Ode to a Weird Weekend
12 March 2007, 08:15
... for it has been a long, long weekend.
I’ve had PMT since Saturday morning and have been in a real shit of a mood. My head is throbbing, I feel shattered even though I’ve slept well (thanks to the incredible sleeping baby) and everything “not quite right” that happened, is exacerbated by 1000%. I back our car into a letterbox, scraping the back right side of the car (hate the frikkin’ car – you just have to look at it the wrong way and it buckles). The heat (33 degrees), paying for a toy in Kmart then forgetting to put it in my bag, driving all the way to the Museum to discover that my bestie, Mrs. D wasn’t coming as Milly was still asleep (totally my fault as I’d left the phone off the hook at home and missed her message) and then a very clingy baby who refused to eat her dinner and bawled until I gave her plain yogurt, causing me to go into semi-meltdown mode.
So Mrs. D rings me and says “Me and Mr. D are going to do a mini-camping trip tomorrow out to Moose Gully (Upper Yarra Reservoir NP) – are you in?”
Now, McG and I have always wanted to take Scout camping – it’s one of our major loves but we’ve never had the right size tent to do it (to fit a portacot) but Mr. D had a huge tent so I thought “Why the Hell not? It’s going to be a stretch to organise everything with only me, but it’s better than sitting on our arses for another day at home.”
So I organise food, boil water, prepare nappies, wipes, sleeping bags, torches, warm clothes, cool clothes, toys, portacot, books, coffee maker (who the hell goes camping without one, I ask you)... you get the idea. I no sooner thought I was all done before remembering another thousand things I had to pack, at the same time juggling a very clingy Scout. Cue another mini-meltdown. Nearly piked on the whole adventure.
Drove to Ds’ house and waited an hour for them both to get home from running errands, then waited another 2 hours for them to get organised. Now, Mrs. D is heavily, heavily pregnant at 34.5 weeks, so I did everything to help, but by this stage it’s 1pm and we have two very grizzly little girls on our hands.
Scout is never good in the car, and predictably only slept 40 minutes before waking up. I thought, “Shit, here we go, another hour of wriggly screaming”, but in fact she was terrific. At Warburton, around 2.30, we stopped to get beers and for Mrs. D to stretch her legs. As she did so, she had a big period pain and ahem, quite a bit of “fluid”. Not the sort to panic, she instructed Mr. D to drive on to Moose Gully and, thinking they were Hickston Bracks.. erm, Braxton Hicks pains, she assumed they would subside and we would carry on our relaxing camping adventure in the wilderness. She did call the Mercy though, as a precaution and they told her to wait another hour before calling them back with a report.
Now, she was only 34.5 weeks so none of us thought “this was it”, but we were going into a NP with NO mobile phone coverage and it is really in the middle of nowhere. There is a park ranger, but he pisses off at 6pm.
Half an hour later, it seemed very clear that Mrs. D was in fully-blown labour. We all hoped it was a false labour as she was nearly 5.5 weeks early but poor Mrs. D must have known this was it. The ambulance was called (a helicopter was even considered), the Mercy got Mr. D primed to possibly deliver the baby in the Ranger’s station, and by the look on the Ranger’s face, he was shitting himself pallid.
I have never been privy to a woman in labour (except myself of course) and it is really very horrific – I wouldn’t recommend it at all. It brought back memories of the incredible back and “gas” pains I had with Scout and how you just cannot get comfy in any position. Mrs. D was amazing though, she coped so well, particularly given the panic she must have felt knowing the little one wasn’t due for some time still.
We followed the ambulance to the Mercy which seemed to take forever and Scout and Milly were awesomely behaved in the back seat. Mr. D was still clinging onto the hope that it was a false labour, but with every mobile call I made to the ambulance to see how she was progressing, it seemed this hope was pure folly.
We finally arrived at the Mercy (mental note: when wife goes into labour, do not drive into hospital with 4WD ute and campervan at back – it really is a bitch to park) and I took charge of the girls who must have been starving – it was 6.15ish by this point. In the Birthing Suite waiting room (Mrs. D wasn’t allowed to give birth in the Family Birthing Centre, as was her wish, as she was so early) I gave Milly some yogurt which promptly ended up on the floor and Scout some Heinz pasta on my lap.
Selfish interlude: now, if it were just me at the hospital, I would have happily curled up in a corner and slept all night if I had to, but I had a little midget to think about who was seriously overtired (in fact two little midgets), I had a spliiting headache and I had no clue how long we’d be waiting for Mrs. D to pop the puppy.
At 7.15, Mr. D came out and announced that they had a baby boy. I was completely dumbstruck. I was so tired and stressed from the crap couple of days I’d had, the words didn’t actually sink in (it’s only this morning, that I have the clarity to realise what actually happened yesterday!). Little “J” was absolutely fine, just in a mad hurry to be a Pisces! He was 2cms longer than Scout was at full-term! And only 7oz shy of her birthweight – but they had to put him in a humidicrib just to be on the safe side.
After the news, I finished giving Scout her dinner, which she promptly heaved back up on top of me, herself and the floor. The whole lot. 5 minutes later she pooped a tsunami – loaded her nappy and went up her back, front and my shorts. Yup, my little girl had a sudden attack of gastro (she seems absolutely fine this morning, so I suspect it was something she ate). I burst into tears. I am so not responsible for my reactions.
I couldn’t get in to see Mrs. D as the doctor was with her, so Mr. D finally took us home about 8ish and Scout passed out for a decent 12 hours.
Today we’re going back to the hospital to see Mrs. D and Little “J” – another gorgeous little baby to add to the mix!
Gives a new meaning to Labour Day Long Weekend.
Scout helps Milly hotwire her hot car… 
...Milly gets the hot hell out of there, leaving Scout bemused 
Not for long! Scout impounds Milly’s car, announcing “You’re knicked, lady!” 
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i actually stumbled across your site on a search for photography and pattern studies. i am an artist ( as well as a few other vagabond titles ) here in the states and i have some questions regarding your images… if you wouldnt mind, could you drop me a line at coleisfunny@aol.com, so that i might email you in in regards? thank you in advance. cole
— cole dodson Mar 20, 07:13 AM #
