we move, and I'm trying my hardest to get things organised. Mum and Dad get here in just over 2 weeks, so it will help having them around. In 2 and a bit months time, we'll be in Townsville. Hard to imagine...

A bit of an update

Monday, October 15, 2012

We're off to Townsville in a couple of hours, and I just wanted to give you a heads up on what's been going on! Well, actually, I want to give you a teaser of posts to come. Like how it took us 10 hours to get from Wang to Brisbane on Thursday; and how, instead of going to Mum's 60th, Hubs spent 8 hours in the Redcliffe Emergency Department with Chanbe on Saturday (he's fine); and how I felt mothers guilt, wifeys guilt and daughters guilt, all in the same day!

So, lots to come when I have a moment. In the mean time, I have a few houses to look at in Townsville! Exciting!

10 things you may not know about Wifey

Sunday, October 7, 2012

1. I take my seatbelt off when I'm reversing the car

2. I subconsciously count things in my head all day long (steps, words, whatever)

3. I can't keep my own secrets

4. I'm not as organised as everyone thinks I am (maybe I should keep that a secret!)

5. I do not keep a particularly tidy or ordered house - this is a big thing for me that I really want to work on in our new house next year

6. I seek out reverse parallel parks - I freakin' love them (and am totally awesome at them. Seatbelt off.)

7. I feel guilty every time I drop Chanbe off at childcare

8. I don't put sugar in my tea or coffee (hey, they can't all be winners!)

9. When I was a kid (and up until I was 19) I wanted to be either a childcare worker or a teacher. (So glad that didn't happen - I think I would make a terrible teacher)

10. I eat my dinner fast because I don't like it to get cold. I hate eating cold food.


Nothing earth-shattering, but maybe you know more about me today than you did yesterday :-)

TGIF

Friday, October 5, 2012

This week has been a nightmare a shocker challenging on many levels.

Level 1 - Chanbe has been waking up at 5:30am. Shocker. Hubs and I are NOT morning people, and an early morning for us is 7am. 5:30? Not cool. I am hoping it's just a phase, though, with daylight savings starting this weekend, and us going to Queensland for a week from next Friday, I feel there will be a few weeks of disrupted sleep. Oh, and the whole moving interstate thing in 6 weeks time - yeah, that's going to be completely hassle-free!

Level 2 - Even though Chanbe is still 7 weeks away from his 2nd birthday, I feel he has already turned a corner into the "terrible twos". I really hate that expression though, because you're just really setting yourself for disaster. I prefer to use our friend's expression, the "terrific twos". I like the positivity that implies, and even though some days may be terrible, I like to think there is more terrific involved in this age group. Plus I think Chanbe is pretty darn terrific :-)

Level 3 - Hormones hormones hormones. I have been super emotional and a bit of a mess for a few days now, and the tears have flowed on more than one occasion. Not only this, but with all the relaxin floating around my body, my muscles have been particularly achy lately, and I've had sciatica pain and pregnancy-related tennis elbow. Have you ever had tennis elbow? It is not a pleasant experience, especially when you can't take anti-inflammatories for it.

So all in all, these things have made for a very cranky Wifey. Thankfully, I have a very awesome Hubsband who has been taking extra special care of me this week. I cannot tell you how much he has saved me these last few days, and it just makes me feel so grateful that I have found a partner who will always do whatever he can to make my life happier. And today, I am happier. Which is good, since I'll be solo parenting again tomorrow. Wish me luck!

My highland goat (e-oat e-oat)

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Anyone remember that song from their childhood? No? Just me? Oh well. I had it playing in my head one sunny afternoon last week when we were invited to our friend's farm to visit some baby goats. When I say baby goats, I mean baby goats. 4 of them were less than 24 hours old! I cannot tell you how much I love living in the country. I mean, where else would you get a phone call on a Wednesday afternoon, inviting you to give baby goats a cuddle and a pat?


They were way too cute for words, and Chanbe just adored them! 


He was so gentle with them and kept wanting to give them cuddles. 
He's going to be such a good big brother :-)

 
 

Spring time bubbles

Monday, October 1, 2012

We are currently spending as much time outside, when the weather permits. It's finally nice enough to pick flowers:


And do a spot of (much needed) mowing:


And get into some serious bubble blowing:



I love love love spring :-)


Baking wins! Choc-coated mousse balls and strawberry soufflé

Thursday, September 27, 2012

No, mousse, not moose. (Weirdo.) And I'm not talking about the kind of velvety, light, fluffy mousse that would normally appear in this household on a whim of my Hubs. I'm talking about the kind of mousse that you ruin because you overcook the custard, and it becomes hard and thick and gluggy. Delicious, but not quite right. That kind of mousse. Hubs' solution? Well, Hubs' solution to most of life's problems: dip it in chocolate! (Life can get messy around here!)


This is probably the most unappealing photo I could have taken of these delightful treats, as I had just taken them out of the freezer, so sorry about that. I rolled them into balls (yes, that was the consistency) and put them in the freezer for a bit, then dipped them in melted 70% dark chocolate. The one at the front left, I dipped in whole and the chocolate set quickly and thickly around the mousse, so for the rest of them I just used a spoon to drizzle the chocolate liberally over them. They were super rich, but super delish! A fail made into a success I'd say!

My second baking venture for the week was in aid of using the up 5 egg whites (after only using the yokes for the mousse) and since strawberries are cheap as at the moment, a soufflé was on the cards. I served these babies up for dessert with friends on Thursday night, after serving a very tasty Guinness Stew for dinner. I'll let the photos tell you a bit more!



They looked SO impressive and were very light and fluffy and delicious. I actually forgot to put in half of the sugar, so they weren't too unhealthy (only 1/4 cup of sugar in the whole recipe) and it really didn't need it to be honest. They were a real hit!

And for the trifecta, I've just pulled a dozen scones out of the oven to take to mums group this arvo. Hubs had a hankering the other day, so you know, 2 birds. Luckily they look amazing, so I won't need to dip anything in chocolate :-) The recipe I use is super quick and easy (3 cups SR Flour, 1 cup lemonade, 1 cup cream; stir with a knife, add fruit bits if you like, cook in hot oven - about 220C for 12 minutes) and are great for when people pop in to say hi. Or when I pop out to say hi! Which I'm about to do. Laters!

My baby Baloo

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

I've just named #2, Baloo. I'm not sure why - I have no real attachment to The Jungle Book, but it just felt right when it popped into my head today. We call Chanbe "Boo" a lot, so now I have a Boo and a Baloo.

Some things just feel right, you know?


See you soon little one.

You hang up, no YOU hang up...

Monday, September 24, 2012

I used to really love talking on the phone. Then I became an adult, and now 80% of my talk time is with people I'd rather not be talking to. These people are not my family, or my friends. They are customer service (I use the term loosely) representatives and I'm sick of them. I know I can do most of my business on line, which I do, but there are some things that need to be discussed, and it leaves me reeling.

I've just spent an hour and a half of my precious "Chanbe asleep time" on the phone to 4 different organisations for various reasons, and now I'm feeling like nothing has been achieved. Yeuch. I sometimes get sick of being an adult, and all the responsibilities that come with it. I'm sick of dealing with Centrelink and credit card companies and and and...

And I'm very lucky that I am able to make a phone call and sort something out so "easily" most of the time. Hmph. Must be Monday.

On a different note, I tried to take Chanbe swimming at the local pool (indoor) this morning, and he would not have a bar of it! He got as far as ankle-deep with me right by his side, and just stood there, crying, saying "no? no? no?" in the very cute way he does. No amount of splashing or encouragement would change his mind. You know what this means? I'm going to have to go in with him. Time to psych myself up for t-o-g-s!

We must be doing something right

Wednesday, September 19, 2012



The only food that Chanbe ever really asks us for is good stuff.

Agogo (avocado)
Jrrbrr (strawberries)
Ap (apple)
Brit (bread - that he helps himself to from the freezer, and eats it frozen)
Banana (banana) (duh)

My friend gave him a Malteser the other day (she asked if she could which I appreciated, but I really don't mind since he never gets to eat that sort of thing normally.) He bit half of it off, ate that bit, and gave the other half to me. That felt pretty good actually. If only I had the same willpower :-)

I don't mean to sound self-righteous, or as if I'm a brilliant parent, I just like the fact that our son likes good food. It also really motivates me to eat healthy foods in front of him, to set a good example. There's plenty of time for him to get stuck into the sweeter things in the cupboard!

The week that was

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Today is Sunday, the start of a new week. Thank goodness. We've had a bit of a rough time with Chanbe this week, with 8 sleepless nights in a row, a trip to emergency on Tuesday, and a general out-of-routine feeling for all. Each night from Thursday week ago, I kept thinking "this has to be the worst of it. Tomorrow he'll feel better and tomorrow night we will sleep." This didn't happen until the following Thursday - his (and our) first full night sleep in a week. Every other night, he spent a solid 3 hours coughing, and the rest of the night thrashing around in our bed. It's so hard to see your child unwell and not be able to do anything about it. I had taken him to the doctor twice, and was told that it was just "post-viral". I'm not doubting the diagnosis, but that cough was just so horrible, and by Tuesday, I felt like something needed to be done, so we went off to the hospital in the hopes of seeing a pediatrician.

We were given some medication to hopefully help, and sent home with a bit of hope. The next 2 days and nights were still no good, but by Thursday afternoon, he had started to settle down a bit (which probably would have happened without the meds, really). Thursday night was bliss, and Friday he had a great day at childcare while I raced around to appointments I had postponed from Tuesday, including my 20week scan for baby number 2. I know, a really original name. Any suggestions? Hubs just suggested "second Chance" :-) Anyway, that scan went wonderfully well and (insert cute baby nick-name here) is growing beautifully. I'm glad I didn't wear mascara as I got rather teary watching this little person on the screen for an hour. So amazing how much you can see in those scans. (And no, we are not finding out the sex.)

And yesterday ended our rough week beautifully, as we had a dozen people over for a BBQ and it was fantastic. The weather was BRILLIANT!!!!!! Friday? 13 degrees max, windy, overcast and miserable? Today? Overcast but warm. But yesterday? Absolute bliss - up to 22 degrees and sunny with no clouds and no wind. T-shirts and boardies weather my friends. Hubs gave me a big sleep in today (he's the best) and a cooked brekky when I dragged myself out of bed at 9am (again, the best) and we are now just lazing around, doing a bit of tidying up, and just enjoying a quiet Sunday at home.

I feel it's going to be a gooooood week!

Holding on too tight

Saturday, September 8, 2012

It took quite a while for us to get Chanbe into some semblance of a routine around his sleeping habits. As I've mentioned before, the first year of Chanbe's life was filled with constant battles around bedtime, and 2-3 hourly wake-ups every night until he was just over 1 year old. We worked very hard to make his bedtime a more enjoyable experience, and by March this year, we were at the stage where we could say "ni-night" or "nap time", give him a kiss and cuddle, put him in his cot, and walk out of the room. We would hear noises sometimes but they were joyful noises of our son being content, talking himself to sleep.

It was bliss. Correction. It is bliss. For the last week, the little guy has not been 100%, with temperatures and general crankiness around the clock. And the last 3 nights, he has not wanted to go to sleep in his own bed. No matter what we did, no amount of encouragement would persuade him otherwise. So he has been sleeping with us. And I use the term "sleeping" very loosely. He's been sleeping okay, but we haven't. And I don't want this to continue. I don't want this to become a habit. I don't want all of our hard work to go down the drain. I don't want to go back to the nightly battles.

I know that when he is unwell, we have to make some allowances, but when you're in the moment - when he's been crying screaming for half an hour every time you leave him in his cot; when I'm in tears because I feel like he's never going to sleep again; when Hubs has to take him for an hour long walk to get him to sleep just a little bit (which we haven't done in I don't know how long) - it's hard to get perspective. I know that he's out of his routine, but I also know that it's not the end of the world. I know that once he starts to feel better, he'll be happier in his own cot. I just don't know how long that will take him. And I have to be okay with that. I need to let go just a little bit. Deeeeeeep breaths Wifey, deep breaths.

Chanbe in a happier mood. Actually, this was at lunch time today. It's not all bad :-)

I don't like yoga

Friday, September 7, 2012

There. I said it. You know what I do like? The idea of yoga. I love the thought of stretching and feeling calm, relaxed and focussed, which are three things I rarely allow myself to feel, particularly all at once. Hubs and I did a 10 week yoga course 2 years ago, when I was pregnant with Chanbe, and we actually quite liked it. I liked the instructor - she wasn't too hippy - and I really felt my flexibility improving, even though each week the moves would become a little more awkward.

But my friend invited me along to a yoga class the other night and I thought "why not!?" Why not? Where to do I start? The class went from 6:15-8:00pm, which you might think is great! I really got my money's worth, right? Wellllllllll. Not exactly. The first 45 minutes we did 3 different yoga "sequences", 2 of which the instructor didn't want me doing because I'm pregnant. There are 2 of us in the class who are pregnant, and she didn't offer any real alternative, other than "stand up and breathe while lifting your arms up and down." In my class 2 years ago, the instructor would always have an "alternative routine" for me, and anyone who wanted, to do, which I really appreciated. It made me feel like I was still a part of the class instead of "the big pregnant lady who can't do downward facing dog."

So that was the first 45 minutes. And what did we do for the next hour? We breathed. We sensed the air flowing through our nostrils and into our lungs. The 2 pregnant ladies were told to "feel the air make its way down to your womb, where your baby is growing." For an hour. Some of you may think this sounds amazing, but all I could think about was "I paid money for someone to talk to me about my nostrils??" Clearly, I missed the point of it all. Or rather, I get the point (dedicating time in your life to be still and present and focussed) but I just don't enjoy it.

I've gotten to a stage in my life where I don't feel like I have to pretend to like something because it's good for me, or it's cultural (like arthouse movies - BORING!) so I'm sticking with I don't like yoga. At least for now.

Broken baken

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Thank you for your suggestions for my baker's block last week! There are a few recipes that I will be trying, maybe even today! I ended up going with this chocolate sponge cake recipe. I had never made a sponge cake before, and apparently duck eggs are the bees knees for sponges. Something simple that I could jazz up. The idea was to make a "slab" and cut squares and put cream and strawberries on top. Which I did.  So I went to work, starting off with these beauties.


I had to beat until soft peaks formed. I don't know if it's baby brain, or the fact that it's been quite a long time since I've baked, but I used the mixing attachment instead of the whisking attachment on my Kenwood. It took almost 20 minutes for those soft peaks to form. Oops.

 
I also didn't have any caster sugar - I only ever buy brown sugar - so I blitzed that in the food processor to make it nice and fine. I then had to sift the dry ingredients 3 times and then add them to the egg mixture. The problem was, the corn flour made the dry ingredients sticky and clumpy, and when you add the dry to the wet, you're not supposed to overmix it. But it was really hard to get it all mixed through!


I chucked it in my pan and into the oven, and played the waiting game. It looked a bit lumpy, but I hoped for the best.


And I got it! So it seemed... When I took it out of the oven it looked like this:


As my Nanny would say, "ooh la la!" It had risen and was soft and bouncy and just lovely. I left it to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and when I turned back around, someone had burst my balloon :-(


Oh well. I turned it onto a cooling rack, and cut it into squares. This is when I had my first taste-test. Hmmmm.... I couldn't quite put my finger on the taste. It was somewhat... feathery. It tasted like farm. The duck eggs. I've read they have quite a strong flavour, but I really didn't think I'd be able to taste it in a cake! It didn't taste bad, just different. And it may have been my pregnancy related heightened senses playing tricks on me, because everyone who had it said it was yummy. But maybe they were just being nice, as not to make the pregnant lady cry.

They sure did look good! And they were light as a feather! (And tasted light as a feather too...)


So anyway, it was kind of a success and kind of a failure at the same time. We are having people over 2 more nights this week, and one of them is gluten-free so I think I'll try this jaffa cake that my friend suggested, and use it as part of a trifle since Hubs LOVES trifle and you know, I love Hubs.

Over baked

Thursday, August 30, 2012

I've lost my baking mojo. I used to get so excited about finding new recipes and choosing which one to try that week, or going back to old favourites. But lately, the thought of baking makes me feel ho-hum. It could be the constant distraction I know I'd get from Chanbe, but maybe I just need some new inspiration. I've poured over 3 recipe books, as well as my folder of loose recipes that I've printed out over the years, and nothing is exciting me that much.

And the reason I want to be excited about baking is, not only do I have mum's group this arvo that I'd like to take something along to, but we are also having people over for dinner tonight (more med students). They are bringing the main course and I said I'd do nibblies and dessert. And I'm kind of known around the med student traps for my baking, particularly chocolate-filled baking, so you know, no pressure or anything. So I'd really like to make something that would suit both occasions. Oh, and I've been given 10 fresh duck eggs from our friend's farm, and duck eggs are supposed to be great to bake with.

A couple that have somewhat tickled my fancy are:

1. Chocolate orange tea bread (a new recipe to me - it just sounds a bit boring, but it does make 2 "loaves" which would be helpful)
2. Rolled sugar cookies (an old favourite but VERY time consuming)
3. Some sort of chocolate sponge cake.

Help?????

Some time for me and a funny dessert

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

We've been back home (in Wang, just in case you get confused about where we live. I know I do...) for a week now, and we're slowly getting back into our little groove. Life is just looking up and up at the moment, and is continuing that trend which is unbelievably good for my soul. This is what I have spent the last solid half hour enjoying:


Leftover lasagne, a huge salad, a tall glass of water, and the internet. Oh, and a sleeping toddler. This is me time. This is time to catch up on my google reader, respond to emails, read about "Your Pregnancy: Week 18" and lust after my dream pram. I've had such a great week so far, and it's just going to get better. I hit the gym yesterday for some cardio while Chance had a great day in care, even sleeping for over an hour which meant he was a happy little camper when I picked him up!

Last night we got right back into having friends over for dinner which was really lovely. They were meant to come over for dinner tonight but their tutorials got switched (they're both studying with Hubs) so they were free last night instead, which I only found out at 4:30 in the afternoon, but I had everything I needed for lasagne and salad and garlic bread so we went ahead with that. Hubs came home and tidied our bomb-site of a house (I just didn't have it in me!) while I made dinner. I hadn't planned anything for dessert other than "something with strawberries" as they were on special at Coles for $1.60/punnet (I may have bought 6 punnets... and I may be planning on buying more today...) so instead of my usual choc-dipped strawberries, we had do-your-own strawberries dipped in chocolate.

Seriously, if you want an entertaining dessert, this is it. I melted a bowl of 70% dark chocolate and placed it in the middle of the table next to a huge bowl of the biggest strawberries in the punnets. And handed out napkins and little forks. It was the messiest, funniest dessert I've ever had. There was melted chocolate on chins, on fingers, and all over the strawberries, that got dropped in the bowl more than once. It was just hilarious, so much so that I was worried I was going to laugh chocolate and strawberries out of my nose.

The verdict? Maybe next time I'll use smaller strawberries. But an absolute winner FOR SURE! Super easy, delicious, and a great source of entertainment for all.

Being left behind

Thursday, August 23, 2012

(Quick update: We're back home in Wang! Woo!! It's cold and rainy. Boo.)

For the better part of the last year, I have been getting around to updating/upgrading/overhauling my blog. I have considered, a number of times, outsourcing this job to someone who has a clue, but then my stubbornness (read: poverty) gets the better of me and I figure, "it can't be that hard!" So I started playing around with a few ideas and in January, recruited my friend who is a graphic designer, to help me with my masthead, as graphic design is definitely something I have no idea about. And now that that's done, I've changed my mind about the name, which means more work to be done that I can't really do. Ooops. Plus I had to decide on who to host my domain name with (I don't even know if I'm saying this right, let alone doing it right!!) which Hubs helped me with. We set that up today.

And now there's lots of fiddly things to do that I'm trying to learn how to do. The thing is, I never used to be this useless. I used to know how to do things like edit photos, resize them and send them to people, and use programs like publisher, and I even did some intranet page designing in one of my jobs, but we don't have mainstream software (we use open source software) and I've really lost a lot of my skills, as I just don't practice often enough. Another problem is that we don't have a designated computer space that's ready to go at all times; ready for photos to be downloaded; ready for photos to be printed; ready for me to just sit down and get my sh*t sorted.

And I feel like the internet/blogging world is leaving me behind. It makes me sad. I feel like I have all this potential, but I'm treading water, waiting for all my ducks to line up before taking the next stop. The problem is, the ducks are in very real danger of getting run over as they sit in the middle of the road, waiting.

But today we set up the domain name. I'm hoping to do some tweaking on my masthead, and am hoping to be up and running in the next few weeks. If you have any tips for wordpress (where I'm moving my blog to) or having a .com, I'm all ears. I just keep thinking "surely it shouldn't be this hard!!!!"

Aw maaaaan!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

It's 11:46 pm and I'm sitting up watching the movie Good Will Hunting. I love this movie so much and committed to staying up til stupid o'clock to see the scene. You know the one. The "it's not your fault" scene with Matt Damon and Robin Williams. Only problem is, a few minutes leading up to this scene, the stupid digital reception started going all blippy and cutting in and out.

The scene? Ruined. The reception? Fixed itself up during the next lot of ads. I'm not even kidding. So gutted. But what are you gunna do?

Adults only

Friday, August 17, 2012

(I've been meaning to type this post for a couple of weeks!)

When Hubs was visiting us from Melbourne, we took the opportunity to go out to dinner. Just the 2 of us. Being around the Redcliffe area, we weren't exactly spoiled for choice with places to dine on a Thursday night, so I jumped on to Google to see what I could see. Ahem. Not much. Then I mentioned the "R" word.

Ribs.

Hubs was suddenly a man possessed. It had to be ribs. And what restaurant was the most likely source of ribs? Hogs Breath Cafe. We weren't overly enthused to be honest - it wasn't really my idea of a romantic night out! But without any great alternatives, Hogs is had to be.

We arrived and were seated outside in a little, ah hell, let's call it "romantic" corner, and a few minutes later our drinks order was taken. We weren't ready to order yet so our waitress said she'd be back soon. Our drinks were brought out by a different waitress who promptly left us, so we just sat and drank and chatted for a while. After a little while, I said to Hubs "I think they've forgotten about us."

This triggered a series of "events" that really showed me that a) I need to relax and not be so concerned about time and what "should" be happening, and b) how different Hubs and I are when it comes to time and what "should" be happening. Hubs just kept saying "what's the rush? Do you have to be somewhere? Am I not interesting enough for you? They haven't forgotten about us. They'll be here." to which I replied "I'm not in a rush, I'm just saying, they've forgotten about us!" This went on for a while, and I said to Hubs that all I wanted was acknowledgement that they'd forgotten about us, and I'd relax. We made a deal that if the next table, who had arrived after us, got their food, I got to wave down a different waitress (ours was nowhere to be seen!)

Sure enough, 40 minutes later, we had not ordered so I was allowed to flag someone down. Turns out they had forgotten about us, and because of that, we got dessert on the house! So even though I was right, Hubs was also right about me not needing to be in a hurry all the time, and sometimes things don't go the way I plan, but they work out okay in the end - free profiteroles!

Oh, and the ribs were really disappointing!!

So here we are

Friday, August 10, 2012

We found out this week where Hubs, and therefore we, will be spending next year. And the winner... is...

TOWNSVILLE!!!

We are really very happy with that placement. Even though we would have liked Cairns as our first choice, there were no positions left after the first round offers all went to Queensland med students, but once we considered Townsville as a possibility, we decided we would be very happy there as well. We have family and friends up there and when I told them the news, they were very excited which was a lovely feeling.

Hubs finishes up medicine (woo!!) in early November, and we're planning on moving up not long after that. The hospital is providing some moving assistance and accommodation while we look for somewhere to live which will be very helpful indeed. I've already started looking at houses up there and am really enjoying making plans,which is something we haven't been able to do for quite a long time.

I'm feeling really great about the move, and am glad we can get up there and settle in before Christmas, and set ourselves up before the baby is due at the end of January.

So here we are. We have an answer to our big question, we have plans to make, and time to dream about what adventures next year will bring for our family.

And all that Jazz

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

A couple of my very talented friends invited me to the Brisbane Jazz Club Sunday week ago to hear them perform with some of their very talented friends. Among other things, there was a grand piano that was very grand; a lovely lass with an angelic voice; a saxophone with some deep tones; a cheeky bass; and 3 ukeleles played by 3 lovely ladies. And it was just lovely. Song after song, I was humming along. (Yes, I meant that.) They played 3 sets that were all very different from each other, and really kept the whole crowd entertained.

But the highlight for me was the 3 lovely ladies playing this song on their ukeleles, though it sounded (and looked) a little different!


Well said, Mitchell Watt

Monday, August 6, 2012

Well said.


"What went wrong?"

Saturday, August 4, 2012

I've been watching the Olympics a lot the last week. Not as much as I would like as I value my sleep, but I've been getting in some great couch time. I've so far been quite impressed with Channel Nine's coverage - they say what is coming up and they actually show that event, unlike Channel Seven's debacle in Beijing! I'm not even minding the ridiculous number of replays of the same races over and over again. My only issue with the whole coverage is the interviewing. The number of interviews are fine, and the quality of the questions are generally pretty good, except one question.

"So, can you tell us what went wrong?"

What does that even mean? Why is there an implication that something actually did go wrong? As my Mum says, not everyone can win. And it's okay not to get the gold. Sometimes a person does the best they can, or maybe they feel like they could have done better, but suggesting that something went wrong is such a cop-out. What answer are they expecting?

"Well I got a massive wedgie at the halfway mark and was so distracted I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing."

It's not a question that needs to be asked as there is most likely no answer, and I imagine it would just make the athlete feel like they weren't good enough. Like losing needs to be justified, or someone/something needs to be blamed for their "loss" instead of "well the person who beat me ran/swam/rowed/dove/kayaked better than me today."

Oh, and another one I just heard:
"If you had your time again, what would you do?
Answer: "I wouldn't do this interview."

6 months ago...

Thursday, August 2, 2012

... I wrote this post. This post was about changing a few things in my life that I felt were holding me back and getting me down. I had a good attitude and was motivated to make those changes.

2 weeks later, I broke my foot, and everything kind of turned to crap. I couldn't exercise, and I continued chewing my nails out of frustration and anxiety. The good news is, my hair is getting nice and long (which means I want to cut it off again!!!) and one of the "other things" that I was hoping would happen was that I'd be pregnant, which I am. The faith thing is still somewhere in the middle, but I'm getting there.

The only thing that I feel is still really keeping me in limbo, is not knowing where we'll be next year, but as I mentioned, we'll know that very soon.

I know I'm definitely in a better place with how I feel about my body, especially now that I'm in my second trimester. I feel stronger and (ever so slightly) fitter, and know that the more exercise I can fit in, in the next 6 months, the better my pregnancy and recovery will. I know it will also help me to prepare for our new life next year - the move, the baby, the settling in - our life certainly is never dull!

So. That was my last 6 months. Let's see what the next 6 months has to offer!

London 2012

Monday, July 30, 2012

Something awoke me at 4:17am this morning. Was it Chanbe? I don't think so. Was it the possum that lives in the roof? Perhaps? Or was it my subconscious telling me that the Olympics were on TV and that I should take my doona out to the couch and watch some coverage? Yeah, I think that was it.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I LOVE the Olympics. When I heard that Sydney was getting the 2000 Olympics, I knew I had to be there. I volunteered at the hockey and had the most amazing time, both at the hockey (we got to see a lot of games) as well as other events. In 2008, we had just moved to Melbourne, and I scored a temp job in the Channel 7 call centre, and got to see a lot of the coverage. I actually have a friend competing over in London in the swimming (go Brenton Rickard!!!) who did really well in Beijing (2 silver medals) and made it into the final of his first event in London, (100m breaststroke) which I watched at 5:10am this morning. (He came 6th, with team mate Christian Sprenger doing a great job getting the silver medal. Brenton's world record that he'd held for 3 years also fell this morning.)

I just get so nervous and excited for all the athletes competing and wish we had foxtel so I could watch whatever I wanted. I'd love to see more hockey in particular, but that is up to the powers that be at Channel 9. So I watched over 4 hours of coverage this morning, (mostly swimming) and had my morning sleep after that. Hee hee! This whole staying-with-my-parents-so-I-can-watch-the-olympics-while-they-babysit thing is sweeeeeeeet!

Oh, and Hubs is coming up for a visit in a few days which will be really lovely. It's going to be a great couple of weeks!

Woah Mama!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Hubs and Chanbe and I are on our way to becoming a family of 4 :-) I'm not quite 14 weeks pregnant, and check out this belly!!


Here I am wearing the same top in my first pregnancy. Except that in this photo, I was 20 weeks pregnant...


I heard that in subsequent pregnancies, you show a lot earlier, but this is ridiculous! Ha ha. Anyway, everything is going very well. The first trimester coincided with some of the hardest weeks/months of my life, but I'm feeling much better now. Chanbe and I have all but recovered from our nasty colds, and we are enjoying the gorgeous sunshine that Brisbane has to offer. My diary is filling up nicely with catch-ups, and the grandparents are loving having us (Chanbe) around.

So there you have it! The next lot of big news I'll be sharing will be the location of Hubs' internship next year, which we will find out in the next 2 weeks. Let the fun begin!

Feeling the warmth

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Chanbe and I arrived in Brisbane yesterday afternoon, and the weather hasn't let me down. It's cool, but not cold. It's a bit cloudy, but not raining. We've had a lazy day of sleep and washing so far today, and the rest of the week isn't going to be too full-on either.

When I last posted, I mentioned that "we were on the mend." I was a bit wrong with that statement. Hubs took his Wifey and Chanbe to the doctor the following day, and we were both put on antibiotics. Chanbe bounced back by Friday but it wasn't until Sunday that I was feeling like myself again. Sunday? Yeah, the last day of our "holiday". So we didn't end up at McLaren Vale, nor did we get to Penfolds like we planned on the Thursday. But that's okay. In spite of the terrible weather and feeling like crap, we had such a lovely time with our friends. Our last dinner together on Thursday night consisted of some fresh fish we'd picked up from the Central Markets, and some truly decadent desserts our friend picked up from her favourite dessert place in Adelaide.



The boys even felt festive enough to wear their Friday shirts the next day!



I haven't made too many plans for the next 4 weeks, but I have a long list of people to see and things to do, so I'm sure we'll be kept busy. If you're around, I'd love to catch up!

See you soon :-)

The story so far...

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

We have been on holidays for 10 days, and today was the first full day of sunshine we have had. And now it's raining. Again. It has rained every day since we left home, but that is not getting us down. The thing that is getting us (me) down a little is the cold I (we) have. I haven't had a "proper" cold since before I was pregnant with Chanbe, and I had honestly forgotten how miserable a cold can make you feel, and for how long! To make matters worse, I have somehow caught a "man cold". Seriously. It's that bad. Thankfully I have a very patient Hubsband who can tune out my doesn't mind me whinging. Hubs hasn't been feeling 100% and my poor little Chanbe has been sick too which makes me very sad when I hear him cough. But I believe we're on the mend now, finally, after a week of feeling pretty ordinary.

So, back to the trip! We've seen some Apostles:



We've had some sleepy time in the car:



Some fish, chips and very large burgers in a seaside town:



Some (lots of) very crappy weather:


And we've had lots of lovely times with our family and friends down here, and those we caught up with along the way. We headed to Hahndorf today and McLaren Vale is on the agenda for tomorrow, so still lots to do and not too much time to do it all! But we'll get there. We've had a few low-key days, to try and recover from this damn cold, so that has actually given us a bit of a holiday. I just hope the colds are all gone by early next week when I fly to Brisbane and Hubs starts his 5 weeks at the Royal Womens in Melbourne!

Lots more photos (taken on our camera, not just my phone) to share so stay tuned.

A photo break

Monday, July 9, 2012

I just noticed that most of my blog posts lately have been very texty (yes, that's a word...) so here's a bit of a break from that...

Getting ready for a walk and trying to keep warm

Eating the world's biggest freckle.
(Not my idea of a great Playgroup activity, but you get that. 
You should have seen the tantrum when I took it off him after only 2 bites!!)

Yes I love the "sitting in the stroller wearing a cute hat" photo...

Hopefully that will keep you going for a while...