Outrageous What?

Wow! has it been a year already?

No, not quite a year since I last posted, but instead it's been almost a year since I stood up in the science library, felt a wee 'pop' and all hell broke loose. What a steep learning curve - after that first unreal month spent in the hospital, to coming home to that 'oh-my-god-whatinthehelldoIdonow?' feeling. Well what have I done in the intervening year?

- given birth (well DUH!) and become a mum as a result - not perhaps the experience that I hoped it would but, but as awesome as it could be in the circumstances

- been introduced to REAL sleep deprivation (there's a reason it's used as a torture technique, that's for sure)

- successfully breastfed, thanks to the wonderful support of the NICU nurses and lactation consultants at Dunedin Hospital

- became way more intimate than I ever thought possible with poo, wee and other bodily excretions

- watched a tiny (they really are! gosh I was visiting my cousin with her 1-2 month old who was twice the size of Moe at birth and all I could think was, 'OMG he's so little!'), inert bundle develop into my current crawling dynamo cool dude of a son

- managed to use cloth nappies most of the time

- gone back to university and managed to maintain reasonably good grades

- gone back to work (part time student job, good money, hours that suit, choice!)

- sold my old house, bought a new one, moved

- watched my husband step up and excel as a daddy (thanks babe!)

- got my cooking mojo back (yay!)

- had a few glasses of wine here and there

- made some awesome new buddies in the outside and online world (you know you are guys, thanks!)

- produced a son that has the same impeccable sense of timing as his mum (chicken pox for your first birthday, anyone?)

- became, I think, a much more chilled out and accepting person than I was before I became a mummy, wow what a learning experience this is turning out to be.

Whew! That's all I can think of right now...okay what shall it be for the next year then.... any ideas?

Moe crawls!

Moe says Da da

Driving

Sorry for the time since the last post - and i'm that finally getting off the couch merely to assault your ears with complaints about the inconveniences of driving New Zealand roads. Before I complain though, I must concur that SH1 between Dunedin and Chch has improved immensely with the addition of it seems like 50 odd passing lanes and a lot of road straightening in the past 10 years. However -
- whats up with the a$$hole sitting on my bumper when I was 3rd car behind a slow horse float, talking into his mobile phone while we were travelling at 100km an hour?
- why is it that truck drivers now have sorted their headlamps so that you aren't constantly dazzled by the oncoming traffic when driving in the dark, yet SUV drivers have stepped into the fold - I swear there were times I flicked my lights at people and they flicked theirs to show that, in fact, their lights were DIPPED!?!
- McDonalds - a family restaurant - ha! Try breast feeding in their 'comfortable' booths where there is only just enough space to squish yourself in and the baby on your lap, and teenage boys in the next booth laughing and hitting the walls rhythmically.


Rightho! - that is all... (More cute baby photos to come)

Lolbama

I'm not sure who's responsible for this...
Originally uploaded by Kelly Sue

Resolving to do what...?

So we're in a new year now - gosh the last has gone fast, it must be something to do with getting older (and popping out a sprog)... :)! We had a lovely holiday up north in Christchurch and Wellington for a couple of weeks, and Moe got to meet his extended whanau which was lovely. It's crazy to think that next Christmas he could be walking and even saying some words! Being away together gave us a chance to have a chill out, because there were some very helpful grandparents always happy to step in and take over watching Moe if we wanted a bit of a rest. I also got to meet and hang out with bloggy buddy Nikki which was awesome - I had had things that I wanted to discuss with her before we met up but after two hours hadn't even got onto them we had had so much to talk about anyway, lol! I came back feeling really relaxed. It's also crazy how much of a difference two and a half weeks make - Moe changed so much in that time, but also I feel like I have become more chilled out about how to look after him and how to organize myself around him and him around me and Phil.
Have made some quasi New Year resolutions, mostly around spending and money. We investigated the possibility of selling our place before we left as it is most definitely on the small side for 2 new parents and a baby (and will be even smaller once we have a toddler). Before Xmas I was really really craving a bigger kitchen, and somewhere to put a dining table, and freaking out at our backyard of death (big naasty drops onto concrete and random steps). Unfortunately, due to the wee prob of the current financial crisis, the banks have become tighter than ducks butts, and the market has dropped meaning if we were to sell, we wouldn't get a hell of a lot more than what we paid for this place :(. The mortgage broker we use does reckon she could swing something for us but it would only be worth the risk if we found the perfect place. I've come up with all kinds of hairbrained schemes that would involve the same result - doing a house swap, selling our place and housesitting for a year or two - all of which are VERY unlikely in a town like Dunners (and with a small child and cat in tow). So we're just going to have to sit tight until the market recovers and we have more $$ saved :(.
So I turned my focus on our budgeting and come up with some ideas to help our crappy financial situation. I did a big reorganise of my pantry in the weekend. Our vege garden is in full swing so I have made a resolution that I am not going to do the grocery shopping next fortnight. Instead, I am going to try and use up all the tins and packets of stuff in the pantry that are cluttering it up, so I can do a proper stock up when its a bit emptier. We have plenty of vege in the garden so all I'll have to buy is milk, eggs and some fruit. So lets see how that goes... more photos to follow but I have to go attend to Moe's needs now. Hope everyone had a lovely Xmas and New Year!