Life's a zoo

Whoops

2009-07-14T23:53:00.002+12:00

So, it's been a while, huh. That's Patrick, post-tantrum. We have to be careful what we say (and do) around him now, because he's pretty much monkey-see monkey-do right now, which is very cute.

Although I refuse to claim responsibility for him learning the f-word. I know I don't swear around him, so I blame television. Yeah. Television.
Not a lot new in the past two months (oops) really. Still working, still ... doing. I don't know how else to put it.

I haven't been doing any stitching, which is a shame, but it has to be put away from little hands, and it's just such an effort, going and getting it and getting all set up and ... argh. So mostly reading, and watching TV, and surfing. And going for 'walks' around the house with Patrick, who grabs one of my fingers, and off we go. Cute. Ridiculously cute.

That's all I have. Some cute. :)

Work. Life. Detritus.

2009-05-13T23:10:00.003+12:00

You can't tell from that picture, but he is SUCH a Daddy's boy. SO unfair, but I figure my turn will come.

Anyways .... I've just come back from two days in Wellington for a work course _ that I've done before. But you know, it's nice to get out of the office once in a while. I missed my boys though, and I was very glad to get home today, especially since I don't like to fly. If I think about it too much, the illogicality of the whole thing overtakes me. So I sit quietly in my seat, and do a fair imitation of someone who doesn't hate to fly.

The course was about as interesting as watching infomercials when you lack the will to change the channel, but I did get a sneaky pleasure out of listening to my iPod in my hotel room and reading. That was nice. I could have happily just done that for a couple of days.

I went to the movies on Monday night _ saw Star Trek. Which I liked, not loved, although they totally cheated with their workaround for Trek canon. I admire it, but it's totally cheating. I'm contemplating starting to go to the movies again on Monday nights after work. I finish at 7, and the movie theatre is pretty much around the corner from my office. So maybe Angels & Demons. Not sure.

What else. Seriously, apart from work and family, all I have been doing is obsessing over American Idol this season. It's sad, and a little unseemly (no, really, it is), and I'm even more sad that it's finishing next week. :( Normally we get the episodes a week and half late (totally lame, BTW) but they're cramming a couple together so we're getting the final only a couple of days late.

Otherwise, it's raining, and I'm watching X Files repeats. Nice :)

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T00:38:00.002+12:00

Had dinner with family today. Which was fine, but some days I regret making the life-decision at 15 to never drink alcohol. Some days I can see how it would make so many things (dinner with family for example), go by much quicker.

On the up side, Patrick had a fabulous day. He got chocolate, and ice cream, which meant, from his point of view, it was pretty much Christmas. But boy, was he tired by the time we got home!

Back to work tomorrow. For me, I mean. Not the toddler.

Fragmented posting, but it's getting late. All I want to do is crawl into bed and get some sleep.

I shall now suit actions to words.

Happy Easter.

Time ... hey .... time!!!!!!

2009-03-30T23:51:00.004+13:00

Come BACK here! And slow down! Look at my baby! Surely it's only been 10 minutes? Then how can he be climbing the furniture already?

Sigh.

You know, he learned to climb a lot faster than he learned to walk, for some reason. Is it a boy thing? Whatever it is, we can't keep him off the couch, or away from the bookshelves. He likes to pull the books out and drop them on the floor.

It's a strange thing, isn't it, bringing another person into the world, and then watching them grow up, and change and ... yes, yes, I can hear Sunrise/Sunset too. Bite me, invisible Internets people.

I've been toying with doing this: www.scriptfrenzy.org Despite the fact I haven't written anything since ... um ... okay, if you discount the creative writing course I did at the end of last year, which I do, because all we got told was don't do this, don't do that by our largely absent tutor, it's been at least six months since I put any kind of pen to any kind of paper.

Seriously, that course completely derailed me. Ugh. So I'm thinking about it in a similarly vague way that I think about www.nanowrimo.org come October. So I either have terrible, crippling writer's block or I'm terribly, horribly lazy. Because I could make time for it if I wanted to.

Yes, yes I could.

Sigh

2009-03-09T00:55:00.003+13:00

Back to work tomorrow. It's been nice, being at home, but I don't feel especially rested or rejuvenated. Just tired, really.

We're entering into the tantrum phase, which is fun for everyone, if your definiton of "fun" is having needles drilled into the base of your skull. It's hard to believe that face is capable of screams that sometimes only dogs can hear.

Sigh. Most of it, I think, is just nearly-two frustration. Our features editor says it's because they find out they're not telekinetic after all and can't just make things (TV remotes, for example) fall into their hands.

And of course, the rest of the time he's being ridiculously cute. One day last week he ran around the living room in circles saying "peeka peeka peeka". And it's nearly impossible not to laugh when he quite solemnly imitates one of us, or points at one of the cats and tells them off _ in toddler-speak, of course.

What else. I'm still stitching on La Ghirlandata, which I'm really enjoying at the moment.

Um. That's it. Sigh.

One long party

2009-03-01T23:30:00.004+13:00

Well, okay. That's not true. Mostly I sit around alternating between watching TV and watching Patrick. That really does sum up my day at the moment.

In my defense, sort of, I am on holiday. And the weather's been crap. So I hang out with the boy while Jeremy is off tinkering with obscure things _ computers usually. Then when hanging with the toddler gets a bit much, I get Jeremy to make me a cup of tea and he alternates between watching TV and watching Patrick for a while.

As you can see by the pic, Patrick is as steady as you like on his feet now although he'll still do a drop-and-crawl occasionally.

He likes to pick up books and "read" them; he does the same thing with the TV Guide. I'd love to get a photo of him doing it, but as soon as he hears the camera, he's right up in your face _ Patrick loves having his photo taken.

As I said, I'm on holiday, so haven't been doing a lot of anything. Reading. TV. Movies (Slumdog Millionaire and Zack and Miri Make a Porno, so far), hanging out with my boys and my cats. Stitching.

Um .... yep, that sums it up.

Stitching-wise I've been making fairly good progress on Circe, but I've decided to swap it out for a while, before I get tired of the blues and greens. So now I'm working on La Ghirlandata, by Jan Eaton, based on a painting by Dante Rossetti. I've switched blues and greens for rich reds and browns; very appropo, considering we're going into autumn.

That's it. Not a lot to be said, or done, when you're mooching at home, on holiday. :)

Write it down

2009-02-10T00:27:00.004+13:00

Our Features Editor is very intersted in Patrick's progress. He has a son, although his boy is ... eight? nine?

Anyway, I was telling him (the features editor that is) about the words Patrick is saying and what he's doing, and he said write it down, because otherwise I'd forget.

Good advice, I think.

Patrick can say mumumumumum - all run on like that; byedaddy, or da, or byeee, but for some reason never just daddy. If you ask him a question: "do you want your drink? do you want a bikkie?" he gets a big grin on his face and says "geh geh".

He's pretty much walking now, holding one hand up in the air, which reminds me of an orangutan.

He likes throwing things, that seems to be his main interest, when he's not trying to play with my mouse and keyboard. He eats pretty well, if messily at times (but don't we all?) and likes to throw his toast on the floor (sigh). He's figured out (nearly) how to bodysurf the coffee tables, which I'm not delighted about, and seems to have got over his fear of grass.

My bestie from high school, who lives in Australia (near Brisbane) was over last week for a wedding. A flying visit, she said, and I bumped into her in Starbucks, of all places. So we, along with another friend of ours, all went out for dinner on Sunday night and had sooo much fun. The food was good, the company even better. She's gone back to Aussie now, with no ETA on a return visit.

I'm still (apparently) working on Circe; not that you would know it. I also had a (small) spend up on Amazon recently _ something I haven't done for ... a couple of years? Twas fun :)
I bought the Twilight saga _ mostly because it's been too hard to get hold of copies here - either at the library, or the bookstore. So I got tired of waiting. I also bought A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce, which I haven't read yet, but am very much looking forward to. I know her. Well. We post on the same message board. Ipso facto - I know her :)

I got Hogging all the Covers by Band From TV, which is a lot of fun, and I splashed out on a couple of cross stitch books, which I don't usually do _ usually I stick with UK magazines and Jill Oxton's Cross Stitch and Beading for charts, but I couldn't pass up Joan Elliott's Bewitching Cross Stitch, or Ancient Egyptian Cross Stitch, by Barbara Hammet.

Fun and games all round!

Summer?

2009-01-18T11:41:00.003+13:00

It's summer here, apparently. Not that you'd know this weekend. Yesterday we had such a bad thunderstorm it knocked the TV satellite service for six _ which I was not happy about.

UKTV here is repeating Dr Who, which makes for very pleasant Saturday afternoon watching. Only, that was when the thunderstorm hit. And it had been the episode I hadn't seen _ the one where Queen Victoria institutes Torchwood. Came back just in time for the last few minutes. Le Sigh.

Patrick took a few steps on his own yesterday _ about three or four, but totally unsupported. Apart from that, he had a grumpy day with lots of grumbling. For no obvious reason, that I could see, anyway.

We watched The Dark Knight last night. I've already seen it but Jeremy hadn't. Twas just as good second time around :) I put in a little work on Circe, although I'd made a couple of mistakes, which can be frustrating _ unpicking when you want to be stitching. I'm determined to stick to working on it for three months _ if I can find some decent stitching time, I'll be able to make a pretty big dent in it, I think.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T23:07:00.004+13:00

How's that for appropro? Patrick's very first day (well, night - he was born by emergency cesaerian at 10.36pm but lets not quibble) out in the world. He wasn't born in January, but it's still rich with symbolism, and all that jazz.

I had an epiphany yesterday. I set the same goals/resolutions every year _ because I never follow through! It's always read more, lose weight, save money ... it's no coincidence that I'm still wearing fat-bastard clothes and periodically have to borrow money from my mother (a pensioner! what kind of a daughter am I? I mean, I paid her back, but that's not the point!). I think I may have read more, although I didn't really keep track until I started this blog on December 26 2007. Hey, I missed its birthday. I'm sorry, blog! I'll buy you something pretty. :)

The frustrating thing is that I DO want to lose weight, and save money. I'd love to not look like a wobbly pudding and not shuffle money around like a deck of cards. I'm just. I'm. I got nothing.

I think I'm good with the reading thing, but I'd like to start writing every day as well. Not blogging, although I'd like to be less sporadic here, too, but writing. Creating something that wasn't in the world before.

Oh, you want a list? Okaaaaaaaaaaaay ....

Lose weight. I need to lose a lot but let's start small. 5kg by the end of February do? Hey, gotta start somewhere, right?
Walk every weekday. To work, on my day shift days and then around the streets here every other day.

Put credit card away. Pay down other credit card. Pay off and cut up store card. That's not even the worst of it. But it's three things I know I CAN do.

Read every day. I'm aiming for two books a week and 100 for the year. After making 70 this year ... you never know, right? :)

Get my scrapbook updated. I have a scrapbook, where I keep my TV columns and movie reviews. Old-fashioned and Luddite-ish it may be, but I'm determined to update it. I think I'm up to 2007, so I have some work to do.

Finish a cross stitch project that isn't for someone else. And not start any new ones.

Hmm ... it doesn't sound like an ambitious list, but it doesn't need to be, I guess.

Have a good one everybody :)

Fast forward

2008-12-29T23:47:00.003+13:00

I'd just like to say, whoever hit the fast-forward button, could you take you finger off it for a minute? Thanks :)

What's been up lately? Not a lot. Mr Lazy-pants to your left still isn't walking on his own yet. Although ... I'm not complaining. Not really. He's standing pretty well and can take a few steps with customer support, so that's promising. Otherwise, he's doing pretty normal 19 month old stuff. He got a Mega-Blocks plastic truck from my mother for Christmas, which is full of chunky plastic blocks,and he's been having fun with those _ stacking them ... throwing them ... hiding them ... you know; regular stuff. :)

I'm working days this week, which I don't mind but I'm still not good at getting up as early as I should. But I get there, I do my eight hours, I go home. Could be worse.

I went to Twilight on Friday, which I enjoyed about as much as the book. I liked the book, didn't love it and felt the same way about the movie. Robert Pattinson (although mostly annoying and sulky as Edward) is very, very pretty. Oh, my yes.

It was stinker today, with the temperature reaching, at the very least, the high 20s. It's on days like this I understand why dogs go and pant in the shade. It was what I felt like doing. Either that, or crawling under my desk in my stuffy office and letting the sleep have me.

Mmmmmmmmm ... sleeeeeeeeeeeep ...

Beachy

2008-12-15T01:00:00.002+13:00

Heh

We took Patrick to the beach for the first time yesterday and as much as he hates grass, he loooooved the sand _ crawled along, inspecting shells, getting the sand everywhere .... good times :)

He's still not walking yet and we're like cheerleaders when we see him almostabouttosurely .... but I also know that when he does, we're going to look at each other and say "what the hell did we teach him that for?"

His vocab has stretched to include ''bye'' and ''go", which he said to me one day as I was getting ready for work. I popped my head around the door of the living room to say something to Jeremy and young Mister put his arm up in an imperious fashion ... "go" he said to the female slave ... *sigh*

Otherwise, things tick over as they always do.

I'm stiching, sort of, in fits and starts, on the EMS Kitchen Alphabet for now.

It's progressing ... slowly.

Another week

2008-11-10T12:41:00.004+13:00

Went for a walk this morning and I'm on lates tonight, so I'll be starting at 5. In a cruel twist, I'm doing a day shift tomorrow (bleh) but I won't be starting until 11.30 at the earliest.

In happier news, I finished Mum's Christmas present. Now I just need to take it to the framers and hope it'll be done before Christmas. This is it here (it's a little fuzzy):

It's a wee chart out of one of those little books you get free with Cross Stitch magazines sometimes. It shows a book and a cup of tea on a table with a vase of flowers. It's very Mum and I hope she likes it.

More later.
Probably.

Sunday or Monday?

2008-11-03T01:22:00.003+13:00

Given that it's nearly 1.30am, it could be either.

So another week begins. I only made it for three walks last week, partly because I had a late shift on Wednesday night, which knocked me back for the next two nights. I think (I hope) I've figured out a way to get a handle on them, because I have two this week.

Got some stitching done on Mum's present yesterday but none today. Hopefully this week I'll be able to see some real progress.

We didn't do much this weekend, pottered about. Jeremy wasn't feeling well so it was quiet overall. I rented Sex and the City and watched it last night. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. It probably would have been more fun if I'd been watching with a group of friends, but there was just me, and possibly a cat.

Patrick continues as normal. His new game now is phoning. He has a very old (and very dead) cellphone that used to be mine. He's taken to holding it to the side of his head and babbling away as though he's talking to someone. Then, of course, I have to talk to whoever it is, before giving it back to Patrick. As a workmate of mine would say, Cute!

Okay. Time for bed. Really.

Mid-week

2008-10-29T11:52:00.002+13:00

Tis Wednesday. And so far I've been for a walk three days this week. Given that in the past two weeks I only went three days overall, this is pretty good. :)
I watched The Diving Bell and the Butterfly on Monday night, and loved it. It's just a beautiful film, if sad in parts.
I also had a stupid moment. I was about to go to bed, and read for a little while when I realised I hadn't seen Piper for a while, which is unusual at night. Plus, it had started raining. So, at something ridiculous like 1.20am, I went outside to call her. So I went out in the rain and called her. Four times.
I saw the other cats, and a very fat hedgehog that I kept having to shoo the cats away from. (As I read somewhere, hedgehogs might not know a lot of things, but they know one big thing). I don't know what it's been eating in our garden but it was the fattest hedgehog I've ever seen.
Anyway. After going out four times in the rain, it occurred to me to check the spare bed. And sure enough, even though she never sleeps on the spare bed, sure enough there she was. Looking at me as if to say "why are you waking me up?"
Sigh.
I've been making progress on Mum's Christmas present; I just hope I can get it finished in time to get it framed before Christmas.
Stay tuned. :)

This is the week ahead

2008-10-27T01:12:00.003+13:00

It's my day off tomorrow (woo hoo) but I have Stuff to do. Nothing drastic and hopefully nothing that will take too long.
I have The Diving Bell and the Butterfly out on DVD to watch, during which I can't stitch because it's in French and subtitled. But I've been waiting to watch it for months so once Patrick goes down for a sleep ... it's just me and my DVD. :)
I've been doing okay with the walking _ going about three days a week. I'm hoping to up that to five this week. I'm planning on starting my week off the right way. Plus also, it'll be a bonus not to have to go in to work tomorrow night. I can relax, and breathe. Ah ...
Our house sold a few weeks ago and the handover between the landlords is supposed to happen this Friday but we haven't heard anything from the new overlords yet. I kind of need to know, so I can, like, you know, pay rent? Yeah.
Patrick is doing well. Eating on his own, finally. Which is really more about parental laziness than his development. And when I say "eating", I mean with his hands mostly. He has a spoon but it's really more of a token spoon. So, of course, he makes a mess. Hey, he's a little boy. It's what they do.
I'm working on a very small picture that I'm going to have put in a photo frame for my mother. It's ver cute, of a little table in front of a window, with a book and a vase of flowers. It's very Mum and if I get it put in a photo frame, she can just put it on the table, where she can see it.
So hopefully I'll work on that some tomorrow. :)

Wednesday night

2008-10-15T23:32:00.002+13:00

And all is quiet. Well, it should be _ it's after 11.30! I'm nearly off to bed. It was my day off today, which meant lots of Patrick time. Which is great, but oy! Tiring. :) He's full of energy and enthusiasm for oh .... everything.
We played a rousing game of "Where's Patrick" on Monday night, which went over a treat and today he kept flinging his arms above his head. I have no idea why but I suppose he was full of the joys of spring, or something. Maybe.
I've started walking in the mornings again. Just for 20 minutes at the moment and I'm going to build on that. My goal is to get to a secondhand bookstore that is well more than 20 minutes away from home, but I'm hoping that by starting relatively small, I won't be discouraged. :) And it's nice, you know, to get out. The streets are pretty quiet, so I pop along, listening to music and looking at people's gardens. It doesn't sound like much when you write it down, but the way I see it is, it's better than not going. Fresh air, time to myself ... can't argue with that. :)
Work is going along too. It's weird and quiet now, though, and kind of a little bit sad. We start training on a new system come Monday, so that should provid exercise for the old brain cells.
I'm still picking away at the hyacinth but I haven't got much done this week; the walking means I need to shift my patterns around a little bit, I think. I'm just not sure where to fit the stitching in now, except in tiny fits and starts. H'm. That requires some thinking.
The kind of thinking you do with your eyes closed in a dark room.
Nite!

Did I mention?

2008-10-05T22:13:00.003+13:00

Daylight saving started/ended last weekend. I hate daylight saving for the first week, with a deep and abiding hatred. Then I guess my body clock adjusts and I forget I was hating it.

I have another week of 11-7 shifts this week and I'm really, really enjoying it. But back to 4-12 the week after. Which I think Jeremy is looking forward to, because it means I'll be home during the day again for Patrick. Which will be nice.

Patrick's latest trick this weekend has been to discover a new way to throw tantrums. Instead of the classic arching the back pose, he's gone for a kicky new look: folding up on the floor head-down, then rolling on to his side _ making sure, I think, that we're watching him.

I picked up my stitching for the first time today in a week or so, and made a little bit of progress on my hyacinth. It's amazing how lots of little progress can really add up. :)

That's all for now, folks. :)

And the beat goes on and on

2008-09-28T23:46:00.002+13:00

So Friday was the finishing day for all of the casuals and the five fulltimers who lost their jobs in the new Grand Plan. It was my day off but I went in for the farewells anyway. There are a couple of people I'm genuinely going to miss and I wanted to say goodbye properly, in person.

Then, as befits any self-respecting news organisation, many people went to the pub next door for a few quiet ones. I did go, because the editor ran a tab for a bit and it takes a stronger woman than I to turn down a free Coke. I don't drink, and when I tell people that, they honestly look at me as if they expect me to grow an extra head.

I've had all weekend off too, which has been wonderful. Ran around like a loon on Friday paying bills and such, and so yesterday and today have been lovely and lazy. Took Patrick outside again, and he's still scared of grass, but will put his foot on it for a second if he's not thinking. So that's going well ... what else?

It was the final of the latest series of Dr Who here tonight, and I'm still upset about the way it ended. :(

That's all I have, folks. :)

Um.

2008-09-25T11:45:00.001+12:00

I'm trying to think of a post that's not full of complaining. And sadly, it's not easy right now. But I will do my best!
My mother came around this morning to see Patrick, and to scam us for a cup of coffee like she does every Thursday. My mother, the con artist. I'm sure she'd deny it but I believe Patrick is her favourite grandchild. It's good to see her, but I'm always tired afterwards, because my mother talks a lot, and she's also getting a little bit hard of hearing (not bad for 75, though) so I end up feeling as though I've just run a verbal race.
I won't talk about work, the source of most of my unhappy complaining this week. Well just to say it's been ugh. Next week should be better. I'm doing 2 weeks of 11-7 shifts, and it'll be nice to have Sundays off.
Actually, I have a three-day weekend this weekend because I have tomorrow (Friday) and Sunday off. Woot!
We're going to an awesome secondhand bookshop, the library and a bakery. A morning of happy (hopefully) family travels, then possibly (hopefully) an afternoon of some reading, while Patrick crashes from his Big Morning Out. Heh ... a cunning plan for sure.
Okay. That was easier than I thought. :)

Oh, no! Grass!

2008-09-14T23:31:00.002+12:00

Have I mentioned that Patrick is scared of grass? It was a beautiful spring day here today, so I took him outside after lunch for a bit, and watching him try to keep his hands _ and his feet (very tricky) _ off the grass was worth the price of admission.

I suppose I should be more sympathetic, but ... it's grass and he'll have to get used to it sooner or later. On the other hand, maybe I should make the most of it _ enjoy the fear before he starts digging away in it looking for disgusting things _ or eating it, even.

Apart from the grass issue, he's highly entertaining at the moment. I'm making the most of how much fun he is, because the 2s are just around the corner, well, May next year, but time is going so fast at the moment it'll be here before I know it!

Hard to imagine. :)

I'm managing to get some stitching done most days when Patrick's in his cot, having a mid-morning break. It's the only time I can do it _ after work is too late, and doing it while Patrick is up and about, is just asking for trouble. If it's mine, then it's his. Doesn't matter what it is. If I have it, he has to have it, or we have meltdown.

What else. Work is still ... work for now. The people who are going will be leaving in a couple of weeks, then we're upgrading to a new system.

Family good. Life good. Work ... okay.

Life goes on

2008-09-07T23:09:00.003+12:00

You know, Patrick is pulling himself up on furniture and standing now. He's started cruising the furniture a little bit too, and I have no idea when he started.
I remember going into get him one morning and he stood up in his cot for the first time, but I don't remember the day, or the date. I was excited and shared with all and sundry (do you know how many times you can hear the phrase 'it's all over now' before you get sick of it? not that many) and now it's a daily thing. He hauls himself up, steadies his feet, and he's ... away. Well. Nearly.
I knew that Patrick's babyhood would go fast. But THIS fast??? I keep thinking about the tiny little baby we brought home last May, and looking at this ... toddler!!! grinning at me as he steadies himself on the coffee table, or the couch, or me, for that matter.
He's unbelievably and adorably cute (yes, I'm biased, what mother isn't) and this stage is a lot of fun, as his world gets bigger and bigger.
But, oh, for those baby-days!!!
He can also say "Daddy", "Buh!" and "Up" - after a fashion. Slowly but surely the babble is resolving itself into words. I can't wait to see where his journey takes him, but oh, how I miss my baby!

And the beat goes on ...

2008-08-11T09:47:00.002+12:00

... It's funny to think that life-changing events are just around the corner. Announcements about work are supposed to be made this week, and yet we just .... go on. We put the paper out the same; we cover the Olympics, we work ... but it's like working under a raincloud that just follows you everywhere.
Ugh.
I just wish we knew already, so that we could get on with things. Living under this ... pause button is really stressful.

Miss me?

2008-08-04T15:17:00.003+12:00

The funny thing is, I have been blogging, just not here. But things tick over.
Patrick is 14 months old now. Not walking yet, but it won't be long. He has 10 teeth and his main hobby is Mischief.
I'm not really stitching much, because anything that's in my hands is fair game for little hands. So the only time I can stitch is when Patrick's in bed, or very late at night. Not ideal. I'm not working on the Tuscan piece now _ all those goldy/brown shades started getting on my nerves. I've been very bad and just started a very colourful Hibiscus seed packet picture. Pretty!!!!
Change _ for good or bad _ is still coming at work, but we won't really know anything concrete for a while yet I don't think.
The cats are fine. I'm fine. We're all fine. )

It's been a while ...

2008-05-01T23:26:00.003+12:00

... although I've been updating my book blog regularly. Just goes to show ... something ...
Winter has finally arrived, after taking an extended break. It obviously feels like it has something to make up for and it is COLD!!!! And wet.
Chloe is sitting on my computer desk, watching the doorway into the kitchen. I'm not sure what she thinks she's going to do ...
I've mostly been reading; working; doing a little stitching _ after about five years I finally finished the first page of Jill Oxton's Circe, and I've added a letter to Patrick's dinosaur alphabet. I feel almost virtuous! So now I'm working on a simple Tuscan picture from Quick & Easy Cross Stitch. It's basically rows of colours, so it can get a little tedious, but it's mostly restful.
Patrick's had a bit of a cold this week, that seemed to develop into croup for a couple of nights, but he's over it now.
I took him outside on ... Monday? Tuesday? Whichever of them was the last fine day here.
He hasn't had a heck of a lot of exposure to our backyard, so thought it would be nice for him to explore.
Well. He's scared of grass.
I had a rug on the ground for him to lie on, but as soon as it remotely looked like his fingers would touch the grass, he was up on his elbows, and crying. We stayed outside for a little bit, and I was going to take him outside for a little bit for the rest of this week to hopefully get him used to it, but of course, the weather packed in.
It was really funny watching him, though, trying to crawl around on his elbows. Must. Not. Touch. Grass!
I'll take him out again on the next fine day. I'm sure a year from now he'll be digging up hideous things from the garden, and won't even care.
Work's going fine; although there are Changes Afoot. I'll have to wait and see what comes of them.
Let's see. What else. Oh. That's it for now. :)

Situation normal ...

2008-04-19T22:59:00.003+12:00

... and all that jazz. I was going to blog about how I haven't been stitching much lately because I lost my coffee table to the baby cause: it's being used as a temporary heater guard, so I had nowhere to set my pattern up. However, we have two coffee tables, so I'm back in the game, as it were.
I'm not getting a lot done really, but more than I was. I even finally finished the first page of my Jill Oxton Circe pattern _ five years after I started it *ahem*.
Patrick is good; he's still commando crawling, although every so often he gets up on his hands and knees and rocks for a bit. It's very cute to watch. While I'm encouraging him out loud when he does it; I'm also looking around for possible hazards once he is up and crawling properly.
A mother's work is never done. :)
I'm sure I have lots of wonderfully insightful things to say. But I've already been on the computer too long.
Maybe next time.

Baby babble

2008-04-13T23:28:00.004+12:00

I've asked Jeremy to take some footage of Patrick when he's in full baby-babble mode, but I have a feeling I'll have to ask another 78 times before he does it.

So some notes ...
I love:
The way Patrick grabs a toy out of his box, rolls on to his back, "strums" it with his fingers and says "ah ah ah" ... or words to that effect to it.

The way he calls everything "ba ba ba ba" at the moment.

The way he kicks his legs when he knows he's got something he's not allowed and you're trying to get it off him.

The way he "announces" himself by babbling in a very pleased manner when he's doing something forbidden - like playing with the computer case, or heading for the kitchen.

The way he blows raspberries; the way he listens to the music on ads, and the way he gets so excited when one of the cats veers inside his reach zone.

The way he babbles away to himself in his car seat; his "sleep-groan-stretches" about midnight (I hear them on the monitor); the way he laughs with complete abandon.

The way he'll _ if you're holding him, and you've done something he wants you to do again _ he'll lean right into you with the biggest smile.

There are others. But it's getting late. :)

Friday Fill-in

2008-04-11T23:54:00.003+12:00

This is a first for me:
Friday Fill-In #67
1. I love springtime in September!
2. Bacon and Eggs are foods I love to eat for breakfast.
3. It seems I'm always searching for my sanity
4. Reading is a great way to end the day.
5. I think I am hungry!
6. Sleep is what I've been craving lately.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to bed, tomorrow my plans include visiting Mum and Sunday, I want to lie on the couch and watch Star Trek!

Sadness ... and some pictures

2008-04-10T22:59:00.002+12:00

The sadness first. The convent beside my old primary school is being re-developed into a hotel. There aren't any nuns there any more, and it's owned by ... Some Gusy ... so I get that change is inevitable, but what really upsets me, is that they're going to convert the chapel as well.

I LOVED that chapel! We had services there sometimes, when I was in school. It was round, and small, and the floor was heated. That's one of my clearest memories: sitting on the floor as a littlie and enjoying the feeling of the warmth. Just remembering it makes me feel warm.

But, it too is going to be carved up apparently, along with the rest of the convent. I can't help feeling that, soon, I'll turn around in my very own hometown, and not recognise anything. *Sigh*

Pictures:
Patrick, not really wanting to get up for his dinner:

The Sock Monster

2008-04-06T12:23:00.002+12:00

What is it with socks? Baby socks, in particular. I blinked, or turned around, and Patrick grew, necessitating the purchase of new clothes and, of course, new socks. I bought six pairs, thinking that would be enough.

Now four and a half of those pairs seem to be missing. How? Why? I'm starting to think that there really is a monster in the closet _ a giant sock, consuming all the baby socks in the house; at night when we're all asleep. It's the only possible explanation. Unless Patrick is getting out of his cot at night, somehow opening his door, and cruising the house for socks ... but why? Is he storing them for something? Saving them for winter? EATING them?

I am honestly at a loss. Maybe our house has some kind of black hole, that's specifically tuned to socks. It sneaks about when we're not looking and hoovers them up; like someone eating something they're not supposed to.

It could be in the house even now ... I wonder if I should leave out some sock-bait. Just to see if I"m right ...

Thinking ... thinking ....

2008-03-27T00:06:00.002+13:00

It's VERY early on Thursday morning and I'm trying to think what my week has been like. I had Monday off, and went to see Love in the Time of Cholera, which was just ... eh. BUT I am re-reading the book, so it had one positive outcome.

Tuesday and Wednesday were very ordinary days. I worked, I mooched, I read, I baby-wrangled. They sort of .... melted into each other. Okay. That can't be good, can it? Not being able to separate days? No, no it can't.

Must. Try. Harder.

Untitled

2008-03-23T11:19:00.002+13:00

And the warm weather continues.
We're supposed to be heading into autumn, but nature obviously hasn't got that memo yet, given the blue skies and warm sunny days we've been having. Ah .... global warming. Or something.

However, like a good little ant (apart from the money stuff that I"m very bad at) I've been compulsively preparing for winter. Mostly by buying Patrick new clothes. He's growing like a weed that's been given a special growth hormone and most of his stuff just doesn't fit any more.
Sigh. Where'd my wee baby go?

He's a lot of fun at the moment, though, with the cheekiest grin, and soooooooooo active! He's just everywhere! And very chatty, although it's mostly still baby babble. He's still commando crawling, getting about on his arms and tummy, but once in a while, he sticks his bum in the air and waves it about for a second before collapsing back on to the floor. Oh, so cute!

I've been having a bit of a stitching break, since finishing the star signs, but that won't last long. I'll get bored. So I've got Patrick's dinosaur alphabet out to work on.

We ventured out yesterday, amongst all the other drivers going "oh no! the shops were closed yesterday and they'll be closed tomorrow! Must. Spend!!!!" Ah, Easter.

We were far more civilised than that. We went to the library, an out-of-the-way baby store, and to see my mother. SO much less stressful. No, really. And I'm working today anyway, so quiet is good.

More later.

How galling!

2008-03-18T11:03:00.003+13:00

I had a gallstone attack yesterday. Bad enough to keep me home from work. I won't go into the gory details, but ... ugh. Ugh.

I finished the other star sign picture on ... Friday? I think. Then promptly forgot to give them to my mother when we went to see her on Sunday, even though I had remembered to put them in my bag. Oops. Anyway. Ta da ... sorry, the bull's a bit fuzzy. But you get the idea:

Back to normal :)

2008-03-10T08:48:00.003+13:00

Jeremy went back to work this week, so we're back on our normal schedule, and I"m doing this very quickly before giving Patrick his breakfast.
He's started pusing up on his hands, so he's really getting the idea. Mind you, he can get a LONG way by just commando crawling, as well. So we're on our toes all the time. :)
I'm getting the second star sign _ the Taurus for my niece _ done very quickly, so hopefully it won't be long before I'm able to get back to doing my own stuff; that'd be nice!
That's all for now; here is my favourite photo of Patrick and me, taken a few days ago:

Ta da! A finish.

2008-03-03T20:07:00.002+13:00

First finish for 2008. :)

This is Leo the Lion, from The World of Cross Stitching Issue 93.

It was sort of commissioned by my mother for my nephew who is turning 13 this year. I stitch, she frames and gives it to him for his birthday. :)
I still have a Taurus one to finish for my niece who is also turning 13 this year.

Oscars Monday

2008-02-25T23:26:00.002+13:00

Yes, I know. But it's on Monday here in New Zealand. Traditionally, a friend of mine and I get together to eat junk food and pick at the outfits. But she has a heavy cold and didn't want to pass it on to Patrick, so I was on my own, with the odd phone call.

Sigh. It was boring. Boring, boring, boring. And not just because I was on my own. The ceremony was dull. I mean, I know that the writers strike only just ended and all, but for the 80th Oscars it was really lacking. Surely Hollywood is obsessed with things like that? Anyway, it felt like a long day. Plus I'm on holiday until March 4 and I'm getting cabin fever already.

It doesn't help that poor wee Patrick has a tooth coming through, which is making him shirty. He wants to be picked up you understand, he just doesn't want to be *held*. He's very restless and every day, we expect the rolling to morph into crawling. I don't think it's too far away.

The good thing today is that I've been able to really get stuck into the star sign Leo I've been doing for my mother to give to my nephew. It actually looks like a lion!

Scouty has a gammy eye again, and she's the one we really can't take to the vet unless it's an emergency. She's soooooooo nervous! I keep looking at it and thinking "I must wash that with some saline solution .... I must wash that with some saline solution ..." then the next thing I know she's gone into hiding somewhere.

What else. Eh. I got nothing. :)

Another day

2008-02-18T08:29:00.002+13:00

I'm writing this with one eye on Patrick as he rolls around the room. He's getting very good at gravitating towards stuff he's not allowed and boy, is he quick! He's turning this rolling thing into a real art form.
I have three more nights of work, then I'm off for about 10 days. I'm soooooooooooooooooo looking forward to it! I'm just going to play Mummy, and read; stitch and watch TV. That's it. No other plans. Maybe the odd movie. It'll just be so nice not to have to go to work for a few days.
I'm making very slow progress on the first star sign for my nephew, whose birthday is in July. I'm glad I started them early, to give myself a decent shot to get them finished!
After they're done, I'm going to do another letter on Patrick's dinosaur alphabet; maybe a little work on Jill Oxton's Circe and then back to the kitten project I started last month.
Enough to be going on with!

The Great Procrastinator

2008-02-13T08:36:00.000+13:00

Well, I've done nothing at all so far about any kind of daycare; or finding classes that Patrick and I could both go to. I know there are Mainly Music lessons, and the library has activities _ whether for littlies like Patrick or older children I'm not sure. Oh yes, I'm the Great Procrastinator.
He's still rolling everywhere, and not really showing a lot of interest in crawling, or sitting, or standing. He will stick his bum in the air sometimes when he's doing his daily roll-around but that's as far as we've got. And when he's sitting _ in his highchair, or the corner of the couch _ he arches his back and slumps down. So "sitting" is not on his list of hobbies. I figure there's not a lot I can do if he's not ready. So I'm trying to be patient.
Situation normal the past week. Work is frustrating at the moment and it's something I can't do much about. The home front is fine, although Jeremy and I seem to be bickering a lot lately. But I think that's because the work situation is leaking out the sides and affecting everything else. I've decided I need to take a deep breath, a step back, and think before I open my trap!
I had yesterday off, and I was going to go to the movies, but I felt like I was talking myself into it, so I stayed home and just mooched. Watched TV, took care of Patrick, read; I even got some stitching done! I'm working on the birthday presents for my niece and nephew that my mother has commissioned. They're small designs of their star signs. I still need some threads, and I'm working around that at the moment which is a little annoying.
Pretty good day overall. :)

No title

2008-02-07T10:10:00.000+13:00

Heh.
I've been musing the past few days about this whole motherhood/working/wife/me thing. And I'd come to the conclusion that I'm actually pretty lucky - I have a fully hands-on husband; we don't have to worry about daycare because we work such different hours - and I have time to myself every day, which I consider crucial.
So I'm sitting there last night, musing on all these good things. The boys were both in bed, I'd turned the TV off and was preparing to settle in for some reading. So what happened?
Yes. I fell asleep on the couch. *Sigh*
The daycare thing reminds me ... Patrick's nearly nine months old and I'm starting to get a little concerned that he's not around other littlies. Maybe it doesn't matter so much, I don't know. But I think I need to look into some alternatives. Whether it be daycare a couple of days a week, or some kind of class; I know there are music classes and possibly something at the library.
Gosh, I'm bad at this! I need a mummy-network!

All things the same

2008-02-05T08:28:00.001+13:00

I wonder how many posts I can make that say "same old same old" before I get sick of it?
But nothing has really changed. We're all ticking over pretty well, apart from the money things, which is really our only major worry.
Patrick is still rolling everywhere, but he's started sticking his bum in the air when he's on his front sometimes, and you should hear us when he does it! We sound like cheerleaders!
Um. Um. Um. Oh good grief! I have nothing.

It must be time for some photos

2008-01-28T00:07:00.000+13:00

I was trying to get a pic of all three of Patrick's teeth _ he has a top one as well and it looks very funny, but I couldn't get the angle right. Still ... who can resist that smile??

/span><

Patrick with my mother :)

Ah ....... the life!

When you get to be Marx's age, a little comfort is always welcome (he's 11).

Our mad cat, Scout. Her being on the couch like that is a momentous, almost unheard of occasion. So I took a photo.

I have the stupids

2008-01-24T08:22:00.000+13:00

I just hope they're not catching. Yesterday was all right. But on Tuesday, I managed to burn myself twice and pull the oven door off. Those things are *heavy!* Then, at work, I kept trying to give my pages to check to the wrong person. It's a good thing I don't work operating heavy machinery. I'd be dangerous.
Day off yesterday, and I escaped for a bit, and had lunch and went to a movie with a friend.
Side note: could there BE any more ands in that sentence?
Anyway. We saw Death at a Funeral, which is very very very very funny. Laugh out loud funny.
The rest of the day I mooched and babywrangled; watched some Stargate Season Five, read and ... drumroll please ... stitched!!! I actually got some of my January start done! It's a rare occurence lately.
Patrick is still rolling everywhere; he's not really showing any signs of crawling yet, but I'm not worried. He's happy the way he is, and so am I. :)
That's it :)

Meme

2008-01-21T08:18:00.000+13:00

Stole this shamelessly from Suz's blog. Be patient with me; I"m not very good with the posting of pictures on here!

Answer the questions and type your answer into Google images search. Post a photo from the FIRST results page. (this can be tough!!)

Age you will be on your next birthday?

Place you would like to visit?

One of your favourite places

Your favourite object?

Your favourite food?

Your favourite animal?

Your favourite colour?

Name of a past pet?

Where you live?

Primer 1 teacher's last name?
My first teacher was a nun. I don't know what her last name was! So this is representative; she was a Dominican nun :)

Middle Name?

A bad habit of yours?

Favourite flower

Favourite holiday?

And I say again: sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppp

2008-01-14T08:23:00.000+13:00

It was soooooooo hot here last night! I went to bed about 2am as usual. Woke up at 3.45am ... then didn't get back to sleep until 6. Then Patrick woke up about 7, crying for no apparent reason. I'm tired and hungry this morning! I"m going to change and feed Patrick in a bit, then feed myself, then crawl back into bed for as long as I can get away with.
It's been a fairly typical week in the household. My mother came around on Friday to see Patrick, who is doing really well. He's started making "M" and "B" sounds a lot more, which is very cute. He's also rolling everywhere, when he's not in his baby prison, which he's not particularly fond of.
We finally saw the third Pirates movie on Saturday night _ it came out about the same time I had Patrick, so we missed it at the movies. Pretty funny, and it wouldn't surprise me if there was a fourth movie.
I'm writing, on and off, in fits and starts. Stitching, much the same!
More (maybe) next time.

Sleep, perchance ...

2008-01-10T10:15:00.000+13:00

... ah, sleep! Patrick was waking up really early, and then crying and fussing until I hauled butt to go get him. Then Jeremy hung an old bedspread behind his curtains to block some of the morning sun (Patrick's room faces east) and we have very different mornings around here! Patrick sleeps a bit longer, and even when he does wake up, he doesn't cry anymore. He just sort of hangs out in his cot until I get up. It's made such a big difference, I can't believe it.

I've been picking away at my January 08 project, although I haven't really had a lot of time lately. I'm reluctant to stitch after work because the bit I'm working on has a lot of colour changes, and that takes a bit of concentration. My plan is to work on this for all of January, spend February working on (small) gifts; then in March do another letter of Patrick's dinosaur alphabet before returning to Circe and the January 08 start. It's a plan. I haven't got any further than March yet.

I went to the movies on Tuesday (day off) and saw I Am Legend. I thought it was pretty good; not fantastically great, but pretty good. Will Smith was as likable as always, but oh my gosh, that gorgeous dog nearly stole the whole movie from him! I really want to see American Gangster next, but I promised myself (and Jeremy) that I'd only go to the movies every second week, and not every week. Or I'll go for a bit of shameless begging. We'll see.

We bought a portacot this week, to use as a playpen. Patrick's not crawling yet, but he rolls everywhere. And sooner or later, he fetches up against things. Like the coffee table, or the TV cabinet. So we've not so much baby-proofed the living room, as we've living room-proofed the baby. And he quite likes it.

That's all I have for now.

I hate it when that happens!

2008-01-04T08:20:00.000+13:00

I rang my money this morning (pay day) and there's considerably less than I was expecting, which means something hasn't gone through, and it's too early to ring work to find out.
*Sigh*
It means there'll be more next time but between now and then I'll have banks and suchlike to contend with. So, hopefully, if I stick to my policy of being polite to them, we'll be okay for another fortnight (grrrr).
Not a lot else happening. It's cold here at the moment, though! It's starting out to be a very funny summer; we had really hot days earlier this week, now I've got the heater on!
Patrick is still cutting an eye tooth (ouch!) which isn't really much fun for any of us, but he seems to have had only one bad day on Monday with it.
Work's been okay, kind of busy with people off on holiday, but it seems to be settling back down now.
I have about 10 days off next month, and boy, am I looking forward to them!
I've started writing again _ Jeremy fixed up an old laptop for me, so I'm portable (yay!) and it seems to be working (fingers crossed).
That's really all I have for now.
Photos next time.
Maybe.

2008 Goals

2008-01-02T12:40:00.000+13:00

They're mostly knocking around my head, so I'm going to put them here, so that other things can take up residence.
1. Lose weight. I have a lot to lose. Heck, Patrick's seven and a half months old and I'm still wearing maternity clothes! Not a good look. At the moment I'm not going to do a diet plan or anything like that. In fact I'm going to start pretty small _ walking to work as many days as possible (which is a good 30-40 minute walk) and cutting down on the sweet stuff.
2. Pay off stupidly gigantic power bill. Don't ask.
3. Spend less
4. Write every day
5. Buy tea less often
6. Catch up with review books
7. Keep up with Classic books project
8. Finish more than two cross stitch projects
9. Stop striving to seek balance. I know that sounds odd, but honestly that stresses me out more than anything. So I'm going to try and do what I need/want to do at the time and listen to my body when it says I need rest.
10. Spend less time on the internet.
That'll do, I think!

New Year's Eve!

2007-12-31T08:22:00.001+13:00

Can't be! Where has this year gone?
I've never known a year to go so fast. It's been a big one for us; what with having Patrick and all. He's growing sooooo fast! He's seven and a half months old, has two teeth, and can roll _ on to his front. Can't roll back yet, but I'm sure he will one of these days.
Apart from that, I'm not sure I could tell you much of anything else that happened this year.
Oh! Leo went missing in March and never came back :(
It's awful not to have closure because I keep expecting to see him, or hear his grinchy wee meow when he wants attention.
It's my day off today, but we don't really have any plans. I'm probably going to watch some Stargate (I rented some DVDs on Saturday) or watch a movie or two in between Patrick-wrangling. We may throw cautioin to the wind and go to the library, but that's up in the air at the moment.
Not much else going on around these parts. Nothing wrong with a quiet life!

So that's Christmas for another year

2007-12-27T08:19:00.000+13:00

Done and dusted. I worked Christmas night, so we didn't really do anything special here, apart from open the presents in the morning. My mother and sister went out to my other sister's place for Christmas dinner, so it was just the three of us.

Patrick did the best, getting toys, including a very cool red VW Bug car cushion. We got him books and a couple of toys. I got Jeremy a book he wanted and a Bon Jovi concert DVD. We can't afford to go see them when they play in Christchurch here at the end of January, so this is the next best thing. He got me Good Omens, which I asked for, and a DVD. I said "get me this book and then a wee surprise." One of the bookstores had DVDs for under $15 _ some good ones, too. Unfortunately he went shopping on Christmas Eve and they were basically out. So I ended up with Date Movie. Which I've seen, and I thought it was okay, but ... I was takne aback. So much so that I couldn't hide it and he was gutted to see me disappointed. However, it was a minor glitch really.

Well, The Boss is expressing an interest in breakfast (ie: crying) so I should go.

Christmas Eve ...

2007-12-24T09:41:00.000+13:00

... and it's raining. It was sooooooooo hot yesterday; today, not so much. Go figure.
I'm finally going to put the tree up today. I've either been too tired/busy/grumpy to do it before. But at least it'll be up before Christmas! I have today off, working tomorrow, then I have Wednesday off. So we're having our Christmas dinner on Boxing Day because we'll both be home.
Patrick is doing well, apart from a habit of waking up at 5.30am lately. 5.30am!!!! That's just ... uncivilised! It's the teeth and the heat, I guess. But sometimes it's hard to be patient, you know?
Jeremy's not home from work yet, but I think he's out braving the crowds to get the rest of my Christmas present. I know what part of it is, but I want a surprise as well. I'm a very recent convert to Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite authors. I happened to see Good Omens in hardback in one of the bookstores, pointed it out, and that's my main present. Heh ... I predict much reading tomorrow. Well. Before I have to go to work, anyway.
We set a limit of about $50 on each other and his is all wrapped up and ready to go, as is Patrick's. At least his was easy _ some books and a couple of toys. I have a feeling he'll be more interested in the wrapping paper!
Not sure if I"ll get much stitching done today, after having such an early start, but I'm working on Circe by Jill Oxton. Well. Right now I am anyway!
Merry Christmas!

Somebody Stop Me!!!!!!!!

2007-12-18T17:21:00.001+13:00

I had a rare domestic-goddess moment today. I cooked and moulied food for Patrick; folded washing, hung out washing, took care of baby and did dishes. Well. Baby bottles. :p
It's my day off and for some reason, energy reserves leapt up out of nowhere to attack. I"m hoping they're done now, because I'm kind of over the whole thing. I much prefer my lazy self who just works and takes care of baby.

I do have a couple more things I want to do, but they're for me rather than family or anything else. I need to sort through some books, and some projects. I finished a small one for Jeremy last night, so one more down ... heh.

Patrick seems to be coping pretty well with the whole teething thing; he's a mite grumpier than usual and seems surgically attached to his left thumb, but other than that, he's himself.

I like to start a new project at the start of the New Year, and I do have that sorted out already. So along with reading Rebecca, I'll be working on a companion piece to an orchid I stitched a couple of years ago. It's not a large project, which is good, because my mother is also expecting star sign charts for a niece and nephew who are both turning 13 next year. Apart from that, just WIPs, I think, unless something really catches my eye. It'll have to be fairly spectacular, though.

A little rambly, because I'm tired!!!!!

Tune in next time ...

Too darn hot!

2007-12-15T12:50:00.000+13:00

We had a couple of days of rain, and the weather co-operatively cooled down. Until today. Going outside is like being smothered lovingly in a warm, wet blanket. It's Saturday, so we're going to wrangle Patrick, then go visit Mother. Exciting stuff, yup yup yup.
I told Mum we might come visit today, and her face lit up. Patrick is just pure joy to her, which is just lovely to see. He's her eighth grandchild too, but the excitement hasn't diminshed. And he really responds to that level of joy; its so nice to see.
What else. I thought of something, but it's gone looking for more interesting pastures than my brain. Oh! Right! Neighbours.
Now, there's nothing I can do if the neighbours choose to thudthudthud music at 11.30am on a Saturday. But at 7.15am? That's rude! I'd had a whole four hours sleep (woo hoo!) So I'd gone back to bed to try and catch up, but nothing doing. And I swear they know; because as soon as I was up and dressed, it stopped!
I'm sure blog topics have wandered into my brain to do some sightseeing this week. Unfortunately, it was usually when I was at work, and they wandered off again to look for better, prettier sites.
Fickle!

Stitching photos

2007-12-11T18:25:00.000+13:00

The two things I've finished this year:

Some photos

2007-12-11T18:04:00.000+13:00

No words. Too hot for words.

Rollin rollin rollin ....

2007-12-08T19:22:00.000+13:00

Patrick:

Patrick can now roll on to his front. Unfortunately, he can't roll back the other way So it's all fun and games for about a minute, sometimes two, then the parent-in-residence has to go and roll him back. Which is fun. The first hundred times. The second ... eh. He also appears to be cutting his first tooth, the poor wee boy. He seems to be coping with it all right at the moment; just a bit more grizzly than usual. But aw ............ his first tooth!

Stitching:

I was working on a butterfly for my sister for Christmas, stitched with DMC Light Effects. That stuff, however, is the Devil's Candy. So I abandoned it. I'm going to start it over with normal DMC and give it to her for her birthday. I have some little bitty projects dotted among the large projects and I want to clear those up. Partly because I still want to do my traditional new-start for the year (not sure what yet) and partly because my mother wants me to stitch a couple of birth sign charts for a niece and nephew who are both turning 13 next year. So I'm going to go through all of my projects (yet again!) and sort out what I really want to do, and what I really feel I need to do. I'm working on a very cute cat design for Jeremy for his birthday at the moment; we'll see how that goes.

Reading:

I'm picking away at Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough, the last in her Masters of Rome series. It's very good, but very detailed, so I've started The Mesmerist by Barbara Ewing as light relief; and have some Star Trek: Voyager novels as well, for when my brain is *really* tired. I seem to be getting past the chick-lit as escapism stage, and moving on to things like Voyager and CSI novels. Hrm ...

I'm also planning to start another blog next year; for reading. Well, specific reading. I have a list of 12 classic novels _ in a variety of genres _ and my plan/hope/goal is to read one a month. I haven't set the blog up yet, but I'm thinking of calling it book zoo, to tie in with this place. I'm starting the year with Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. It's an idea I've been kicking around for a while, and now I've finally decided to do it.

Life/weight/writing:

The what now?

That's all I have.

Maintenance

2007-12-06T10:23:00.000+13:00

Just a quick one, because I'm going back to bed soon for a sleep. Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!!!
Things are ticking over here. Baby well, hubby well, cats well, work good. Me? Tired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay ....

2007-11-29T22:53:00.000+13:00

... I don't know how that happened. I haven't been able to get in here for months!!!!!! I even defected to livejournal, but never really felt at home.
I'm back!!!!!! Yay!

Two weeks! And some pictures :)

2007-07-03T18:30:00.000+12:00

It's two weeks today until I go back to work. I'm not ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I"m not ready to leave my baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But you know, we have to like, eat, and pay rent, and I'm the bill/rent/payer and family food provider. So hi ho ................. Patrick will be home with Jeremy for nine weeks, as he takes over the paid parental leave, and after that we'll work around our working hours (ouch ... bad English! bad! bad!). The good thing is that Jeremy finishes work about 9am and I start at 4pm, so we're good there, I guess. Poor wee Patrick had his first lot of vaccinations today; that was .... horrible. :( He's asleep now beside me and seems to have recovered okay _ as for myself, I'm not so sure! We had to take Merlin to the vet on Sunday night _ he'd gone completely off his food and was very subdued. It's a good thing we did, he turned out to have a massive infection and a really high temperature. He's still there; he's eating again finally, but they want to see more of an improvement before they let him go home. God alone knows how we're going to pay for that; I'm not even sure about oh, the rent for the next couple of weeks. But we'll manage, I guess. Not a lot else to report; I'm re-reading the Harry Potter books in anticipation of the Deathly Hallows, and I'm jealously guarding the book voucher my mother gave me for my birthday so I can get the book on the 21st. Eh. That's all I have for now.

Winter wonderland ...

2007-06-22T11:58:00.000+12:00

... or something. It snowed this morning. However, given the fact we're basically at sea level, and it had already rained, it didn't settle. It did look pretty for a while there, however. Now it's just gloomy and grey and wet and cold. Blergh.
Patrick has been little Mr Cranky-pants this morning; I'm not sure why. But he sure did start early! 3am (yawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnn). He's finally dropped off to sleep now and he's due for a bottle in about an hour, but given how unsettled he was this morning, I think I'm just going to let him sleep on for a bit and wake up for the bottle on his own. He'll let me know when he's hungry.
I'm conetmplating domestic-goddessness soon _ well, washing the baby bottles and folding clean washing. And making lunch. That's about as domestic goddess as I get. Jeremy's gone to bed for a bit; he's got a sore throat and a cough and doesn't want to be around Patrick with it.
My midwife came for her last visit today; sad and happy at the same time, I guess. She was lovely and made the whole pregnancy/baby thing easier. And she was very supportive when I gave up breastfeeding; no judgements at all, so I'll miss her. :(
I've miscalculated, I think, the parental leave _ not the amount but the when. I thought the first payment kicked in this week, but it's next week. Oops. We're going to run short anyway, but now we're going to run shorter than I expected. I'm seriously considering selling my computer. I'll still have internet access and all that, because I have a Frankencomputer that Jeremy built for me for writing. Haven't used it very much at all, and it would just need the internet hooked up. Something to consider, anyway.
I had a wee sort of my cross stitch projects, and I have 16 active ones. I keep forgetting that I signed up for that challenge. What challenge? But, but, but I found the cutest dinosaur alphabet that I just HAD to start for Patrick's room. Heh ... I feel a rotation coming on ....

Some photos :)

2007-06-19T11:43:00.000+12:00

From the top: Me and Patrick yesterday, Sam Merlin and Scout on the bed, Piper and Chloe, apparently playing hide-and-go seek, Patrick at four weeks old last Tuesday, Merlin "helping" me tidy, and Patrick with his Daddy, after an outing. :)

It's my birthday

2007-06-13T12:34:00.000+12:00

Or at least, it was yesterday. Yes, the big 3-6 has hit. Yargh. I didn't feel too badly about it to be honest. When Jeremy got home from work, he fed the baby for me and gave me breakfast in bed (aw). He also gave me a charm bracelet and a box of chocolates .... :)
My mother visited and gave me a book voucher, which won't last long, but my dilemma is: buy a book (I don't buy a lot of books) or get a DVD? I though I might get Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill, I've been wanting to read it but then again, I can get it out of the library. Hmmm ... OR I could get Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on DVD OR ... ooh, wait and use it on the new Harry Potter book! Decisions, decisions!
So mother visited and got to cuddle Patrick as he was awake, and left her mark (lipstick); and sang to him. It's nice to see, she loves Patrick to bits. I made her cry though (oops); I started a scrapbook for Patrick _ nothing fancy, just somewhere to keep all the bits and pieces and some photos. Anyway, I put in a photo of me and my Dad that was taken at Christmas 2004 and Mum saw it when I showed her the scrapbook and got a little weepy. My Patrick is named for my Dad, so I had to include it _ we're the caretakers for my Dad's memory now.
What else. Had a good day that is, until I ended up at the hospital in pain. PAIN!!! Did blood tests and such, and it wasn't gastro or anything, but I have to go and have an ultrasound to see if it's gallstones _ both my sisters have had their gallbladders out. But I can't think about it too much because the mere thought of going under general anasthetic gives me the screaming habdabs. But if that's what it is, then that's what it is.
Jeremy took today off work to take care of Patrick and once we got home from the hospital I pretty much stayed in bed for 12 hours. I do feel a lot better today and all the pain has gone. The Dr gave me a prescription for Losec and one for painkillers. Woo hoo!
What else? I'm in the home stretch on the iris picture for my friend's wedding _ I'm really hoping to get it done this week _ we'll see.
I'm learning _ slowly _ to do my stuff around Patricks' feeds/changing and it turns out that I have more time than I thought. Of course, having a lovely supportive husband helps.
Aw. On that extremely sappy note ... gotta go!

Somebody asked for pix?

2007-06-06T09:07:00.001+12:00

Okay. From the top. The top photo is my older sister. The middle two are me with Patrick _ the first at the hospital and the second yesterday. The bottom one is him all decked out for an outing.
Real post ... eventually!

In the wilderness

2007-05-30T11:37:00.000+12:00

Gosh, but this baby stuff is tiring! And I have a very supportive husband and I'm surrounded by family, but it's still hard. But Patrick is doing well; putting on weight and eating like a little piglet. :) I gave up breastfeeding after about 10 days _ it was like banging my head against a wall full of nails. Just a constant and painful battle _ for all of us. I had to step back and ask myself what was best for all of us. That, and the night I had a screaming fit helped make the decision for me.
Luckily Patrick hasn't really noticed the difference and he's away on formula. Cue happy mother, happier father (who was worried about psychotic mother) and contented baby.
So we're all ticking over after a fashion. We're working a kind of half-assed routine around Patrick's feed time and taking turns with things like feeds, etc. J has to give him his baths because I still can't quite get down on the floor and get up easily; thanks to the ceasarean scar. But I'm recovering pretty well from that, I think. We've been out and about a couple of times; just minor outings to the library and the supermarket. I took Patrick into work yesterday to do the obligatory show-off-the-baby _ he slept through the whole thing!
He's a very contented baby; who would have thought that? He sleeps a lot and really only cries full on when his nappy is being changed. He hates that. So I'm grateful, because I know things could be very very very different.
Otherwise things are going okay. My family members keep popping up at random times and J's mother and sister are due for a week-long visit next Tuesday, so we'll just see how that goes.
I'm even managing to stitch a little and read a little here and there. It helps having a husband who does pretty much all the housework AND helps with the baby :).
That's really it for now.

Patrick pix

2007-05-20T10:53:00.000+12:00

From left to right: Patrick going home, his first night, with Daddy yesterday before leaving the hospital.

We're home!

2007-05-20T10:42:00.000+12:00

We got home yesterday and got everyone (well, the humans, anyway!) settled in. It was good to be home but strange to be out of the hospital at the same time. Anyway. This is what happened.On Tuesday morning, we went down to the hospital for an antenatal appointment, saw a hospital midwife and one of the registrars. Talked about being induced and I was asked if I wanted to go in that night, or wait until the next morning _ at the time, as far as we knew, everything was still ticking over the same way it had been all along _ just fine. So they talked to my midwife, Brenda, and we decided to admit me that night.So 7pm on Tuesday, Jeremy and I were back at the hospital; laden down with bags and goodness-knows-what because we didn't know what to expect. The plan _ then _ was to induce me slowly with prostoglandin gel, a process that was expected to take at least a day.Then they put me on the fetal heart monitor, and everything changed.At first, things ticked over the way they always had. Patrick's heartbeat was strong, things looked okay. Then, his heartbeat dropped. Then rose. Then dropped again. (I can't think about it without wanting to cry). I was ... scared, to say the least. Brenda checked it, then asked one of the hospital midwives to double check it but it just kept going up and down. They'd already called the obstetrician to let him know about the induction, and he was coming in.So, next was Dr Finkelstein. (Not his real name. In my post-op sleep-deprived state I forgot his name and kept calling him that.) In he comes, takes a look at the printout of the activity, looks at me and says "I'm not happy."Oh God. Patrick was in distress. Dr F said that he wouldn't be able to be born by induction, that it just wouldn't happen and the best thing was to get him out of there while he was still healthy and if they left it, we could have a sick baby on our hands (or worse). Things moved very rapidly from there. I was prepped for surgery and Jeremy was gowned up. They asked me lots of questions and whisked me off to theatre for the ceasearean.I've never had any kind of surgery and I was completely terrified. But all the staff _ my midwife, Dr F, the anethetists, the nurses, were just lovely. Jeremy waited outside with the orderly while they put the spinal in (horrible horrible but not painful) and the next thing I was numb and helpless. Horrible. They let Jeremy in but I had my head turned in the opposite direction because I was looking at my midwife and I was too scared to turn it around. I held on to Jeremy's hand for dear life, though. Then the Dr did his thing, and Patrick was born. I was fairly helpless, so Jeremy got to hold him first but I kept touching his head. He was born with black hair, a very loud cry _ and hungry!I got to hold and feed him in the recovery room before we all went back down to the ward. And now here we are!

100!

2007-05-10T16:35:00.000+12:00

This, apparently, is my 100th post. I'm guessing I don't get a telegram from the Queen, but there should be some kind of reward, right?
Yes, I'm still in one piece. The midwife came on Tuesday, and baby's heartbeat is fine, my blood pressure is fine, so it really is just a waiting game now. I'm having my next appointment at the hospital on Monday so they can monitor activity and things a bit closer than B just using the doppler to listen to the heartbeat and we'll go from there. We're both getting VERY good at finding stuff to fill in the empty space at the moment. I keep telling myself I should enjoy it while I can but goshdarnit I'm ready to meet this baby!
On the other hand, I've been able to sell some stuff on Trade Me, and I've made some real progress on the Iris picture for my friend's wedding, so will hopefully have it finished and framed before The Big Day in August.
I actually want to give it to them before The Big Day. Otherwise it's going to get lost in amongst the flurry of the day and I want her to be able to enjoy it properly. And fulsomely praise me, obviously, for all my hard work.
I've also been reading a fair bit and I'm halfway through The Children of Hurin, which I got from work to review. I really must get on to it and finish it so I can do a timely review. I'm also re-reading The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub; haven't read it for years! That's it. That's the sum total of my days at the moment. I really am going to do a post of just cat pictures!!!!!

Nope, nothing

2007-05-06T12:29:00.000+12:00

Today is allegedly my due date but I got nothing. No niggles ... nothing. Apparently, we forgot to tell the baby. Oops! He's moving in there like a little movey mcmoverson, but seems quite happy where he is. Meanwhile his parents are getting a bit toey. All right. His MOTHER is getting a bit toey and his father keeps finding little jobs outside to do. Sigh.

There are bigger issues in the wider world, but you know, um ... ah, crap. I can't keep a single thought in my head for longer than a second at the moment. Maybe I should stop writing and just start posting pictures of the cats. That'd work, right?

Engage!

2007-04-26T12:02:00.000+12:00

Ha! (That's slightly bitter laughter).
We had a scan on Tuesday because the midwife said baby should have dropped by now. So we go to the scan place, and are excited to "see" him again, but the technician said they couldn't really tell if he'd dropped or not. However, he had such a clear view of baby's head, that he didn't think so. I don't feel any different, so I'm guessing the lazy little pecker is quite happy where he is. Well, okay, he kicks and squirms too much to be considered lazy. I'm just pouting because I've had an easy nine months of it so far and NOW he decides to be unco-operative?

The good news is that all his systems are in place and working and we know for sure that it IS a boy - he was turned slightly at the 19-week scan but it was as clear as a bell on this one. His weight estimate was 7lb 13oz but I know that they can be well off the mark. Good Lord, I hope so! If I go over and he's putting on fat every day ... gah! gah! gah!

I finally managed to finish my homework on Monday when the midwife came - the birth plan in other words. There were just questions on there I didn't understand the relevance of, like what will you be wearing during labour? Uhm ... how about a lovely little sequinned evening dress by Vera Wang and hair extensions? No? Okay, then. I don't care. So I put hospital gown, so I don't wreck my own clothes.

Eh. Who knows what's going to happen really? All we care about is coming home with a healthy baby!

In other news ... h'm. I don't seem to have any other news!

Now what?

2007-04-23T11:37:00.000+12:00

So, I've been home for three days. And I"m already bored. Yes, I know, I should be putting my feet up and resting because I won't have time to once the baby is here. But I really SUCK at doing nothing. And after three days, I'm a little stir crazy. We're going to the library this afternoon and you have no idea how much I'm looking forward to leaving the house for a little while _ even though I've really only spent one WHOLE day in the house so far.

I haven't had strangers try to touch my belly, but they sure do feel free to stare. They look at my belly, then my face as if to say, "aren't you a little old?" or something. I don't know. But I get a judgemental vibe from them, that's for sure. Or it could just be because I'm irritable 100 percent of the time at the moment.

I'm trying to relax and do the things I normally enjoy doing, like reading etc, but you reach saturation point sooner or later. I bet when baby comes I'll think "what the hell was I complaining about? Give me boredom!"

The midwife is coming today, so we'll see how things are going. Last time he was head down, but hadn't engaged. I've been waiting for this mythical 'nesting' to kick in, but it just hasn't. So I'm going to pack my bag today, fold some baby clothes and try and find something to read; I'm inhaling books at the moment.

And try not to yell at poor J.

*Sigh*.

Five nights!

2007-04-15T12:24:00.000+12:00

Only five more nights of work to go. I can do this. I can. Now that I'm in the home straight, I can I can I can!
I might be a little bit excited. I'm just over the whole work thing for now. Especially since there were dramaramas last week. Nothing to do with me; happened on my night off, but you hear about them, you know? Didn't do a lot over Easter; I was working anyway. We had to take Fagin to the vet on Tuesday, he had an abcess on the side of his face that burst before we took him out. Of course, the vet surgery was packed and poor Fagin, the ick was going all over the cage. And my gosh, the smell! Luckily (apparently) I'm not sensitive to bad smells at the moment. I was just thinking ew _ along with everyone else in the surgery, I'm sure _ and not ew, I'm going to throw up. So that was something at least. A shunt, and $100 later; he's still feeling pretty sorry for himself, the poor boy.
We saw 300 this week, went to the movies on my day off; I'm trying to get as much use out of my media pass as I can while I still can.
It was a lot of fun. Gratuitous violence, and fit men running around in capes and undies _ see, now, that's a chick flick!
I got a little more stitching done on the Iris for my friend's wedding; I'm kind of superstitious to post it until it's finished for some reason. But I'm hopeful I'll get it done in a timely fashion. I didn't do any stitching yesterday at all, I wanted to work on something, but it wasn't the Iris and I wasn't sure what I felt like (I certainly have plenty of WIPs) so I ended up stitching on nothing. We caught up on some TV programmes and watched The Prestige, which was quite good but I found it a little ... try hard with all the twists and things.
J inventoried all the stuff we have so far for baby; nappies and wipes and things, and I had a Moment. I haven't had one for a while and I thought I'd come to terms with it all but nooooo ... apparently in order to trigger a meltdown, I just have to see the stuff strewn across the living room. Gah!
I'm okay today, though. Now that the stuff is tidily put away and I don't have to look at it.
Still.
Best Not To Think About It!

Huh?

2007-04-08T11:32:00.000+12:00

That's how I feel most of the time at the moment. Huh? Also I keep forgetting words. Just normal, everyday words. I'd better get my brain back from this baby!

Anyway. Ten more days of work to go; it sounds a lot better than saying two weeks! So I'm just hoping I can get through it _ and in one piece. It doesn't help that the air conditioners were switched off week before last because of some kind of work they were doing outside. Our building is only three stories, but we work on the top floor so the heat just sort of ... settles. AND most of the windows don't open. *Sigh*. I nearly went home on Friday night, it was so bad, but a walk in the fresh air at break time and kicking off my shoes helped a bit.

Yesterday we had a big family/Easter lunch-type thing, with my WHOLE family. Which meant noise noise noise noise noise. But we don't all get together very often; maybe twice a year and its always nice to see the nieces and nephews :)

I have strict instructions from family members about the baby:
My brother T and his family will be in Oz and get back on the 8th. He expects me to be in two pieces by then (youch!) _ baby is due on the 6th
My sister B is going to be in Christchurch when he's due, and wants me to wait until they get back, which I think is around the 8th
Oh, and I can't have him on a Tuesday night, because that's my mother's bridge night and she won't be home until late ... *facepalm*
And for myself, I can't have him on the 6th, because that's my midwife's weekend off; there's only two of them in the practice at the moment and they alternate weekends.
Poor baby ... so small, yet with so many expectations already!
Well, when he comes will be up to him. I don't really care, as long as he's healthy and has all the required digits. :)

I've been stitching a bit, mostly on the Iris for my friend's wedding _ now that the weather has FINALLY cooled down, it's not too bad to work on the black. Reading a bit, too; I'm trying (still) to ge through some review books for work. And I've started having what am I going to do when I'm off before I have the baby???? I get bored being home two days in a row. Never mind the possibility of up to a month! Ooooh, poor J!

We've started talking about packing a bag for the hospital; and I've got as far as a change of clothes (for me), a nightgown, nursing pads and maternity pads (ick), clothes (and nappies? do we need to take nappies?) for baby; digital camera, ipod for distraction, a book and maybe a project ... after that, I turn back into stupid.

Oh, and we need to arrange for someone to feed the cats, depending on how long I'm in, so poor J isn't running to and fro too much.

Oy! Roll on April 19!

Three weeks today ... woo hoo!

2007-03-29T11:18:00.000+12:00

I finish work until July on April 19. I'm soooooooooooo tired at the moment, and soooooooooooooo looking forward to it! I'm going to sit on the couch a lot and try not to throw things at J. He doesn't deserve to have things thrown at him, so I'll do my best to resist.
No guarantees, though. Day off yesterday, and I got breakfast in bed, which was nice but I'm not sure if I"ll do it again; our bed doesn't have a solid headboard so could have been more comfortable. It was a beautiful day, though and I actually got some stitching done. I have (reluctantly) abandoned my rotation so I can get this wedding present for my friend finished. Two pages down, two to go; so we'll see what happens after that. And after baby's here, etc ...
I have two days off next week because of Easter. Wednesday, which is my regular rostered day and Thursday, because we don't publish on Good Friday. Two days. In. A. Row.
I asked to be taken off what I'm doing at work for the next three weeks; I just feel like it requires a level of concentration I don't really have at the moment. Deputy: Why? That's easy.
Me: (not saying it out loud) Yeah, for you! For me right now it's the equivalent of developing a coherent space-time theory! I asked Deputy about it because Chief is next to useless with stuff like that. So, hopefully next week I'll be doing something less stressful for the next few weeks. We'll see.
I dreamed about Leo last night. I keep dreaming about us finding him in strange places. Last night it was in a cardboard box at like a school, or a polytech. He was in with a bunch of other cats. And, for some reason, he had a colostomy bag. Gotta love the pregnancy dreams. The midwife came on Tuesday and my blood pressure is still good (yay). Baby is measuring about 34.5cm and she quite cheerfully told me I was measuring basically full term. What? What? What? But I'm 5'1. Which means there's only one way for baby to go: Out. I keep compulsively making lists in my head of what we still need to get. Maybe I should actually write it down .... hmmmmm ....

There is no bird

2007-03-23T12:31:00.000+12:00

Okay, today's weirdness. Bird feathers in the kitchen, that seem to expand exponentially every time I go in there. Weird thing: there is no bird to be seen.
Presumably it's been eaten, or buried, but the evidence persists. I just don't want to stand on it.
It's another beautiful, sunny day here ... grrr. Although on the bright side, the nights are quite cold, so yay for that, at least.
J is out in his manc-ave, or outside, doing obscure boy-things. I have no idea. Well, I have some idea. But you know, I don't want to interrupt. He needs his bonding time with his man-cave. Or something.
Meanwhile, I sit on my ever-expanding bottom, not putting lunch on and not going and having a shower and get dressed. Go me!
Only four more weeks of work. My gosh, I'd give up now if I could, I really would. I don't care that I'd get bored and fed up. But *deep breath* only four weeks to go.
Baby's due about two weeks after that ... gah!
I started making a list yesterday of all the stuff we still don't have ... double-gah!
Still no sign of Leo :(

Redecorating

2007-03-18T11:38:00.000+12:00

Sort of, anyway. I was kind of over the pink; so switched the template. I'm liking it. I don't have a lot to say today .... One month and one day (woo hoo) until I go off work; can you tell I'm looking forward to it? I'd stop work now if I could, but that's not the way my cookie has crumbled. Just. Four. More. Weeks. I can do it.
I'm back on track with things a little better; getting back into my rotation, which is easier now that the weather has shifted to cold and crappy (hooray!) and I'm managing _ just! _ to stick to my week-about plan. I'm also slowly but surely working my way through some review books for work; I'm hoping to make off with a bunch when I go on leave. So the more I get done now, the more chance I have. Heh.
Cats are okay; still no Leo. :(
That's all I have.

It's been a week now

2007-03-15T12:08:00.000+13:00

And still no sign of my Leo. He's very much my boy and I miss him a lot. Funny thing is, we both had dreams about him last night. I don't know whether that's a good sign or a bad sign.

The weather has really turned nasty now; with wind and rain and cold and all. I prefer it to the heat but I hate to think of my Leo out in this. :(

I fell over last night; coming from the car to the house after work. Rain+sandals+clumsy pregnant woman = ouch! I'm fine, but I landed really heavily on my hands and my right knee, trying not to land on my stomach. Baby's fine; he's been moving around most of the morning _ seems he missed the part of the book where it says they start to move LESS in the last trimester because there's less room. Yuh huh. I'm trying to think (ha!) but I do believe that's all I got for now.

I heart my iPod

2007-03-10T12:02:00.000+13:00

I really do. I would have completely lost it at work this week if I hadn't been able to 'pod out. Ahhhhh ................
In sadder news ... my Leo _ my ginger and white fluffmonster is missing and has been since Thursday. :( We have no idea where he's gone or what's happened to him. He's very much my boy so I'm feeling it quite badly, along with the hormone party my body's having .... *sigh*
Speaking of, and I know mothers out there are going to laugh at me hysterically, who knew that babies MOVE so much????? I mean A LOT. And I know it's a good thing but oy! Some of the sensations are ... weird. The booting and squirming I'm used to. But the sensation like he's tickling my pelvis? That's ... interesting. But. Moving Is Good.
What else. Not much. Not much of a week overall.

Bump bump bump

2007-03-05T13:50:00.000+13:00

This is me on Saturday at 30 weeks and five days. We'd gone to my sister's for a combined family birthday and I was standing on her front doorstep, talking to my mother and sister and watching my 5 year old niece B make 'volcanos'. My BIL S took the pictures; I had no idea. But I wanted some 'bump' pictures and I think I prefer ones like this than me staring self-consciously at the camera thinking about how fat I feel and how grey my hair is. :) Of course, he also snuck pictures of J and my other sister crashed out sleeping in their living room after lunch!
I've decided on my March goals; actually I only have one: stay in one piece!

Gah!

2007-03-01T10:54:00.000+13:00

I hate when this happens. I was merrily stitching away on a small Pisces design for J's birthday, which is tomorrow, when I realised I'd made a colossal mistake. I'd stitched the top fin of one fish, then the bottom fin of the other fish. I was stitching away on the top fish, when I realised that I'd run out of fish before I got to the bottom fin _ I was three rows out! Grrrrr.... it was too much to unpick and start over, and it's just a small design, so wasn't really worth it.
Now, of course, I'm stuck for a birthday present idea!
The midwife came on Tuesday, and my glucose levels are normal. Yay, no fasting blood test! Iron levels low, though so I have lovely iron tablets to take ... woo hoo. I'm measuring well, and the baby co-operated by 'bumping' the midwife's hand when she was checking for him.
His occipital is anterior, which is good, apparently. What we don't want is posterior. Go baby! My blood pressure is the same as last time, and I haven't had much swelling at all. I'm so very lucky, I keep expecting the other shoe to drop!
Marx had his shunt out ... last week? week before? and looks like himself again (aw).
Now we have to take Leo in to get groomed; we can't do it, his knots seem to be growing along his body rather than out from, and I don't want to hurt him. The safest recourse is to take him to the vets so they can knock him out. And now our mad cat, Scouty, has a bung eye. Hand on my heart, we cannot take her to the vet! The last time she was there, when we had her anxiety diagnosed, she freaked out really badly and I'm just not willing to risk it for the sake of an eye. An emergency is different of course, all bets are off, but I'm hoping we can treat this one ourselves. Any ideas?
What else. Ooh, I need to review February goals and do some for March, but I start work early today, so I'll do that tomorrow.
If I remember!

Movie meme

2007-02-22T11:44:00.000+13:00

I stole this from http://whizgidget.blogspot.com/

It's been said that allegedly if you've seen over 85 movies you have no life. Well, I already know that's true! But movies are one of my hobbies :)
Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x's by the ones that you have seen. Add them up, change the header adding your number, and post it.

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
(x ) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
(x) The Princess Bride
(x ) AnchorMan
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
(x ) White Noise
() White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x ) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 2
(x ) Scary Movie 3
(x ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
(x ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x ) Resident Evil 1
(x ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
( ) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
( ) Robots
(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
(x) King Kong
( ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring (The US remake; not the Japanes original)
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
( ) Flubber
( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
(x) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
(x) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
(x) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) E.T.
(x) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
(x) Jeepers Creepers
(x) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday - The original, with Jodie Foster; not the remake
(x) Reign of Fire
(x) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
(x) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
(x) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
(x) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
( ) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(x) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead -The remake; not the original
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
(x) Kill Bill Vol. 1
(x) Kill Bill Vol. 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix: Reloaded
(x) The Matrix: Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal
Hmm ...140 out of 239. I would have thought I'd have seen more than that. I have some catching up to do!

Hey, it's Thursday ...

2007-02-15T11:22:00.000+13:00

... what am I doing here? Don't worry, I don't know either!
Had the glucose test on Tuesday; very boring and that drink wasn't as bad as others had made out. The results go straight to the midwife, so hopefully I won't hear from her until her next visit. In this case, no news will be good news, because it means I wouldn't have to go for the fasting blood test to diagnose gestational diabetes.
Baby is doing fine. My uterus is his soccer field. Hooray. Go baby!
A workmate of mine had her baby yesterday (on Valentine's Day) and I"m all jealous and wanting MY baby _ yes, yes, I know, he's got quite a bit of baking to do yet! But M's wee girl is beautiful :)
Another workmate of mine is switching jobs; within the company, so she won't be working nights anymore. It'll be awfully quiet without her but the new job will suit her, so I'm happy for her.
My rotation (hopefully) is back on track after finishing the bookmark for my sister.
We had to take Marx to the vet on Tuesday afternoon, the right side of his face suddenly swelled like a balloon. Abscess *sigh*. So he had surgery yesterday and has a shunt in the side of his face, which looks very odd! Poor boy.
That's all for now.

A stitching finish!

2007-02-13T23:13:00.000+13:00

My first 2007 finish; a bookmark for my sister's birthday. And if she loses this one, I'm not making another one!

I got nothing ...

2007-02-09T11:01:00.000+13:00

... nothing clever for a title, anyway. What else do I have ... let's see ...
Baby's doing well. He had a bit of a quiet day yesterday, which worried me slightly but today we're back on course and he's moving like a little movey thing. I'm going for a glucose/iron test on Tuesday; should be fun, or something. The funny thing is, at the moment, I'm not so much worried about whether I have gestational diabetes, but whether I have to go back and take the fasting blood test later on! That's what I'm preoccupied with at the moment. Funny the way your mind works!
Had Wednesday off this week, and took Mum to see the Queen. I have a media pass through work that's good for two tickets Monday to Thursday until the end of the year. So I splashed out (heh) and took Mum to the movies. Which we both enjoyed very much. And I think Helen Mirren should be practicing her Oscar speech about now.
Work continues pretty much the same - frustrating some of the time, busy some of the time ... you know.
The cats all seem to be well at the moment. Even Scouty the Mad has started venturing out into the kitchen and living room, and even going out the cat-window instead of standing at the front door, demanding to be let out and then changing her mind again. The only worrying part is the way she chases Piper, who fights well below Scout's weight class.
J has been spending an inordinate amount of time in his man-cave lately. Which is good on the one hand, because I know where he is and pretty much what he's doing but on the other hand ... it really is an inordinate amount of time. Boys, eh?
I've changed around my rotation a bit. The projects are the same, but I've put them in a different order. It's been too warm to work on the Iris _ it's fairly large, and it's on black. So I've traded it for the bookmark I'm doing for my sister's birthday next month. So the weekly thing is still holding (so far) I just need to shuffle the deck a little.
I do believe that's all I have.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssss?

2007-02-03T11:05:00.000+13:00

I really have nothing new. The midwife visited this week and my blood pressure is down to 130/75 (yay!) and I'm going for a glucose test in a couple of weeks. Baby is kicking like a little kicky thing and I'm fine, apart from being tired most of the time.
What else. Have been stitching a bit this week, and finished a review book for work, so I'm doing okay there.
See? Told you I had nothing to say!

How's the weather?

2007-01-28T11:17:00.000+13:00

Why, thanks for asking! It's .... weird. Yesterday was all hot and sunny and gorgeous and today is all windy and raining. Where is this 'summer' of which you speak so highly? Not that I'm complaining, really. It'd be nice to get more than one fine day, but I'm almost never cold at the moment, so quite frankly, I'd rather be comfortable!
We went shopping yesterday, and bought a paddling pool (for me, at the moment, when summer does hit), a $12 mini red bookcase for the baby's room and I got a couple of skirts _ the next size up from what I'm wearing now, so I won't be too caught out.
I hope.
What else has been happening. You know, not a lot. Work ... home ... baby. Oh, I found about the job. I didn't get it but in all honesty, I'm kind of relieved. I was wavering on whether I wanted it anyway; the guy who is getting it will be really really really good, and so I'm a little bit disappointed, because I know I can do the job, but mostly relieved because of what I would have to be dealing with. If that makes sense!
Now, given that I'm blogging once a week if I'm lucky, I'll re-post my January goals today and see how I went:
Ahem:
-Write 1000 words a day; see if I can get my mojo back - uh .... no
-Finish the page I'm on and the next one of the Iris pattern for my friend S's wedding - no, but that's because I decided to start rotatering again
-Get as much possible done of window on cat pattern for the baby's room - see above
-Start DD's Here Be Dragons as your 2007 January start - yes
-Make a list of everyone's birthday - yes, although I got the date of my nephew W's wrong
-Finish Pandora's Star and Lord of the Rings - Finshed PS but not LOTR
-Read one or two review books - yes; write the reviews every Wednesday or Thursday - still to write reviews
-Find out about ante-natal classes - yes but I haven't actually booked in yet
-No Starbucks! - once, or twice? Not too bad
-No buying tea at work - Have been buying tea on Fridays, which I think I'll keep doing. Makes a change, gets me out of the office.
-Get credit card under its limit - uhm ... no
-Do one thing off 101 in 1001 days list - no
Hmmmmmmm ... if I got a report card on this it would say Must Do Better.
Okay. On to February.
-Stick to weekly rotation.
-Read/review two more review books for work
-BOOK ante-natal classes
-Get credit card under its limit
-Pay off gigantor power bill
-Write every day
-Do one thing off 101 in 1001 days list
That should keep me from a life of crime. For the next month anyway.

Move it move it

2007-01-20T10:57:00.000+13:00

I have a new obsession. Counting to 10 _ the minimum number of times the baby is supposed to move in a day. As soon as I've counted to 10, I can go about my business quite happily. Of course, the baby doesn't know I'm counting, and waiting, so some days take longer than others, making for a very anxious mother. Good grief.
We're getting pretty well-stocked now, and have most 'big-ticket' things. I bought a baby monitor yesterday so of the big stuff all that's left is a cot mattress, maybe a bassinett and a high chair, later on. Otherwise we just need clothes, nappies, stuff like that. There are times when flirting with OCD can be a good thing.
Argh. If I'm not careful, this will turn into a baby only blog. And while I'm finding the whole process fascinating and scary and worrying, never having gone through it before, I'm not sure what the rest of the world thinks.
So. Work is fine. Short-staffed this week (hooray) and still nothing on the promotion. I've put my leave forms in and now it's just a matter of waiting.
Cats all seem to be fine, apart from JD who has developed some impressive mats on his back. I managed to cut out a couple the other night, but he's been a bit absent lately and getting the bigger ones is a two-man job _ he's not the friendliest of cats at all.
I seem to be doing okay on my January goals, except I decided to start rotatering again.
It's one of my goals now for '07 _ stick to the same rotation plan for the whole year and see how successful I am. I have great focus when I bend my mind to it but I'm also very easily distracted by shiny things.
It's raining (wherefore art thou, summer?) and is the perfect day for either lazing on the couch reading, or lazing on the couch stitching.
Ah ... to still have the luxury of choice!

Sleep .... sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

2007-01-12T14:13:00.000+13:00

Where has my sleep gone? Not that I was the world's greatest sleeper, but this whole bug-eyed awake thing for half the night is getting old! Thank goodness I don't start work until four in the afternoon. Ugh.
Finally braved the forms and took them into work. Now I just have to get J to do his and I can send them to the tax department. Woo hoo.
I'm also pouting because I don't have a lovely bump. Other pregnant women at work have lovely bumps. I sort of roll off in layers and pretty much look ... well, fat. Sigh.
The things that can wind you up. Honestly.
Summer has finally hit, and it's nice to see the sun and all.
I'd like to say I'm doing well with my January goals but ... um ... I'm not. Not so far anyway.
Still.
Never give up! Never surrender!

It's a year tomorrow ...

2007-01-04T12:40:00.000+13:00

... since my Dad died suddenly, at the age of 83. No, he wasn't young, but he was in good health. He and Mum still lived in their own house, he still gardened, visited 'the elderly' at a couple of rest homes, put his $1 bets on the horses and generally enjoyed his life. He had a massive heart attack in bed at home. Which, if he could have chosen, would have been the way he wanted to go _ he would have hated being sick, or fading away.
For selfish reasons, I wish that heart attack could have been put off _ just for a few more years. But it wasn't meant to be.
So that was how my year started, and naturally, it coloured the days, weeks and months that followed.
I was the youngest of five; very much a Daddy's girl, being a (relatively) late in life child for both parents.
I still miss my Dad every day; especially now that we're preparing for a baby of our own, who will never know his grandad.
My sister had her baby Jacob in February, making '06 hard for her in a different way.
I changed shifts at work in July, going from days back to nights, which was an ... interesting transition. It's been good overall, I think. I'm not a morning person by nature and I really did struggle with it - especially going back to work after Dad died.
Anyway. Moving right along.
Piper came to live with us in June; she was a sort-of rescue and I've blogged about that before.
I don't think I finished anything last year - maybe one chart. I'm hoping to do better this year. I'm also hoping to be more focused this year!
The midwife came yesterday and I not only heard the heartbeat (I always feel better when I can hear the heartbeat) but I 'heard' him move! B, the midwife, said "that sounds like little feet"; when she heard this kind of squishy sound through the monitor. I've been feeling him move for a while, but 'hearing' it? Very very cool!
I still need to decide what I'm going to do about my leave. And soon. Sigh.
And you know, I'm STILL waiting to hear about that job!
Pfffffffffffttttttttttttttttttttt

Happy New Year ...

2007-01-02T11:01:00.000+13:00

... I guess. I just accidentally deleted my post. Didn't really say much anyway. Having a hormonal/weepy day. I hate those.
Eh.

Over for another year

2006-12-27T11:45:00.000+13:00

I couldn't connect with Christmas at all this year. Put up the tree, wrapped the presents, spent the day with loud and drunken family members ... and all I got was a lousy headace. And if my sister talked to me ONE MORE TIME about thebabythebabythebaby like she did all day, there was going to be a family rift. I don't mind answering questions and getting advice (she has two children) and I think it's nice that she's excited about this baby but ... hey! HEY! What about me?
Anyway. My mother seemed to have a good day, spending time with her grandchildren and getting proportionally louder as the day went on. For myself, I was glad to get home again.
J and I exchanged presents the night before, when all was quiet. We set a limit of $30 for each other, as things are a little tight this year. I got J the DVD of Sky High and I got Evanescence's new CD and a box of chocolates. Things could definitely be worse!
This year got completely away on me, after we unexpectedly lost Dad in January. After that, it kind of felt like one thing after another.
My sister had her baby in February; I switched shifts at work; J was out of work for a while after the works season finished (he's back at the supermarket now); there was Chloe's ongoing health issues with her leg; and we found out we're having a baby of our own. I'd just like to crawl under something and not come out some days.
But Chloe recovered, the baby's healthy and because J works part-time he does all the housework and the cooking, so all I have to do is go to work and pay bills. I don't have a lot to complain about, really, it's just that some days are better than others I guess.
Next Friday will be a year since Dad died, so that'll be a hard day.
Speaking of things getting away from me ... I'm going to try setting monthly goals again, see how I go. For this purpose, I'm counting from today until January 31. If I wait until December 30 to do it, I'll talk myself out of it for sure.
So I've been thinking about what I'd like to get done in the next month:-
-Write 1000 words a day; see if I can get my mojo back
-Finish the page I'm on and the next one of the Iris pattern for my friend S's wedding
-Get as much possible done of window on cat pattern for the baby's room
-Start DD's Here Be Dragons as your 2007 January start
-Make a list of everyone's birthday
-Finish Pandora's Star and Lord of the Rings
-Read one or two review books; write the reviews every Wednesday or Thursday
-Find out about ante-natal classes
-No Starbucks!
-No buying tea at work
-Get credit card under its limit
-Do one thing off 101 in 1001 days list
That'll keep me off the streets, I think!

The Day Before Christmas

2006-12-24T10:53:00.000+13:00

Don't worry, I"m not even going to try and make a rhyme out of it. It's just a handy title because it's Christmas Eve. We don't have a lot to do because we're travelling tomorrow to have dinner with family. And I WON"T go into that particular saga, I"ll be here all day. But my sister is driving me crazy. It's our first Christmas without Dad, which will be hard enough for everyone, but she's made it all so much harder than it needed to be. And she's winding up about Mum being alone tomorrow night, after all the Christmas stuff is said and done. The thing is, my mother is FINE. She's actually pretty resilient and probably hasn't even thought about it. But that doesn't stop my sister from rambling at me on the phone about it. Grr. Grr. Grr.
So I'm calling a time-out today. I'm going to work on the cat picture for the baby's room and do my Lord of the Rings marathon that I've been promising myself.
Merry Christmas.

Monday I have Friday on my mind

2006-12-18T12:29:00.000+13:00

The Friday at the end of this week, not last week. Because AFTER this Friday, I have three days off (woo hoo!). Saturday (obviously), Sunday, because there's no paper on Christmas Day AND I'm rostered off on Christmas Day. I want to work all the other stats but wanted Christmas off because it's Mum's (and our) first Christmas without Dad.
We're going to name the baby after him _ we've already started calling him Patrick.
So it'll be Patrick Ross, after my Dad and J's Dad. He's started to move around a bit more, and really seems to like it when I'm at work, for some reason. I think of him as practising for being a person out in the world :)
I have Plans for the weekend and I just hope the Universe is looking in the other direction, otherwise something will happen and I'll end up running around like a chicken.
We don't have a tree up yet, because of the cats, so Saturday's to-do is putting up the tree and wrapping presents :)
Sunday, I'm planning an LOTR marathon and some stitching. Monday, of course, is Christmas and we'll be with family, so all bets are off for Monday.
I signed up for the Beta-blogger thingy which seems to be working...
That's all I have for now. :)

Queen of the Post-Its

2006-12-15T11:25:00.000+13:00

My computer desk is blooming in pink and yellow. I've taken to writing down everything. EEEEEEEEverything. Because otherwise, things fall through the hole in my baby-brain. And, shockingly, I still have Stuff To Do. I can't just sit around on the couch all day and all night, throwing things at poor J. I still have to work, and stuff like that. Who knew?
Anyway. The anatomy scan.
All is well. Heart, brain, kidneys, all functioning normally (yay!). And *ahem* ... I was wrong. And my mother was right.
I thought the baby was a girl. But nope. It's a boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I was a bit shocked to start with, but at the very top of my list, is the fact that he's healthy. Anything else? Don't care.
It has felt like go go go this week, and it seems like we've hardly been home. So we're not going anywhere today; apart from me to work, obviously.
My friend who is over from Aussie and I went up to Dunedin on Wednesday to catch up with another friend and we had fun, getting out and about on the road.
Did my usual pilgrimage to the University Bookshop, although we didnt' spend enough time there, as far as I was concerned. Then on to Baby City and Arbuckles, where I got some stuff for baby.
Back home, and we had to take Piper to the vet. She has a skin infection on her shoulder, which means antibiotics AND anti-inflammatories. So many kinds of yay, I can't describe them all.
Peace out.

Yay!

2006-12-06T12:15:00.000+13:00

The midwife came today and the baby's heartbeat is as strong as ever :) Also, he/she is moving around really well. For some reason, I had it lodged in my brain that the heartbeat had stopped for some reason. I think because I know I"ve been lucky so far and so I keep expecting something bad to happen. Tragic, but true.
I have felt little 'flutterings' though. So that's good as well :)
The anatomy scan is Monday and we're both looking forward to that; hopefully baby will be co-operative so we can find out what we're having _ then I'm going shopping!!!!!
What else. Work is fine. I've given up on waiting to hear about the job. It'll either happen, or it won't. That's it. So that's a whole bunch of stress I've managed to let go of (I hope!).
The cats are all well and happy; although they really have nothing to complain about!
I'm still working away on the iris for my friend's wedding next year, and she's FINALLY set a date (hooray!)
What else. Eh, I got nothing. :p

Irrational fear is normal, right?

2006-11-26T11:55:00.000+13:00

Right? Ugh. Sometimes, I wish I could just switch my brain off. But no ..... the traiterous little collection of cells just keeps working overtime. Now I've started thinking what-if. What-if something's wrong with the baby? What-if something goes wrong with the baby? What-if ... what-if ... what-if ... and I know it's unhealthy and I just can't help myself.
Never mind the fact that at the midwife's last visit the baby's heartbeat was good and strong, or that physically I've been feeling pretty good. Oh, no. None of that MATTERS to my tiny brain.
Anyone got an off-switch? Anyone ... anyone ...
Work still continues to frustrate the unmentionables out of me, and I haven't heard a peep about the job yet. Allegedly, there was supposed to be a decision last week.
Ha! I say, ha!
But now I'm not even sure if I want the job! It's a deputy position, and I know whoever does get it will end up doing a lot of the stuff the head of that position is supposed to do, because the one we have now, barely does anything related to that position. And he doesn't listen. He persists in giving one person stuff to check, even though they're not really qualified to do it and he's been told to stop. And if he keeps doing it when a deputy is appointed? What the hell is the point?
I'm coming to the conclusion that whoever gets that job is going to need to be a bit of an a**hole, and I"m not sure I have that in me.
So, much like the trailer for the Simpsons movie, I'm banging my head between an rock and a hard place, because all I'm thinking about is either work or the baby.
At this rate, I'm going to disappear altogether.

hammer hammer hammer

2006-11-17T11:33:00.000+13:00

J is doing something obscure to a very old desk that involves a lot of hammering. I'll be glad when he's done. We did very grown-up things yesterday, ordered a cot (crib) that's going to be delivered in a couple of weeks and bought a new drier after our old one decided it had had enough of living.
So then I bought a Paddington Bear hooded towel. I was so excited to find Paddington stuff, you have no idea. It seems like ALL of the baby stuff is Disney Disney Disney. I have nothing against Disney as such but I'm not really enamoured of the Disney Pooh Bear stuff (although I was very excited to find A A Milne Pooh Bear merchandise), so finding Paddington Bear was very exciting.
I also bought threads for the project I want to do for the baby's room ... so I have a feeling I may fall off the 10-project challenge.
It's not a ''baby'' pattern but has lovely bright and sunny colours. It's of a cat (what else?) sleeping in a window :)
What else. I had a terribly vivid dream that I nearly lost Scouty, who is our mad cat but she has a special place for me, because we got her on the day of the funeral of the woman from my work who trained me. She died of cancer :(
So I woke up very anxious and J had to reassure me that Scouty was okay.
Last but not least ... how beautiful is this? I love old-world maps ...
http://www.abcstitch.com/optioncart/image.php?image=http://www.abcstitch.com/images/s8/015-0237.jpg&catalog=J015-0237&item=Wonders of the World&price=41.99&itemtype=counted cross stitch kit

Friday on my mind (again)

2006-11-10T22:35:00.000+13:00

I'm turning into the Friday Poster for some reason. I have no idea why. Had an interesting week.
We heard Iggy's heartbeat properly for the first time on Tuesday when the midwife came around. Which was exciting ... but all J did was stand there and kind of peer at my stomach with his ears. So, after that, we both had a bad day. Me, because he didn't react the way I wanted him to in my head. Him ... see above. As he put it ''if I had just held your hand, none of this would have happened'' ... or words to that effect. *Sigh*.
It's such a stupid thing. It really is. He's doing pretty much everything right, and I know I'm lucky _ he does all the housework and the cooking at the moment, and all I do is go to work, pay the bills and sit on the couch growing a baby (he works part time). He's not as ... surface-excited as I am. But he's engaged and interested and all the good stuff. He's not one for showing excitement anyway, so I don't know why I thought he'd automatically change now.
Oy.
We've started on the baby's room - moving stuff etc. We've also moved Scouty's food bowl from our room (the windowsill) to the hallway. She's not happy about it at all, but she will eat out there. She's basically living in our room, so that's going to be ... challenging.
Once the bowl was moved though, the solution came to me. We can shut the other cats out of that part of the house, put a cat bed in the hallway and then shut the door to the baby's room. Scouty won't like it at all but you do what you have to, right?
Work has been ... I'd like to say fun but I'm lying. I worked two 1-8 shifts this week, helping in features and was bored out of my tree both days, so that was fun (Ha!)
The old saying is true - the more things change, the more they stay the same. Seems like we have the same complaints as we always did, we're just applying them to different people. It's just kind of dragging at me at the moment, I guess.
That's it for now, that's all she wrote, as it were.

It's been a year, give or take ...

2006-11-03T11:38:00.000+13:00

... since we lost Gizmo.I had honestly never had a cat like him. He had spirit and energy in spades. I also never had a sixth sense about a cat before; and the one thing I knew: we wouldn't have Gizmo for long. I tried to dismiss it because I didn't want it to become a self-fulfilling prophecy but, in the end, I was right. He was only nine months old. But in that nine months, he packed all the living that he could.
And now, funnily enough, all three cats we got since Gizmo, all have some of his traits. Leo has his smoochiness, even a similar style of getting close to your head for a good purr 'n' munch. Merlin has his ridiculously long tail and his trait of reaching up to your hand for a pat. And Piper ... Piper has some of Gizmo's fearlessness.
Gizmo may be gone, but he'll never be forgotten.
The pix have come out in the wrong order: Gizmo is the black cat in the plastic bag, Piper is 'reading' my blog, Leo is the fluff-monster and Merlin is the grey tabby.

Fully of Iggy goodness

2006-10-27T14:38:00.000+13:00

All is well! Iggy is the baby's nickname, because a workmate of mine started calling the baby my passenger, and Iggy Pop has a song called The Passenger. So ... introducing .... Iggy! Who is very very active! I'm in big trouble when I start feeling the baby .... eep!

All about me

2006-10-27T10:03:00.000+13:00

I blatantly pinched this from http://www.annettesacre.com/stitchblog/
I'm sitting here drinking my water like a good girl before my scan and I'm just getting more and more wound up so I need to distract myself for a bit:

48 Things You Could Care Less About
1. FIRST NAME? Maree
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not that I know of. The family took a vote, apparently, and I was very nearly Mary Jane instead of Maree Jane
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Yesterday. Baby hormones.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It's a bit scrawly if I don't pay attention
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Cold chicken
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Yes.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Nope.
1o. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I don't have one. I'm a cereal monogamist.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Depends on the shoes.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Hokey pokey.
14. SHOE SIZE? 9.
RED OR PINK? Red.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Um ... I get wound up to easily and can't relax.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Dad.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Uh ... sure.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue trackies, black singlet, black t-shirt and white nikes.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Toast.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Nothing - the traffic outside.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Red.
23. FAVORITE SMELL? Jasmine.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mother.
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Eyelashes.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? Yes.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Coke.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? Nope, got nothing here.
29. EYE COLOR? Hazel
30. HAT SIZE? No idea. I have a big head, so i don't wear hats a lot.
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No. I like wearing glasses.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Roast chicken, pavlova and, of course, chocolate.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Both.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Both!
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Ice cream.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I don't know.
LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? See above.
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Resurrection Man by Sean Williams and Snow White, Blood Red, ed by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
41. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Nothing _ I don't have one at the moment.
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Masterchef Goes Large and repeats of SVU, Criminal Intent and Law and Order.
FAVORITE SOUNDS? Rain, purring cats and that drifty mid-afternoon silence when you have nothing better to do than doze on the couch.
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles.
45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? Melbourne, Australia.
46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I can fit a whole chocolate digestive biscuit in my mouth. (They're big biscuits).
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Invercargill, New Zealand.
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Like I say, I stole it from Annette.

If you build it ...

2006-10-23T11:06:00.000+13:00

... it occurs to me that half-assedly blogging once a week probably isn't enough if I want to get past the notion that I"m talking to myself on this interweb thingy. Of course, I realise I'm not the only one. But, you know, it's all about me.
Work is FINALLY going to advertise the job that I'm going to apply for _ it's a promotion and the guy who held the job last left in ... July? August? Nothing like taking their time! The timing is off because of the baby and all but because I'm the main family wage earner, I can't really afford to take more than probably a couple of months off and I certainly can't afford to take what the laughingly call ''parental leave'' _ as far as I can tell I'd either get nothing, or a pittance for 14 weeks that wouldn't even cover our rent.
On the good side of that, we both work completely different hours, so Iggy (so named after Iggy Pop because he has a song called The Passenger apparently) will always have one of us home with him/her.
So I'm still going to apply for the job and you know, just see what happens.
Had a very quiet weekend, visited mother and a friend of mine Saturday, then I worked last night (ah ... the joy of working for a daily newspaper) but I"m not complaining _ I've splashed out and treated myself to a long weekend, so I have from Thursday to Monday off. Woo hoo!
Apart from the scan, I'm planning on doing lots of nothing. And then more lots of nothing. And for a change, you guessed it! Nothing!
I'm quietly plugging away at one of my 10 projects and I've managed to resist the Call of the New; I haven't even bought any new magazines lately. Either I'm missing the ones that I really like (Cross Stitch Gold and Cross Stitch Collection) or they're a little slow in getting here. It's getting to the time of year when postal services are busier than usual, so that's entirely possible.
Time for a visit to the bookstore though ...

Marauding moggy

2006-10-20T11:47:00.000+13:00

Piper is hanging around because she thinks she should be fed special food and not just the biscuits we give all the cats. Very precise tastes for a kitten who spent the first part of her life living outside!
Freak-out moment: we bought a pram this week *eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek*. One of the stores had a deal that was just too good to pass up. I just can't look at it yet. First scan next Friday and here are my fears about that:
I've imagined the whole thing and there is no baby
Twins
Baby but no heartbeat
Downs
I think that's all .... yep, that's all the freakouts I have for now.
Otherwise, all is well, I suppose.
Work has been fine, if frustrating this week, but nothing that really and truly matters, you know? Just the usual petty BS you get sunk in.
Anyway, we're in the process (slow process) of turning my writing/study into the baby's room. I haven't been doing much writing lately anyway, and I told J I didn't really need the non-internet computer he'd set up for me; it could just be put away for now. But he found a way around that, too and now I have a computer in the corner of our bedroom; just for writing. I wanted one with no internet access so I wouldn't get distracted. I was perfectly willing to give that up altogether for the baby, because I know we need to make sacrifices, but J wasn't willing to let me give it up. So I may not have a room of my own, but I do have a corner!
Beyond that, I got nothing.