Adding photos to photo page as I type...
Sorry, Bath, don't know what the smoke smell might have been - I was on the other side of the world today!
Allow me to explain...Peninsula Hot Springs. Melbourne girls - it is a MUST DO! I am quite blissed out, despite Oscar having a bit of a crying/screaming session midway through our day. That only took up a fraction of the time that we were there, though, and he was either splashing with us in the water ('us' being my GF and I) or asleep in the pram (he tired himself out with the crying and I think he was just overtired/stimulated because he wasn't hungry and wasn't cold and wasn't wet in the pants!). We even took the scenic route to get there - the Flinders way through the back of Cranbourne and it was just divine. My only gripe is that when Oscar was crying a staff member came out and ushered me into the change rooms, supposedly concerned that Oscar had wind and that I needed a more comfortable place to feed (he wasn't hungry, but I thought the boob might calm him down...no go - and I can actually feed anywhere, don't need a 'comfy' chair anymore), so there I was propped up (she'd put my feet up!) and she took Oscar from me to try to quiet him (ha! didn't work!), gave him back and left me in an echoey room, not even comfortable. Shortly after she left I got up, got him a bit quieter and then went outside again. He calmed down enough to doze off, but after a couple of attempts I decided he wasn't asleep enough to put down so I waited a bit more. Once I was convinced he was asleep I put him in and went to join GF in the hot pools. That lasted about 5 minutes before he woke up again (not asleep enough to ignore the dummy falling from his mouth!). Got him back to sleep quickly enough the next time and he stayed asleep for about 2 hours, so we enjoyed the rest of the pools (including the COLD plunge pool!), a late lunch (scrumptious) and I fed him after I had polished off a latte and my share of the cake. Pretty good going for Oscar's first aqua activity. He seemed to quite enjoy the water, so he should be fine for the Daylesford weekend in two weekends' time. ANyway, I didn't appreciate being shepherded away and TOLD my son is colicky. Had I not already been conscious that other patrons may be annoyed at a crying baby I would have had words, but I was a bit confused myself as to how to settle my boy, being that it's not often at all that he works himself up like that (last time being his shots, really). Talking to some patrons later, they didn't even mind, they felt sorry for me! They were all asking how old he was etc. I suppose there would have been some people who thought he was a spoilt child, but they can bite me. Also, because he sits up quite straight and fully supports his own head, they probably assumed that he was older than he really is. I mean, I couldn't have hoped for a better day out and first time in water for a 2 and a half month old! And the nerve of the staff member trying to tell me I was tense and needed to relax...I was doing fine before she came and took me away!
They're starting works on a family area and when that's opened they won't allow children under 5 in that area. That's fine, I can understand that, because it's close to the private pools area, but meantime, without a no-child policy or child-friendly area, they can deal with it. Anyway, there was another baby crying later on, so I wasn't alone. My GF was trying to help, too, so there was no need for staff to make a mountain out of a molehill.
HOWEVER, I am still blissed out by the water therapy and my skin feels great. I wore a very vintage swimsuit, too, so I felt great in my old/new figure with my plump baby in his new swimmers.
So, THAT'S why I was on the other side of the world.
Congrats, Ali, on the kilos!
Heaven - nice work on the nappies! I'm going to have to see about making me some, too! But they won't work out nearly as great as yours cos I haven't sewn much in the last 8 years...
Racs - they are some VERY cute photos!
Identity and being a mummy - I can understand women needing something else. For myself, though, I don't think this will be an issue. I have always avoided defining myself by what I do and have more defined myself by what I am and taking those qualities that I enjoy about myself into whatever I do. I do this because I see friends and others who define themselves by their degrees, houses, friends, jobs, cars etc and to me, that's not enough and if that other thing becomes unstable, what of their identities? I can take WHO I am wherever I want. I"ve never had a career, so have been unable to define myself by that, never had a fab car (I did think my old Falcon was fab, cos she could tow my horse and when I lost it I did miss my horsey freedom and still do), never been close to even qualifying for a home loan, my friends complement me but don't define me etc. Being a mummy is kind of an extension of my nurturing bent - I've nurtured horses, dogs and now a little person. I think I've done myself a favour in being multi-faceted in my non-work life, like brigade, horse riding, riding club, music etc. They are all things that I can continue being involved with whilst raising Oscar and, indeed, he is easily integrated into that life. I think that because of all of this I'm in no danger of being painted into a corner. I wasn't always so active. It changed after I heard a song by my favourite local songwriter, Tiffany Eckhardt, where she sings about not waiting till it's too late to let your loved ones know you love them ("Let it Rain"). The line that, in hindsight, changed my life when one day I sang it, realised what I was singing and couldn't finish the line cos I was crying was this: "and it makes me wonder why I've filled up my life so there's no room for people in it". I had friends and my horsey life, but I felt that I had wrapped myself too much in the horse world and that there were other things I wanted to do, and to hang out with my non-horsey friends. That's when I got back in touch with my GF's family, after drifting away from them for nearly a year, and got back into music, joined the fire brigade and started to actually live a bit fuller
If I never went back to work I wouldn't care cos I still make a contribution to my world in my own little (free!) way. Actually, I'll email you all a little inspirational tip I received this week - it resonated with me strongly.
It was a bit of a shift to make in my head to be dependant on DP when I went on (unpaid) maternity leave, but I got over it and it's part of life, I suppose. I'm more flexible than I thought I was! That said, one day I will work in a career, and I look forward to that. DP can't wait to be a stay at home dad, but he'll take over when the kids are out of toddlerhood.
A bit like you, Bath, we know we can be a happy family without having the 'must haves' - we're still breathing without a flat screen TV, without a less than 10 year old car, without aircon, without designer duds, without 'nice holidays' etc. Like the Jack Johnson song, 'we got everything we need and baby, everything we need is enough'.
I'm going to stop typing now cos I think the waters I took today have made me all sentimental and waterlogged!