More good days...

Tomorrow Baby-Lo and I are heading off to a dietician who specialises in paed allergies!

Super-dad knows her through a board he serves on, and she has graciously offered to help us even though she is not taking new patients!

I suppose another sentence culminating in an exclamation point will portray how excited I am!

Small pleasures

I turned 31 last week, and was thoroughly spoilt by "treat mice".

One of the special deliveries was a pack of RJ's licorice chocolate bullets, sent by one of my favourite people.

She warned me not to eat the entire pack in one sitting - so far I'm not sure I can agree to that!

So so delicious...

What comes after the second guess?

Today Baby-Lo had an operation to insert grommets after around about 8 ear infections in the last 12 months. And this afternoon, we had an email from an allergy specialist dietician friend of Super-dad's who is happy to meet with us, and who fears the reflux/ear infections may be caused by a food allergy OTHER than the suspected milk allergy we've been eliminating for in the last month.

That dull thud you can hear is the sound of me banging my head against a wall, and that pitter patter sound is my brain as it flip flops from feeling like we've done the right thing (there was lot's of gunk in both ears when we thought the issue was only in 1 ear), to feeling like I've missed at least part of another potential cause (and I ought to have done more to investigate before turning to surgery for my little darling girl).

I ought to just feel relief that my daughter is fine. Instead I feel like we might be just at the beginning of another uphill climb to get some answers.

what I like to call The Soft Road

I don't know that this is my invention, but I'll take it as such til proven otherwise.

The Soft Road is a philosophy about making life easier.

I tend to have what some my call a Protestant ethic that things worth doing oughtn't be enjoyable, that hard work is the best, and there's nothing like toil to prove your worth.

I've gone off this idea in the last 12 months, as I've slowly learnt that in fact there is nothing wrong with avoiding the hard road altogether.

I now am far gentler on myself: I once expected a fantasty transformation into some Martha/Nigella hybrid the moment I was married. Then I thought maybe it would be upon the arrival of my first born. Nope. Still waiting.

So in the meantime I acknowledge that Super-dad won't come home to a glorious 3 course home-cooked meal each night; my daughter won't always eat organic and home baked goods; and I won't leave the house with an immaculate blowdry and twin set.

Instead I settle for The Soft Road: acknowledging the efforts I do make, and enjoying the activities that I choose to do instead of cleaning, baking and homemaking.

The Soft Road for apathetichousewife

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I've been late to join the legions of readers, but join I have - and the fan club too what's more.

I had half read so many reviews in recent months from various bloggers. Somewhere along the line I developed the impression that this would be a bit of a cerebral read and quite hard work. It was neither.

Definitely thought provoking but not cerebral in terms of a difficult intellectual work out.

I can't wait for my great friend to read this so we can have our inaugural book group meet about it. Just an excuse to catch up regularly, in truth.

I want to go back and ear mark the passages that really resonated with me.

"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep on swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't, you will leak away your innate
contentment. It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments."

An easy reading, light, deep, funny, moving inspiration.

My Year Without Sex

Super-dad and I went to the movies today - the 11am session, followed by lunch at TiAmo, and wandering Lygon street (with a long nosey in BBold to top it all off).

Bliss.

GMa is here to look after baby-Lo, or vice versa.

The film? Beautiful.

It is so simple and real and engrossing. I don't know what it is about having had a child, but I find myself so easily moved - this film was filled with loads of real candid teary moments for me. Some striking lines and vignettes - so many moments you're filled with what might go wrong (and doesn't) and minutes later filled with hope for what might happen (and doesn't).

We chatted about it for ages over lunch, and again on the drive home.

Favourite lines: "I bought you another cow so you'd have two". "For my second wife, I choose you".

*insert disclaimers about dreadful photo quality here

Is it an election year? I've promised and I shall deliver!

Here are some photos of clothes I've made from my adored Oliver + S patterns

the Sunday brunch skirt and jacket

The bedtime story pjs

And my favourite so far - the 2+2 blouses.

I think the attention to detail in pattern design provides a really polished finish that disguises all sewing abilities.

Next on my list is the bubble dress - I hope to overcome my fear of sewing knits and tackle it in a soft stretch of some kind. Maybe merino?

I may not be a Doctor...

I may not have a medical qualification but even I can diagnose a serious case of mermaid legs.

Still no sun...

There's still no sun, hence no photos. They'll come and spruce this place up some time, I promise.

I've been knocked over with a flu. The porcine variety? Who knows, and it seems the Drs and government no longer care.

I personally believe that the incubation period is longer than the 3 days the Drs currently suggest: 1 week to the day that I fell ill I'd spend the evening crafting with 2 teachers from 2 different schools in Melb that have since been declared swine flu zones. My guess is that that is more than mere coincidence!

Anyway, I'm on the mend, slowly. No crafting, lot's of lying around moaning and feeling sorry for myself. I'm very thankful for Super-dad and Super-mother-in-law who have willingly stepped up to the plate and taken care of Baby-Lo these last 2 days.

Home quarantine recommended for 3-7 days (depending who you ask) so another 1-5 days.

Baby-Lo is back to herself: no night screaming for 2 nights now - hurrah! Now we just have to work out whether it's the dairy free diet, the new mode of med delivery or something else that has helped her settle back into her groove.

Count to my very own Super-mum arrives? 2 big sleeps!

And another point in the "good days" column...

I've just been offered free tickets to see Justine Clarke this afternoon - how exciting!

I *think* the reflux is settling too - dairy free or new form of meds delivery? Hmmm

Rainy cold days

It's a rainy, cold day in Melbs today.

Several hours of knitting done - a beautiful 4 ply merino is slowly becoming a helmet for a friend's newborn son. Bluestone, from Morris & Sons. Hmm, I did NOT need to just-this-minute discover that they have an online facility!

Photos will still be promised until the sun finally appears!

Bad nights and good days

Bad nights: Baby-Lo's silent reflux, which til 2 weeks ago was perfectly controlled with meds, has flared up again terribly. Super-dad watched two episodes of INTG with her and read books between 10 and 1. She settled back to sleep til 4, then I did the 4-5am shift with more INTG.

Our "sleep-in" til 10.30 this am would have been sweeter had we not all been exhausted.

Good days: I won 2 tix from one of my favourite bloggers - mamamia. Hurrah for random draws. I really wanted to see this movie, so can't wait. Maybe Super-dad and I can have a date?

Crafting today? Just an hour or so of knitting a twirly whirly scarf using some yummy Vero. If we get some sun one of these days I'll post some pictures.

it was always going to happen

It was always going to happen: this blog thing.

It'll start by recording some of the things I'm crafting, and we'll see where we go from there.

I've developed a passion for Oliver + S patterns

They're a delight to follow, and come together so well. Photos to follow.

So far I've made the Bedtime Story PJs, 2+2 blouse, Sunday Brunch jacket and skirt, with plans for the Sailboat set, and the dresses. Oh the dresses.

I wouldn't consider myself an accomplished sewer, and yet the instructions come together so well.