Author Archive: Robyn

Mama and Adam’s Newest Adventure

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So I’ve been wanting to go to Connswater Shopping Centre for awhile, because there is a Really Really Big Tesco (TM) there, but was always a bit daunted by the distance. Until I realized it was only about half a mile further than the Tesco I go to now.

So I put Adam in his new stroller and headed off.  Simon was a bit iffy about it, as its not the best part of Belfast, but I realized as we walked along that so long as I wasn’t wearing my ‘I’m for a United Ireland’ t-shirt, I’d be okay.  NB: I don’t actually own such a t-shirt.  My point is that the area is heavy LOL with lamp-posts with pictures of the Queen and everything.  Simon says about 1 block to the left is the just the opposite.

Anyway, it was a very nice walk, mostly flat (as opposed to my other Tesco, which is mostly uphill the whole way) and with traffic lights almost every crossing (also unlike my other Tesco) and then I was there.  Mecca.  Okay, so its just a very nice shopping centre with a Really Really Big Tesco (TM) and a Dunnes and Boots and all sorts of places.  It was fab.

So Adam and I looked around Dunnes.  And then went and did the shopping in Really Really Big Tesco (TM).  I carried through with a plan I’d been thinking about for awhile, which was to fold the pushchair up and stick it in a trolley rather than try to carry a hand-basket and push the stroller.  Worked a treat, except that there was no safety strap in the trolley seat, so I tied him in with a string I had!

Adam loved it.  I forgot to take a picture, though.  Maybe next time.

However, since it was a Really Really Big Tesco (TM) and it was laid out differently from my usual Tesco (and why is that? Why can’t they all be laid out the same?) shopping took longer than usual.  Suddenly it was noon and I had a hungry, cranky boy on my hands.  I wasn’t feeling too uncranky myself, actually.

So what’s a Mama to do?  We went to the food court.  Where our choices were Chinese, Burger King, Subway or Chicken Cottage.  And I knew the one thing Adam *might* eat was chicken.  So Adam had his very first ever child’s meal.  Chicken and Chips.  He ate about one nugget and some chips.  I had some chicken as well.

And then we headed home.  And belly full of chips boy fell asleep in his pram about 10 minutes from the flat and stayed asleep for about an hour.

So it was a good adventure.  I was feeling guilty about the lunch until I spoke to Simon:

‘Forgive me Dada, for I have sinned.’  I said to him on the phone.

‘Oh?’ He replied

‘Adam had his first ever fast food lunch today.’

‘Oh.  Well he’s had bits of my Egg McMuffins when he’s been with me and I’ve had one.’

Guilt 100% gone.

So, Monday

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I do my first ‘hire me, I rock’ pitch to a potential new client.

I’m not as nervous as I might be as the client is someone I’ve known for years and consider a work friend.  I mean, we’ve never gotten together away from The Science Park, other than Science Park parties, but we chat when we see each other, catch up, enquire about our kids, that sort of thing.

Its not even really a pitch, more of a ‘hey, wanna have some coffee and I’ll tell you what I can do for you, if you’re interested?’  His company already has a fairly decent website, it just needs updating.  And maintained.  I am hoping he may need a brochure or two as well.

So keep an eye on my website.  I’m about to add a gallery page and maybe, just maybe, a new client to the list.

I Once Put As My Facebook Status

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“People without chronic pain illness cannot understand that a lessening of pain is as good as no pain at all.”

That holds true every day of my life.

I am in pain of some sort 24/7/365.  Whether my left hand aches from arthritis or my left leg hurts from ass to ankle with early degenerative disease or my upper arms protest from the simplest actions due to fibro, there is some kind of pain in my body.  Sometimes all of the above at the same time. Sometimes even more than that.

So when I wake up and its only one of those things? That’s an awesome day.

Today? Is pretty much an awesome day.  My left hand doesn’t hurt (although it is stiff).  My leg feels pretty good.  My arms are less sore than they have been lately.

The main reason for this is rest.  Simon is on holiday for two weeks, this week coming up being the second, and, as we try to do when he’s off, we’ve been each having 2 nights on, 2 nights off, getting up with Adam.  And not only have the last two nights been my nights off, but Adam has started to sleep better again.  So really, I’ve had 3 fairly decent nights sleep in a row.

And all it really takes is 2.  2 good nights and I start to feel better.  The problem has been the 3rd night.  But, with any luck, Adam will sleep well tonight and I’ll get 4 decent nights sleep in a row.

Man, imagine how good I might feel tomorrow!

Letter To My Son – Adam – 14 Months Old

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Dear Adam

14 months and lots has been happening!

Right now you have an ear and chest infection and are on antibiotics.  Luckily you take medicine very well.

You are getting into things more and more, keeping Mama and Dada hopping: –

My first attempt at dress up was less than successful

You’ve got a new pushchair, to save Mama some energy as we go up the hill to daycare.  You seem to like it very much, as you sort of lounge in it.

But mostly you’re becoming a toddler.  Insisting on doing things yourself.  Not wanting to waste time with nappy changes.  Hating to sit on some one’s lap for long periods (unless you’re very sleepy).  You want to be out and about and doing doing doing.  You want to be walking, but aren’t quite sure how that works yet beyond a step or two (unless holding on!).  Mama can just tell that as soon as you figure it out? You’ll go straight to running.

Although you’ve never crawled on hands and knees, you have no problem getting around:

You’ve also started to eat exactly what Mama and Dada eat, or you won’t eat at all.  The other night we had a curry and started to give you something out of a jar.  You refused to eat it, peering interestingly at Mama’s plate.  So she gave you a small piece of Chicken Tikka.  And some Na’an.  Chapati?  Pilau Rice?  Ate.It.All.

You’ve now had stuffed cod, salmon in garlic and soy, lamb stew, beef stew, pickles, chips and one small piece of corn crisp.  You wanted more of the last but Mama had a fear of you choking on it. 🙂

Unfortunately, you are having a tough time settling into daycare.  You cry when Mama or Dada leave you, although they say you do play a bit and seem to be getting better, there is still some crying off and on.  It probably won’t help that you’ve missed a few days due to being ill this month, but we’ll start again next week.

You’ve also got 2 new teeth poking through.  Upper right and left, one over from your incisor.  So you’ll have a gap.  And nothing to chew against, as you still only have the two front on the bottom!

The biggest news of all?  And the reason Mama is actually glad this is a day late?  Because today, this morning, for the first.time.ever?  You looked right at me and said Mama.

I love you

Mama

So, My Dad Asked Me On Skype Today…

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‘You’ve cancelled our Skype twice now because of work on your flat.  Is it falling apart?’

The answer is no.  The reason there is suddenly so much work being done around here is that I finally got a contact at our landlord’s who, when I ring and say ‘The metal strip between Adam’s room and hall has lifted and is dangerous.’  Replies ‘I’ll have someone out tomorrow.’

As opposed to our previous contact who, when I said ‘the paint is chipping quite badly in the hall’ came ’round, took a mass of pictures and never did anything.  My new contact, when I pointed out it was still chipping, came ’round, took a look, and scheduled the shower replacement and the repainting within in weeks.  My first conversation about this? Was about a year ago.

But now the work is done.  The en suite shower is replaced.  The paint is fixed.  The broken shower door in the hall bath is gone and a rail up instead, with a shower curtain I chose myself.

And now to organize.

The goal, overall, is to make the closets usable, rather than large dumping grounds, and to make Adam’s room as safe for him as possible.  Adam’s room has always also been a dumping ground and is no way, shape or form safe for the toddler he is quickly becoming.  I want to make it so we can put a stair gate up and leave him in there to play without supervision.  We do have a playpen, but how cool would it be for him to have his *entire* room for that?!

So the large bookcases full of Mummy and Daddy’s books are being moved.  The bits and pieces he has outgrown are going to be sold.  The tall cupboards that hold his things will be fastened to the wall.  And so on.

Because my baby? Is starting to walk: –

So Fridays

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unless we have something else to do, Adam and I head to St George’s for the indoor Farmer’s Market.  We mostly go to buy fish, as its the only time there’s a decent fish monger at City Centre, but we also pursue the veg, just to see if there’s anything interesting.

The plan today was tuna, which I would then put under the grill with a mustard/mayo sauce and serve with the fresh local peas also purchased at St George’s today.  Except the tuna was £19.50 a kilo and looked a little off.

So instead I bought cod.  And am in the middle, right now, as we speak, of making Fish Stew.

This is a recipe that I acquire from my father in law.  He makes it much much better than I do, although Simon says mine is okay.  His is probably much better because I replace the 6 tablespoons of olive oil he cooks the fish in with fish stock. 🙂

The recipe:

500g firm white fish, like cod

2 cloves garlic

5 tomatoes

500g white mushrooms, sliced or quartered, depending on your mood

6 T plus Fish stock or olive oil

parsley

6 oz single cream

Clean and debone the fish.  It helps to have a pin boner for this.  I love my gadgets.

Cook at 200 C for 15 minutes in 6 T fish stock.

Turn oven down to 180 C and continue to cook, checking on moistness of fish frequently.  Add more stock as needed.

Meanwhile, deseed the tomatoes and cook in a bit of olive oil until mushy.  Peel off the skins and discard.

Add the garlic, mushrooms and parsley.

When the fish is cooked, add the cream to the pan and stir to combine.

Pour over fish and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Its loverly. 🙂

My Absolutely Non-Picky Eater…

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So you hear about kids who just.won’t.eat.  Okay, well, they eat, but its things like hot dogs and fish fingers and chips.

I don’t have one of those kids.

In the past few weeks Adam has eaten:

Chicken Tikka, pilau rice, pickles, na’an, chappati, cod, fresh peas, risotto, salmon, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, oven chips, hamburger, cheese on toast, eggs with cheese, sharp cheese and I’m sure I’ve forgotten something.

The last thing Adam is is a picky eater.

Hopefully he never will be.

Apologies If Anyone Couldn’t Get Here Yesterday

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My brother hosting company migrated servers yesterday so we were down for a bit.  All fixed now! 🙂

These past 3 weeks of flat repair have convinced me, once again, that I don’t ever really want to own my own house.  Its been constant is the workman going to show up, oh good he did, oh crap he needs to come back, oh look another lot of plumbers and they still can’t fix it.  And its not over because we are pretty sure we found the leak, in the hall bath by the radiator.  Where they *just* fixed the paint from a previous water issue.

The good news? We don’t have to pay for it.  The bad news?  I can’t get a moments peace in my own house!!!

I was very much looking forward to dropping Adam off at day care, coming home, making a fresh pot of coffee, doing some work, having a sleep, doing some more work, actually eating lunch, cleaning a bit of the house maybe, then going to get him to find he’s had a lovely day of playing and laughing and making friends.

Instead I drop him off and leave him crying for me, come home, let in the handyman, get a headache as they rip the tiles off the bathroom wall with a jack hammer, do some work, eat some lunch, get slightly nauseaous from the smell of fresh paint, go pick up Adam to find out that he’s cried off and on for 5 hours and won’t eat anything while there.

I actually had a decent nights sleep last night, for the first time in about a week, and Simon asked if I felt any better.  Nope.  I need about 2 weeks of decent sleep to maybe feel better.  I suggest I check myself into a hotel and leave he and Adam to it.  Simon said no. 🙁

I guess I’ll feel better when Adam is 16 and refuses to get up at all during school hols.

Or maybe not.

I Am Sure I Am Not

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the first person to stare at their child and wonder.  Not just at how quickly they are growing or at the fact that they are a parent.

But wonder at the magic that is the creation of life.

About 22 months ago an egg met a sperm and 37 weeks 6 days later a full human being came out of my tummy.

Think about it.  A full, complete person was inside me.  And then wasn’t.

With fingers and toes and hair and eyes and ears and a mouth and all those things.

And now that small being is bigger.  And turning, right before my eyes, into a real person.  With a personality and likes and dislikes.  With hair that needs trimming and nails that need clipping.

That talks.  And thinks.  And learns.

That is beginning to walk.  And feed itself.  And plays.

That is rapidly turning from my baby to my little boy.

That can clap its hands.  And use a spoon.  And show you how big he is.

That can say Dada and look towards his Mama when you ask him where she is.

A whole complete human being.

That grew in my tummy.

Miracle of life indeed.