« Conversation after Music Class | Main |

Invaded!

30 April 2006, 10:39

In the summer it was spiders – not the lethal kind, you understand – we gave those to Sydney back in ‘Nam. No, we get the dreaded White Tails, the ones that bite you and leave a flesh-eating bacteria in your skin. Or so the legend goes.

Husband told me that one day, while he was changing Scout, a White Tail careened a hair’s breath from her precious bottom cheeks. He didn’t tell me for ages as he knew I’d freak. I’m not arachnist or anything, but I hate White Tails. I saw about 6 in the house during summer. We did, however, manage to escape the wrath of everyone’s anitpodean nightmare – cockroaches (which won’t be killed by a fair slap of a shoe. I swear cockroaches are guarding the the gates of Hell), so I guess we got off pretty likely. Still…

Now the weather has turned cold, our house has turned into a veritable iceblock overnight. Last night, I went to get a glass of water in the kitchen (half asleep, mind) and a little furry mongrel skittered past me on the bench. A frikkin’ mouse. The first of the winter mice. Last winter we got rid of them with a mountain of rat sac, but now Scout’s around I’m a bit worried about having poisons lying around the house.

Anyone know of any good remedies that will, if not kill them (I know they’re “god’s creatures” and all, but I won’t have the rodents crawling over my daughter at night. Shudder.) then deter them from the house? They live behind the oven, I think, where it’s warm and toasty.

---

3 month Birthday

28 April 2006, 11:12

Raspberry Swirl

Scout celebrated her 3-month birthday (last Saturday) with birthday cake, a few stouts and some Frangelico. Oh wait, no, that was me. Scout turned it on by rolling from her tummy to her back (complete with head thump on the rug). She did it twice that day, and hasn’t done it since. Not that she doesn’t try. She does some mini-pushups first, then lifts her back leg (a bit like a dog cocking it’s leg, ahem) then lets out the Battle Cry (last week it was “OI, OI, OOOOIIIIIIIII”). But alas, no further fruit on the rolling front and my little angel gets a wee bit frustrated.

She is now 6kgs, and above the 50th percentile for weight (i.e. about half the kids out there are heavier than her, so there must be some enormous little chubbas out there) and is 59 cms long, most of it leg (and belly). She takes after her mum (poor mite) – long legs and a stumpy torso.

Her head is also getting a little misshapen by her only wanting to put her head to the right side while sleeping. The other night we elevated her mattress on one side, hoping that she would face to turn left, but she only succeeded in falling down the mattress and hitting her head on the cradle bars (head still to the right!) so we just hope her head rights itself when she starts crawling. Which, judging by the strength of her legs, won’t be too far away…

Oh yes, I know, in her own time, in her own time.

---

Another year greyer...

20 April 2006, 10:41

Yep, it’s me birthday today. Had not such an auspicious start to the day… I have had some bad insomnia this past couple of nights – ironically nights where Scout has slept 9-10 hours. Spent from 1ish to 4.30 this morning in tears (but really trying to get to sleep as I was exhausted). Must trot off to GP for some chamomile tea…

Ah woe is frikkin’ me.

So am thoroughly bored at home – most friends have actual full-time jobs (what the???) so can’t catch up and best buddy has nasty spewy virus. Sigh. Will probably take the pram out for a stroll down Brunswick Street. Husband gave me awesome pressie – a shiatsu treatment and onsen bath at “Melbourne’s only Japanese BathHouse”, Ofuro ya to get me all natsukashii, like. Now the weather has turned a wee bit cold, I’d actually been craving an ofuro bath, nice and deep to melt away the grime of the day, so gift could not have come at better time. Husband is also cooking me fave dinner tonight – chicken katsu kare. Bring. It. On. He’s a clever boy, my Husband.

SS McG has been thoroughly entertaining of late, so I actually don’t mind just hanging out with her all day. She has started laughing (well, the occasional “tee hee”) and chatting up a storm. Unfortunately, she has been wanting to engage in aforementioned chats at 5.30 in the morning. The other night, we’d put her to bed after an early feed, the room was pitch black and we were about to nod off when we hear a hopeful “ahboooooo?” coming from the cradle. Give me strength.

I swear she said “Muummmmy” the other day, but it happened to be when she was screaming in pain (ate too much methinks – anyone who says you “can’t overfeed a breastfed baby” is a big LIAR) so maybe that won’t go into the annals of “firsts”, no sirree.

Oh good lordy, SS has drifted off to sleep – must squeeze in 45 minute catnap (you can set the clock by her).

---

The Proof is in the Placenta

19 April 2006, 20:51

As if we needed more evidence that Tom Cruise is four cans short of a sixpack… he is, not only going to eat his daughter’s placenta, he is going to do it RIGHT THERE, assuming raw in the delivery suite. The man doesn’t even have the decency to wait til he can pop it on the BBQ and down a few tinnies…

The Proof is in the Placenta

Uh-huh. Someone pass me the tomato sauce…

---

I've got my eye on you...

19 April 2006, 17:53

---

Amnesia Lane 8 Meme

16 April 2006, 14:49

Because it’s Easter Sunday and I’m bored, let’s reminisce (just because I can) with an Amnesia Lane 8:

First town you ever lived in: Toronto, New South Wales (south of Newcastle)

First album owned: The Greatest Hits Of Donna Summer (1977) including the disco classics “I Feel Love”, “Could it be Magic” and “I love to love you baby” except it was on tape, not vinyl. Sadly, Husband does not know who Donna Summer is…

First pub gig seen: Icehouse in 1986 at the Newcastle Workers Club (yes, I was underaged…)

First Celebrity Crush: Bill Mumy from “Lost in Space”

First Film you remember seeing: The Green Slime (horror classic!) on TV, and The Uncanny at the Greta Drive In.

First time you drank alcohol: I was 3 (apparently – I only have the recollections of my parents) and polished off the dregs of everyone’s drinks (sherry, wine, you name it) at my cousin’s Christening. My parents found me and my second cousin Shona (the grand old age of 4) rolling drunk under a table.

First paying job: Waitress in a Chinese Restaurant in Hervey Bay, Queensland

First Kiss: I was 5 ( a right hussy!) and just won the Best Teddy Bear Contest at my Kindergarten. To celebrate, I pashed my best buddy “Peter” at the back of class during afternoon story time.

8 People I’m tagging:

McG
Pinku
Gleek
Andrea
Gunnella
Andrew & Kathleen
Nicole
Bogue

---

Sleeping through the Night

10 April 2006, 08:39

Before you have kids, you have NO IDEA how exciting this is. The concept of your baby going to bed at reasonable hour and waking up for a feed late enough in the morning that you can get up and start the day is enough to make your knees tremble and brain shake. This is an infinitely good thing. But, let’s face it, a bit sad.

Our little munchkin achieved this milestone last night – at 11 weeks (so advanced, as if anyone needed reminding…). Last feed at 8.30, bed at 9.15 and woke up at 6 am. Many people will tell you that this is not sleeping through the night (meant to be 7-7 – pah!) FOLLY! DON’T LISTEN TO THEM. For us, getting a whole 7 hour sleep in one hit is unprecedented. My life has been reduced to getting excited (nay, exhilarated) at such a concept.

Of course, that’s not to say this habit will be repeated tomorrow night – hell no. Little Scout is a law unto herself. Very good natured, but somewhat contrary. We have had our fair share of grizzly days of late. Half an hour of unexplained crying/screaming can get even the most well-rested parent down with curses of “Dude, what the hell’s wrong with you???”

Her vocab has also expanded in the last couple of days. Now, she says “I am a thimble” and “Icky Thoomp”. Hands have become a favourite chew-toy. Outfavoured only by boob. Although it seems she gets so excited about her hands and fingers, she looks perplexed when she can’t actually get any milk out of them.

In Decorating News…

...my sleep-deprived brain made a major blunder in the rug-buying department on the weekend. I had visions of gorgeous pink and pale yellow or lime stripey rugs, but ended up buying a bright sunflower yellow rug with absolutely no pink in it.

It looked great and fun in the store but in the natural light of her room it actually blinds you. You can see a bright yellow glow in the hallway if you’re standing at the front door. So I’ve had to rethink colour scheme. Now it’s yellow, red with flashes of pink. Pastels are NOT going to work in that room anymore. Pah. V. disappointed. Must make the best of it a not so great situation now (what the hell was I thinking???) but it’s NOT easy to find stuff that fulfills a vision whilst not costing the earth…

Left half of room

Right side of room (no, blue box is not permanent feature!)

So I have some bright red chinese cushions, and will make pink, red and yellow felt flowers for the corner over her cot. Oh, and buy a tall bookcase in the same wood as existing furniture and rearrange the furniture some (don’t want the cot to be right next to the window for winter draughts etc. etc.. Any other ideas as to how I can tone down the yellow feature (annoyingly these photos don’t do justice to how bright the rug is)? I so wanted the room to be pretty and girly and I can’t help but think I royally fucked it up.

Bleugh.

---

First word!

1 April 2006, 11:14

Crap, here I was, fearing that Scout’s first word would be “OhShit”, well patrons, turns out I wasn’t far wrong…

She uttered her first intelligible phrase this morning. “Bugger me”. Twice. So it was no mistake. Even McG heard it. Where’s the “I love you mama” I have been training her for? I shouldn’t really complain. Most babies don’t utter their first word until at least 6 months old, and their first phrase post 12 months, and she’s not even 3 months.

It’s tough having such an advanced baby…

---