2006 - Labour of Love
31 December 2006, 22:24
Does that make me sound like a wanker?
2006 was one crazy year, inscripted by one magnanimous offering - Scout McG. I thought it might be worth (for me, that is) doing a month-by-month retrospective to contemplate how she’s grown (and how we’ve survived)!
January
- Scout McG born at 3.59 a.m. (pre-dawn!) on 22 Jan, the hottest day of this year.
- Two weeks later, Scout achieves maximum projection on a turbo-boosted rocket poo.
February
- First smile, not wind-related (we presume).
- Scouts uncanny likeness to Astroboy is noted.
March
- Scout’s first flight, on Virgin Blue to Adelaide.
- Scout perfects the raspberry.
April
- Scout’s first laugh (actually a “titter”).
- Scout rolls from front to back.
- Mother’s Group starts - my lifesaver.
May
- The Catnapping bug strikes - Scout physically unable to nap for longer than 45 mins through the day.
- Mum (ahem, me) diagnosed with mild PND, prescribed antidepressants but declines them in favour of a good night’s sleep. Still forthcoming.
- Move little Scout to her own room. Wondered why we hadn’t done it weeks ago.
- Scout loses voice from talking too much.
June
- Forget two-year wedding anniversary (mum and dad).
- Sits unsupported (mostly Scout, but Mum has been known to do so once the wine flows out of her system).
- Starts commando crawling.
July
- Transforms into perfect butterball (see above).
- First kiss. More like slobber than kiss.
- Starts “skydiving” - rocking back and forth on her tummy with her arms out like a plane’s wings.
- Has her first cold.
August
- Gets up on all-fours and rocks back and forth.
- Plays peek-a-boo.
September
- First “word” - “dadadadadada”. Woman providing breast, nourishment and 24 hour companionship, none too pleased.
- Rolls over from back to front.
- Waves goodbye for the first time - not to be repeated for another couple of months…
October
- Perfects the “Caterpillar”, a bizarre take on the crawling lark - not a shuffle like normal babies, but a full-body vertical wave. A couple of weeks later, crawls in the conventional way.
- First tooth! Second tooth! Third tooth! It’s a Tooth frenzy!!!
- First trip to the pool!
- Gets into sitting mode from all-fours.
- Second “word” - “mumumumumum”.
November
- Mumumumum has her first car accident, also Scout’s first accident as a passenger. Neither are hurt, Scout tucks into mum’s purse in response.
- First big road-trip to Mt. Gambier. Gates of Hell open.
- Scout pulls herself up to standing and “cruises”.
- Fourth tooth.
- Starts to clap hands.
December
- Trip to Bris Vegas & to Newcastle.
- First bout of gastro.
- Walks while holding onto one of our hands.
- First trip to the Beach.
- Scout goes the open tongue pash on friend Austin. Austin runs (tummy waddles) for cover.
- Mum enjoys very boring New Years Eve, writing 2006 retrospective, with grumpy husband with tonsilitis and snoozing bub.
Permanent Link | Comments [3]Scout's first Christmas...
30 December 2006, 07:57
Because this whole blog has ceased to be about me (me! ME!) and has become about our gorgeous progeny.
We spent Chrissie in Newcastle, and whilst Melbourne charged up the open fires and broke out the mittens, and nearby mountains enjoyed a white christmas (totally true), we quaffed champagne (and a rather agreeable cellar stash) with Matt’s Uncle John and his two cousins, “S” and “D”, in relatively balmy temps.
Scout checks out the Couch Scene
During my childhood, my family has always been of the “massive-roast-dinner-on-xmas-eve-open-pressies-on-xmas-day-
and-visit-extended family-on-xmas-night” ilk. That tradition has long ceased to exist, given our family’s exodus from Newcastle in ‘89 and my insistence on living in different cities/countries to my folks ever since. McG and I don’t really have a “tradition” yet, so we were happy to ride the Miller Family Christmas Carousel.
Which turned out to be all about Christmas Breakfast, which seemed a bit weird to me, until I discovered that the tradition came about after the girls tried to get out of going to church one year and made up for it by cooking a Christmas breakfast. That, I understood.
We opened pressies after breakfast in the Tree Room (yep, John’s house is so freakin’ massive that he had an entire room set out for the Tree, a massive towering monolith, cordoned off to protect babies and dogs).
Scout was thoroughly spoilt and I even managed to procure bling from me husband, in a rare(ish) display of romantic mettle. Pressie opening was followed by a christmas fanfare of champagne (lots of), sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. We never made it to the dessert wine, so stuffed and zonked were we. Oh. And a seafood and roast chicken lunch. We didn’t just drink, you know…
Scout had her first trip to the Beach on Christmas Eve. The water was freezing, the day overcast, but she loved it. We went again day after Boxing Day and she forged ahead until she was waist deep in the water, dragging McG along. She wasn’t scared at all. Even when a wave (fairly small, granted, we were only in the Newcastle Baths, not the open water) crashed over her. Our girl is a-gonna be a beach babe. Look out!
“Dad, those waves look fully sick”
And whilst we slip, slop and slapped Scout to within an inch of her life, we forgot about ourselves and got hideously sunburnt. I rarely sunburn, and if I do I usually fade within a day, but this one knocked me around a bit. I’d forgotten that Newcastle sun is a wee bit fiercer than Melbourne’s rays…
One of the best parts of the holiday, though, was that Uncle John took Scout under his wing in a major way. We were staying in the guest room, but had never had much success with having Scout sleep in the same room as us - she doesn’t sleep well and neither do we. The only other option was the sunroom in the opposite corner of the house which would have meant us getting a baby monitor (which we got anyway, don’t know why we hadn’t bought one sooner).
“Uncle John, are you, like, for real?”
Then John said “She can sleep in my room and I’ll get up to her in the middle of the night.” I’m sorry, John? You’ll do what? Are you certifiable??? He insisted, so we put the portacot in his room and out of the 5 nights we were there, she woke up and needed resettling once. (At least, that’s what John told us, we didn’t hear a thing and slept like absolute logs.) In fact, on Christmas Eve, around midnight, John was woken, not by her cries, but by her singing. Our little girl was carolling in her sleep. Bless.
I actually didn’t want to leave Newcastle! John and the girls totally doted on Scout the whole time. Even “D”, who professed to be scared of babies (worried she’d drop them etc.) and wouldn’t go near Scout at previous events, was cuddling our little alien by the end. Our Newcastle jaunt was marked by good food, great wine, excellent company and hanging out at the beach. Christmas in Australia doesn’t get any better than that, my friends. No sirree.
Permanent Link | Comments [2]Cherry Mistmas
21 December 2006, 07:49
For I’ve just started on my second Sauvignon Blanc and am enjoying Christmas spirit(s) wot…
Scout wishes everybody a WONDERFUL Christmas - can’t you just tell that she’s brimming with Christmas cheer?
All we need to do now is ply her with Xmas cake and beer and she’ll sleep like a little champignon.. ahem, champion.
Will be Scout’s first EVER Christmas in 6 days and she can’t WAIT!!! She’s already had two “sessions” with Santa - one at Northland (spent $22 bucks on a fairly average pic - considering she hates men with beards and shopping centres, she did well to keep herself together. So proud…) and one at My Bank. Yep, My Bank had a Santa in the foyer for all staff and their kids, complete with snack bar and Christmas Decoration making for the toddlers and kids. Very impressed. Again, Scout didn’t actually cry but she didn’t look exactly happy about the Big Boy in the Red Suit. Even if he gave her a plush Reindeer toy. The Girl aint easy to please. Buggered if I know where she got that from.
We’re off to Newcastle for Christmas - spending it with Matt’s Uncle and cousins. Man, I haven’t spent a Christmas in Newcastle since back in ‘Nam. Natsukashii and all that, wot. Wotever.
Permanent Link | Comments [4]Viva Bris Vegas!
17 December 2006, 19:43
Morgan & Scout fight it out for first dibs on Christmas Cheer
Just spent a week in Bris Vegas with my brethren for an early Christmas. ‘Twas a great visit, although Scout had a very average first night. See, my brother is going deaf. He swears to GOD he’s not, but he insists on turning the TV up as loud as it can possibly go. Something about surround-sound atmosphere or something. And the whole family (including my folks who drove down for a few days) insist on getting up at 5 a.m. That’s the crack of dawn, for those of you who don’t actually see 5 a.m. But the upshot of it was that Scout didn’t sleep much. So neither did we.
Sleep deprivation is still a curse, even now Scout is 11 months. Does it ever stop? Please. Make it stop.
It was the first time she’d met her two cousins Connor (5 y.o) and Morgan, who, at 7 months is 1.5 kgs heavier than she. I’ve never seen her take to anyone like she took to Connor - she LOVED him and followed him around the house. It was cute, although Connor got a bit jack of it after a bit, complaining to whoever would listen, “Can you come pick her up? Can you pick her UP????”
Scout prepares to chow down on her first ever Xmas pressie
Our final night was spent with my best bud Bron, her partner Dan and her little (cross-eyed) munchkin, Anouk, quaffing champagne whilst Scout slept like an absolute dream, with fairy christmas lights dancing outside her room. Very peaceful.
Scout’s Christmas wish is for a smooth Papa
Permanent Link | Comments [1]My child is not a Boy!
4 December 2006, 18:15
Had this conversation at the G.P’s today:
Old Man: Is he a boy?
Me: No, a girl.
Old Man: Ah yes, a wonderful boy!!!
Oooh K.
The reason we were at the G.P’s is that Scout has The Gastro. Her first ever gastro. And if you weren’t the one hosing down her walls after an early-morning explosion, you would have nary a clue. She’s still genki and chatty and flirtatious (can’t imagine where she gets that from). Except she turns into Reagan from The Exorcist after every meal. It’s not good.
Permanent Link | Comments [6]
