except I’m too tired.
So pretend I’m being witty, okay?
It Is Obvious To Me
that the Belfast City Council Department of Tourism did not speak to the Belfast City Council Department of Works this summer.
Tourism has encouraged things like the Tall Ships and lots of tourists.
Works has decided that this summer is the perfect time to rip all the stone pavements up at City Centre and replace them with…stone pavements.
So City Centre is a maze of blocked off pavement as each section is replaced. Really fun for this mummy with a pram to make her way through as 1000 tourists are stopping, taking pictures (Look! Its M&S! Here in Belfast! (I wish I was kidding)) and walking so.very.slowly.
Can I have just 5 minutes alone with the head of each department? I actually know the Tourism person…
So, I Once Swore I Wouldn’t Use
Facebook or MySpace or any other social networking site because they were stupid.
I was wrong.
Sure, people can take them much too seriously. Just like message boards.
But what I am finding really really neat is the way my friends are interconnecting just because they all know me.
Example:
My status said: How does a 2 month old get dirt under his fingernails? Has he been gardening when I’m not looking?
I received two responses. My friend Margo said if he was gardening send him her way to help her. Then my friend Teresa said and after he’s done at Margo’s send him to me.
Margo and Teresa have never met. Will never meeting. Are in no way connected except that they both know me. Margo lives in the UK. Teresa in the US. I know Margo through one message board, Teresa through another.
There have been other, more involved conversations amongst people on my friends list in response to my status updates. I find it fascinating.
People also ask me if all 114 people listed as my friends are actually people I know. Most of them are. Recently I have added people I don’t really know because I play a few Facebook games where you get further in the game the more people you friend who also play the game. So I have responded to some requests on some message boards to be friended for that purpose. The games are Farm Town and Farmville if anyone wants to neighbour me!!
But that’s about 10 people out of 114. Have I met them all in real life? Nope. But they are really my friends. People I speak to daily via various venues. Or they are my family! Ya know, people I’m related to via blood or marriage!
And through them I speak to people I would never have had met. And they do the same through me.
It ain’t called the World Wide Web for nothing…
Letter to My Son – Adam – 2 Months Old
Dear Adam
Today you are 2 months old. Would you believe not one trip the hospital for anything other than a check up for the whole month?
Of course, this doesn’t mean you haven’t been hurt. Daddy was clipping your fingernails and missed and cut a big chunk out of one of your fingers. That’s the hardest you’ve cried. And the blood! And the Daddy guilt. Which I told him to stop, as its nothing compared to Mummy dropping you on your head!
You were at the hospital for your after head dropping check up and it turns out that you did crack a rib as well. Nothing they can do except let it heal, especially since it is obviously not hurting you. You do still have a big lump on your side and the Doctor said that was why. You have been discharged though! So no more hospitals for you, please, my son. Just your regular baby clinic visits and jabs!
We’ve also had some bad days of crankiness and not sleeping. Mummy thinks its a bit of colic. Or maybe just being 2 months old. She tells herself, and you and Daddy, this too will pass. Some day you’ll be 18 and we’ll be fretting about something else. Like you wanting to take a year to travel the world with your unsuitable girlfriend. 🙂
You’ve started to smile at Mummy and Daddy. Its the best thing in the whole world. Along with your babbling to yourself as you sit in your chair. Or maybe you’re babbling to your animals that hang on it?
Things we’ve learned about you this month: –
- If you are totally hysterical, but won’t take a bottle or a dummy or even a hug, putting you under your mobile in your cot is instant calm. Winnie the Pooh for the win!
- If you are obviously sleepy but just won’t settle, a good swaddle in your blue blanket and a few minutes cuddle (usually) knocks you out for at least a little while!
- You are beginning to be able to sooth yourself back to sleep, so long as you aren’t hungry or dirty.
- You make a sound that sounds like a giggle. But might not be.
At your last weigh in your were 12lbs and 22inches. My great big boy!
Keep growing!
Love
Mummy
I Never Write About Celebrities On Here
There are plenty of blogs who do that.
And I never grieve when a celebrity dies. I didn’t know them, why grieve? I feel bad for their families, but you will never find me crying over a celebrity death.
But John Hughes’ death I am grieving over.
Not just because it means part of my teenagehood just died. Not really. But because of what that part of my teenagehood meant to me.
I was, to put it midly, a disturbed teenager. Angry, anxious, obnoxious. Rude, sarcastic. Mean. Horrible to my parents, my siblings. To everyone.
But sit down and watch a John Hughes flick? And it all went away. In his movies the geek was cool. The not so popular girl got the big footballer player as her boyfriend. The cool car was available for driving. Pure 100% escapism for all of us angsty teenagers.
There is a reason the Brat Pack did so well. And, in some cases, are still doing so well. They spoke to us. Through John Hughes’ words and direction they were us. Doing what we did. Or wished we could do.
Go to YouTube and you’ll see what I mean. Since his death was annouced there have been 100s of tribute videos posted. With snippets of his movies. With stills. With the music. He touched a generation.
My generation.
RIP Mr John Hughes. Your legacy will live forever.
Excuse me now. I have to go put every movie he ever made on my LoveFilm list now.
Baby Brain, I Think Its Catching…
So, every Monday night Simon and I have groceries delivered for the week. This means that on Sunday we figure out what we want to eat Tuesday through Friday and order ingredients accordingly.
This morning I began pulling the items out to make tonight’s Chicken Cacciatore, so I could prep veggies while Adam was being happy in his bouncy seat. Then I would just have to bung them and some chicken into the slow cooker at lunch time and 6 hours later, dinner would be on the table.
So I am rummaging through my veg drawer and I realize Tesco had sent me 4 onions. ‘Why four onions?’ I said out loud.
Simon said ‘What are we having this week?’
‘Chicken Cacciatore, Chicken Casserole, Goulash, Veggie Lasagne and…wait, what’s the fourth thing?’ I replied. ‘Chicken Cacciatore, Chicken Casserole, Goulash, Veggie Lasagne and…’ I repeated.
‘Check the ingredients we have.’ Simon suggested, ‘and that will tell you the fourth thing.’
Can you see what we both did there? Both of us?
That’s right, for the non-baby brained out there…I was naming four things. And Simon was agreeing right along with me that I was missing one.
Once it occurred to me, just a few minutes later, how stupid we were, I then still couldn’t figure out why I had four onions.
It just occurred to me 10 minutes ago. Because all four things have an onion in them.
Simon says his excuse was that he was on night duty last night and what was mine?
Baby Brain.
And I think its catching…
Yesterday’s Story Actually Had Two Morals
One is the already listed: take a shower when the opportunity arises.
The other is to always, always, have the diaper bag packed and ready to go! And I always do.
Yesterday was a pretty good day. I got my hair cut and coloured. Simon, Adam and I did some shopping. I had a nice nap in the afternoon.
Today? Not such a good day.
Started with a Night from Hell (TM). Adam went down about 2230. And woke up at 0030. And up again at 0230. At 0500. At 0700. At that point I woke Simon up and handed him over and headed back to bed.
Then the rest of today he just would.not.sleep. Not for more than 20 minutes at a time, at least. Not in his pram when Simon took him out to the shops so I could have a break and soak in the tub. Not in my arms while swaddled in his favourite blanket (can an almost 8 week old baby have favourite blanket? Not sure, but the one Grandma and Pops with the Pool sent is definitely the best for swaddling). Not even in the Bjorn which got him to sleep for about 3.5 hours on Thursday during our Great Adventure. He finally fell asleep about an hour ago at 2030. And I hear sounds of stirring. Which could be good, as my dream night goes like this, starting at about 2200: –
Nappy Change
Into Grobag/PJs
Bottle
Sound asleep for 5+ hours.
Hey, a Mummy can dream. 🙂
Adam And Mummy’s Big Adventure
So, Thursday I had plans. Plans to bathe the baby. Plans to clean a bathroom. Plans to watch some TV while cuddling.
At 1030, that all went pear shaped with a pounding on my door. I was in the middle of changing a hugely pooey diaper, so I wrapped Adam in a diaper that wasn’t latched and went to answer it. As I opened the door the smell of gas was overwhelming. It was our maintenance guy. We had a leak.
I finished diapering little man’s bottom, double checked the diaper bag, throwing a few more things in it, put on some clothes (I was still in my PJs, unwashed!!) and stuffed him into his Baby Bjorn. No way was I going to risk the lift, even if it was working, so no pram for us!
Got down to the front of the building and waited for the gas company. They arrived about 1100 and headed into the building. Meanwhile people were casually coming out of the building, obviously having no idea anything was going on. I don’t think they ever did evacuate the whole building. Yes, I am writing a letter to the management company about this.
Anyway, maintenance guy comes out and says it will be hours. The leak has been traced to the flat across the hall from mine (!) but they can’t get the owner on the phone. I mention that I think he travels a lot. And head into town.
At this point it is 1130. Little man is, thank god, asleep against my chest in his Bjorn, but not at all adequately dressed for what turned out to be a very chilly day. Luckily I had grabbed a blanket so I had that wrapped around him in the Bjorn. Also luckily I keep a warmer set of clothes in the diaper bag. As I was walking to City Centre I thought about where I could take him to put him in warmer clothes..AH HA Marks & Spencer has a family bathroom. M&S it is.
Got to M&S and got him more properly dressed. And then bought some knickers. 🙂
Then realized I was starving and needed a real lunch to make up for the fact that my day had gone to hell. So I headed to Victoria Square. Upon perusal of the options, I decided Pizza Express sounded good. And it was.
Meanwhile I had not been able to reach Simon. His mobile was going straight to voice mail. I knew he wasn’t teaching and didn’t think he had any meetings, so could not figure out what was going on. I finally said DUH and called his office number.
Got him on the phone and told him a.) that his mobile must be off and b.) that we had been evacuated! He was all WHAT? and said he’d call the landlord to see what was going on. He asked me if I wanted him to come home, but I didn’t really see the point, so told him to stay at work, that I was going to eat this HUGE piece of chocolate fudge cake in front of me and then go shopping. I mean, I was already at the mall. 🙂
As I was finishing up said chocolate cake, Simon rang again to say the landlord had no clue and he was coming back to see what was going on. I told him to ring me when he got to Belfast and headed off to shop.
I have been looking for a new diaper bag, as ours was just too small. I have been using it as a handbag as well and with all of my things plus the baby’s things, sometimes it just wouldn’t zip. So my first stop was the Mecca of Handbags, aka the ground floor of House of Fraser. I looked. I prodded. I removed stuffing. Nothing that would suit my needs.
My next stop was the Mecca of Sporty/Rugged Bags, aka Fossil. And EUREKA! There, in the window, I saw it. Messenger style, so I could sling it from hip to shoulder. What looked like a tons of pockets…how much how much?!?!? £108! Perfect! Started poking through it. Pockets galore. Large inner section..SOLD! A special thank you to Aunt Agnes and Aunt Sonny, whose generous monetary gifts went to paying for this bag to end all bags!!
I then headed out to the rest of the mall. Wandered through Pumpkin Patch’s sale. Nothing. And then headed to Argos. The other things Simon and I had been looking for were small lamps for indirect lighting in the baby’s room and a clock for his room. EUREKA again. These lamps were perfect. One for Adam’s room and one for the front room. Perfect for night feeds and changes! And a clock? How could I resist this clock especially since people kept sending him sheep!
As I was waiting for my things to be brought to the counter in Argos, Simon rang to say he was at the flat, no sign of gas company, no sign of anything going on. I told him to grab the pram and meet me at the bandstand at Corn Market, we’d run a few more errands and head home.
As I was leaving Argos, who do I run into? My hairdresser, who takes one look at my unwashed, standing on end hair and says ‘good thing you’re coming to see me on Saturday.’ I thwacked him with a package, showed off my son and headed off to meet Simon.
And then it started to rain. Where’s my umbrella? In the pram. Am I wearing a coat? I am not…
Eventually it stopped raining, Simon met me, we picked up a few things and headed home. No sign of any gas incident in or around the building. I fell into bed around 1500 and slept until 1800.
The moral of today’s story?
When your husband says to you ‘I have 10 minutes until I leave, do you want to hop in the shower’ say yes!
So, He Did Crack A Rib
along with his head. And he’s over 12 lbs. And 22 inches. My big boy!
He’s also having some colic, which is less than fun.
But he’s still adorable. 🙂
In other random news…just asked my mother how weird it is that the ages of her grandchildren run from so young they still get up in the night to eat to so old that they can fly across the country with their brother and girlfriend to pick up a car to drive back across. She said its very weird! In case your wondering, the age range is 6.5 weeks to nearly 21!!