31 May, 2006

Memories...

Exactly four years ago I was in the early stages of labour. Yep, my little baby Chickie will be four tomorrow.

That day went a bit like this:

Early on the 31st of May I thought I may have broken my waters. I wasn't sure since there was no 'gush' like you see in the movies. I had an OB appointment that afternoon, so I wasn't too worried. In fact I was secretly pleased - you see, I had gestational diabetes and the doc was going to induce me on the 3rd of June (official due date was the 14th). I wasn't really looking forward to being induced though.

So J and I went to that OB appointment (at 2pm) and she sent me over to the hospital to be checked out. I hadn't had any contractions at that stage so we weren't sure if this was it or not. Well, as I was walking into the hospital, at 3pm, I felt my first official contraction. They checked me out and said yep it's the real thing. They said I could stay or go home till I felt I had to come back - I went home (well, I hadn't packed a bag, you see!)

A few hours later (I think it was at about 8.30pm) we went back in. The nurses/midwives were predicting he'd be here about 10 or 11pm, or so, but no, Chickie was facing backwards so he needed a little help. The ventouse helped a lot but more was needed, so out came the forceps and at 12.45am on the 1st of June 2002, my little Chickie was born.

He's not so little any more (in fact he's grown 10cm taller in this last year) and the thick black curly hair, he was born with, has changed to wavy reddish brown. He still has the cute little dimples and the exquisitely long eyelashes, that he inherited from his dad, though (I'm so jealous of those eyelashes!). And after a week of him asking if today was his birthday, I'll finally be able to say 'yes, it is', tomorrow.

To the OB, the midwives and nurses, I say thank you - you did a great job.

But to my precious J, I send all my love and thanks. Not only for making Chickie possible, but for the hard work he did in keeping me focussed whilst in labour, the time he puts into being a dedicated and loving father to Chickie, as well as the love, time, help, encouragement, support, happiness (I could go on and on here) that he gives to me.

Love you, sweetie :)

29 May, 2006

Wahh

I just had a phone call - Chickie's child care centre is closing. I'm so sad!

He's been going there since he was 10 months old. He knows everyone and loves going. It's only a year before school starts for him and now we have to find a new place, with new teachers and new kids - that's if we can even find a place. We have a whole month. Where am I going to find the time to scope out any possible new centres?

I feel badly for the staff too. They'll be out of jobs as well (though the chain they're managed by has offered to find them places). I hope they're going to be ok. They're all such lovely people. I don't want their centre to close!!!

Chickie's not fantastic with change. Unfortunately he gets that from me. I'm quite upset about this.

27 May, 2006

Horrible...

This story, about a massacre in East Timor, has me in tears. I don't understand how people can do such horrible things to other people, let alone little kids. I'm just baffled as to why these things happen. Since I've become a mother, I've found I just can't bear to hear about kids being hurt, even in fictional dramas. The thought of something happening to Chickie just tears me to shreds and, I suppose, that just extends to all other kids.

Australia is sending troops to help stop the fighting. I think New Zealand is too. I'm just glad J's brother is no longer in the army. He was stationed in Darwin, so would probably have been sent.


I guess, for my emotional health, I probably need to stop watching the news. Not only was there stuff about East Timor in tonight's news, but there was a story about the effects of the new industrial relations laws (these laws make me angry). I don't particularly want to shop at Spotlight after hearing this. The company I work for has a workplace agreement and it's due for renewal later this year. I'll be watching the negotiations closely.

19 May, 2006

Ahh pure schmaltz...

I was watching one of the finals for the Eurovision Song Contest. Love it! Especially love Terry Wogan's cutting remarks :)

'Highlights' for me tonight:
  • overuse of the wind machine
  • mullets on girls and guys
  • ballerinas as back up dancers
  • gold tassels that any curtain would be proud of
  • seeing a Ukrainian version of Shakira
Out of tonight's finalists (haven't seen any of the other finals), I'm going for Lithuania - just for the hell of it.

Btw, I hope any mothers reading this had a lovely Mother's day (if you celebrated it recently like I did). I got a lovely sleep in and some jewellery making tools. I have a jewellery saw, and files, and pliers and stuff.

It's kinda funny seeing the looks on people's faces when you say you got tools for Mother's day. hehehe

13 May, 2006

oooh spooky

I was wandering through the rest of Blogthings' quizzes and found this:

You Should Learn Japanese

You're cutting edge, and you are ready to delve into wacky Japanese culture.
From Engrish to eating contests, you're born to be a crazy gaijin. Saiko!


Heh, I was learning Japanese for a while - and I've visited there and would love to go back!

What European city do I belong in?

Found this quiz from P is for Pooter's blog:

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions.
You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.


I've always wanted to visit Dublin. One of my sisters lived there for about a year and another visited for a short time. It sounds lovely, and the photos they had were lovely too. I'm sure I've only heard about the good parts - every city would have it's bits that need fixing, I guess, but it's always appealed.

One day, one day....

10 May, 2006

November can't come soon enough...

I work as a second level helpdesk rep for an internet service provider. For the past two months the company has had our team doing a telephone line faults reporting role as well.

I. hate. it.

The extra role was to be for six weeks to start with, then it was extended to the end of May. Now it's been extended to November. :(

I love doing the internet stuff. Some of the stuff is basic, with some you need to stretch your brain a bit. With the telephone line faults... well, at best, it's boring.

On a good call you'll get someone to unplug phones and test them in all sockets, then report the faults on to the techs. Mind numbing stuff.

At worst you get people arguing (and yelling and screaming abuse at you). There's a charge if the fault is due to your equipment, you see. If we can't do the testing then we can't guarantee they won't get charged. So you get some people who refuse to mess around with any testing but flat out refuse to accept that they may be charged. We don't have any control whatsoever about the charges, in fact the techs won't even let us lodge a fault if the customer isn't prepared to accept the possibility of the fee.

I'm so tired of talking to people who won't accept this. No, actually there has been the occasional nice person who doesn't accept this, but the majority are incredibly rude. They're the ones I'm tired of talking to.

I know it's an inconvenience to have a problem with your phone line. Human beings have lived without this invention for so long but it's very quickly become an essential service. Hell, I've had problems with the phone line in the past, so I know what it's like. But really, is that any excuse to be so incredibly horrible to a complete stranger?

So, now I have to endure this crap until November (and who knows if it will continue after that, wouldn't surprise me). I don't know what to do. I would love to just walk in there tomorrow, tell them I just can't handle the abuse anymore and quit. I'd really miss the internet role though. Problem is - I don't have a job to go to. I'd have to find one first (can't afford not to). Also, I've been here almost 6 and a half years. At 7 years, if you leave, you're eligible to have your accrued long service leave paid out to you. I reach 7 years in December and it's a fair amount of money to keep in mind.

I just don't think I can take this much longer. I feel as if I'm about to fly apart at the seams right now.

09 May, 2006

They're out!

Finally, after 14 days trapped in a mine collapse, Todd Russell and Brant Webb have been freed. They walked out early this morning.

Apparently they're physically fine but, being trapped like that for two whole weeks would be so difficult emotionally.

Then there's the fact that their workmate died. His funeral is today. RIP Larry Knight.

The whole thing brings back memories of Stuart Diver. He was the only survivor of the Thredbo disaster. I used to be a radio announcer and interviewed Stuart after he published his book on his experience. What he went through brings a tear to my eye still - after so many years. I daresay Todd and Brant will have some similar stories to tell.

05 May, 2006

Aaaaahhh....

Work is over for the week. I have a 3 day weekend coming up. I've just had my usual fortnightly remedial massage and I'm feeling so mellow.

I'm glad the massage was today. I had two migraines this week, which is actually quite unusual for me. Normally I'd have one every couple of months. No idea what's caused them (it's usually stress), but they left me with a very stiff neck and upper back. The massage means I can move my head so much more freely now. It's probably all in my mind, but I feel taller too.

If you've never had a massage before, I can recommend it. A few years back I used to get an aromatherapy massage. A full 90 mins of total relaxation. I'd almost 'slide' home since I was so oily and relaxed. I tried to have one every couple of months. These days the massage is from a guy who has his own business of corporate massage. He goes to your workplace and sets up for a few hours or half a day and anyone who works there can book in. It's so easy for me - just book in for half an hour after I finish for the week. It's a great way to start the weekend!