Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The sort of 4 month (and a week) update

Firstly, there WAS a post. It was funny - I laughed. It took all day to hone the level of levity required for the depth of the subject matter. It had some great concepts and words woven in, and I promised photos.

Unfortunately, Blogger decided that it needed to do some housework during one of the many baby-induced breaks I took during the writing of that post AND I made the fatal mistake of not copying the whole lot to somewhere else before hitting "Publish" - and the rest, as they say, is at the bottom of the deep Blogger Ocean.

So instead you get an update. And photos.

Here goes.

Paris is now 4 months, 1 week old.
She is 7kg and long - it all depends on how you stick the various tapes together as to how long she might be, according to the nurse who measured and shot her today.
She rolls. 10 days ago there was a baby who HATED to be on her stomach for the ordered Tummy Time. She is over that - put her down and you don't have time to turn around before she has flipped over. And over. And over.

The thing that really irks her now is she can see where she wants to go, but hasn't quite worked out the spin and roll combination required to get there. She does have a mighty effort in moving forward while on her tummy, but has yet to learn that heaving the stomach off the tarmac will be far more effective.

I give her a week before we have reached DEF CON 3 when we absolutely need to contemplate gates and put the electronic equipment out of reach.

(as an aside, our Digital Television experiment has moved into the unknown - on the plus side, we have got a picture and the annoying buzz has disappeared, downside is we now receive no sound at all, apparently a state of affairs that the helpdesk has NEVER EVER encountered before. Glad to be breaking new territory for you, fellas.)

She drools and screams - until today, I was blaming it all on teeth, but now we have medicine and an explanation for sudden tenderness in my bosom OTHER THAN oh, it must be because I am a carp mother and we have lost our magic in the latch...

Friday, April 23, 2010

Today I...

was going to do a lovely waffly post about what happened during my day.

It was going to be all dot point-y and had interesting information about pronounciation, grammar and the joy of laundry...

But then some of the things that happened during my day were down (morning migraine; dusk onset of sudden reaction to a little bit of cream; sad news not directly to do with me but that has and will affect us all a little bit) and so all of the up (present opening, walking with Paris in a sling to the beach, housework) sort of got a bit blurry and it wasn't as pithy as I needed - and so I scrapped that post.

Thank you for the lots of lovely ideas given yesterday. The presents I got today were not found in that list but were well worth celebrating my 37th (anniversary of my 4th birthday).

I got foodie stuff (I am the sort of girl who swoons in kitchen places); girlie stuff (both of the smelly and silky variety); electrical stuff (that has apparently been researched into the ability to withstand the hex that is in our house) and beautiful cards that make me smile. You get no photos because the batteries died...

We haven't yet eaten the cake that was baked for me, because the daughter who started my day at 2am decided her need for my attention was greater than mine - but I have been good and not investigated and will extend my birthday to cake for breakfast!

Anyway, looks like my football team have decided to add to the "down" section of my day so I will crawl into bed and switch off the light.

Oh, and the answers to 'Salina's riddles were in the comments of that post - but here they are again:
..On the third roosters dont lay eggs.number 1 was One knight a butcher a backer and candle stick maker went into a shop - Mum helped me make the "K" invisible because the K is silent - but it was there...
number 2 is that one leaves at 7 am the other at 7 pm.

Nigh nigh!!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Suggestions Please

V just asked me what I wanted for my birthday, as he and 'Salina are going shopping.

I have no idea... The things I really want I already have or are not tangible - or available at the local shops.

He then suggested I ask my readers what he should get a 37 year old woman with style - see why I love him?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Guest Post - Riddles Me 'Salina

One knight a butcher a backer and candle stick macker went into a shop and came out with 4. How is that possible?

Two trains leave opposite ends of a line at 7 o'clock heading towards each other on the same track. The don't meet. How is that possible?

The wind blows from the west. A rooster lays an egg on my roof. What way does the egg fall off?

Answers later

Thursday, April 15, 2010

(Not) from the mouths of babes

(Dateline: Last Week / Location: Granite Glen)

'Salina had hurt her foot - you know the bit of the foot that is really tender, on the top up towards the "bunion ring" (her word for the sticky out bit of the ankle since forever) and was trying desparately hard not to cry too loudly.

"Don't you hate it when that happens," I said to her. "That is the bit where it hurts so much you almost feel like swearing. Should we make up a suitable swear word?"

Dash broke in. "Auntie Jeanie," he said, "sometimes when I am hurt like that, I use REAL swear words inside my head."

'Salina agreed that she too has a habit of internalised swearing.

When I recounted this to Bush Babe she replied "and sometimes they don't stay inside his head."

He looks so innocent.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Lamb Cobbler

This is really a post in hindsight, so no photos.

This weekend, V and I have had a second honeymoon - of sorts. 'Salina has been with the Wild West relatives for most of the Easter holidays - I was out there with her for about half, and then returned to a pining V with Paris.

Our last honeymoon didn't have the factor of a baby there. It does make a difference. Especially when said baby had a horrid time with the spectre of teeth rolling around in her gums (from the sinuses through to her toes, it seemed) and a tummy upset by saliva, medicine for gums and general "give me a new life right now" rage.

Its weekends like those when you realise you are truly blessed when life is normal with the almost perfect child.

I actually had to wake up during the night!

When 'Salina is away, we tend to lash out and eat real grown-up food. Things with tuna and onion, with chilli and flavour - things 'Salina would not eat. You will note that I didn't include the possibility of this with Paris' tummy upset, and that is because her bowels actually IMPROVED when I ate a really hot curry on Saturday!!

However, as I didn't have this data available when I was planning last night's dinner, I thought I might tone down our wild meals and pondered the lamb I had anticipated turning into something spicy and turned over more sedate options.

This is the result.

Lamb Cobbler

  • 400g lamb chump chops (as they were on special - you could use the unidentified bits after you have bagged a side of lamb) (if you are vegetarian, I have done similar stuff with chick peas)
  • 2 onions
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • oil
  • Veges - I used 1 sweet potato, 2 potatoes, 1 cup frozen peas, 1 cup frozen spinach, 1 head broccoli - but only because that is what there was, not by design. Its one of those meals...
  • 1 sachet French Onion Soup (there were thoughts of ground cumin, ground coriander, sage, other stuff - I must go through the list of herbs I use V herbs I got and do a shop, it seems!) (I had the sachet from some long forgotten recipe that didn't eventuate and it was approaching that "do something with or toss" moment in its life)
  • Water
  • 3 tablespoons Tomato Relish (one of those "I can't find the tomato paste jar - what is this" inspired moments)
  • 1 1/2 cup SR flour
  • 1 cup fresh parsley (okay, that was a skite because I actually harvested about 4 cups of this - if you want any we have plenty - otherwise use whatever herbs float your boat, some dried at a pinch)
  • 75g Butter
  • 200ml Milk

  1. Brown lamb in oil (if vegetarian, you don't need to brown the chick peas. Of course, ensure you are using pre-soaked, pre-cooked chick peas - it really won't be edible if that step has been avoided. Get them in a can if you haven't done that, 'kay?)
  2. Take out the meat and cook roughly chopped onion and garlic until translucent. (Although, if the baby wakes and needs you at this point and "translucent" becomes "gently browned" it doesn't matter, apparently.)
  3. Throw in the chopped and/or frozen veges at this time (but not the broccoli - hold off on stuff that will get soggy until further down the list)
  4. Put the meat back in (and yes, you can do this, the above and the below steps with a baby in one arm - just make sure you extend the other arm to keep baby out of "'arms" way! I crack myself up - too much time in my own head here.)
  5. Sprinkle the French Onion Soup mix over it all and pour in enough water to just cover the mass
  6. Stir, put a lid on it and turn the heat right down
  7. Simmer for however long you have - at least 1/2 hour, at most a few...
  8. When the baby has settled or is playing with Daddy, make a scone dough
    • rub the butter into the flour and herbs
    • mix in enough milk to make a soft dough
    • roll out and cut sconish shapes
  9. Stir through chopped broccoli
  10. Top with scone shapes
  11. Put in 200 degree oven for 20-30 minutes (why yes, you could glaze that topping if you remembered - apparently it doesn't really matter, though, because some people forget that step as they rush through it trying to not have the baby cry too long)
  12. Eat

Actually, this is probably good enough for a 10 year old's palate - and there is enough there to feed two adults twice over and a few snack attacks!!

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Random Act of Kindness

Today I, with one overflowing grocery trolley and one overtired baby, was tapped on the shoulder by a lady.

"Can I push for you" she asked.

Do you know my first thought was "no" because I am all independent and "can do it myself" but then I realised how truly stupid that attitude is when you have one overflowing grocery trolley ,one overtired baby and several dozen cars to thread your way through.

"Thank you very much" I responded, and I am still thanking that kind lady in my thoughts hours lady (the groceries are unpacked but the overtired baby is just that much more overtired).

So - any random acts of kindness out there to report?