There is domestic violence in this household. On a daily basis I am slapped, kicked, pinched, and sometimes have to curl up into a foetal position where I rock quietly, crying, and whisper to myself, “I’m in my bubble…I’m in my bubble…” But the fact this violence is perpetrated...
I’ve been gradually acclimatising to having two children, and the way that changes how I need to do things. I think it’s rather like spinning plates. There’s a fine choreography in tending to multiple children within satisfactory time-frames. In some ways it’s even a mercy for my fatigue levels...
Two beasts have taken over Timmy. One beast is of my own making. The other is not. Beast One: Sugar. (By the way, the image used here isn’t of Timmy. I used a generic stock-image-baby on purpose, in the hopes that with no visual evidence to convict me, I’d...
“…acute hearing loss…” “…likely permanent…” “…quite significant…” Acute hearing loss…acute hearing loss…acute hearing loss… It didn’t matter what else the audiologist said. It was those three words that got stuck in my head, bouncing around inside my skull, distracting me from all else. It’s a stupid term for Daniel’s...
I really hope I never utter, “Why can’t you be more like your brother?” to either of my boys. It sounds disparaging. But nevertheless, in these new and novel days of having two children, I can’t help noting the differences between them. Similarities are few, in regards to their...
You’d think I’d know better, having been through newborn theatrics before, but nevertheless I really did anticipate updating this blog as soon as I was home from the hospital with Bump Two (renamed Daniel), and back with healthy hefty wi-fi access. Hope springs eternal, and all that. But it...
This time, the extended silence between now and my last blog post wasn’t because of laziness or busyness. I did it because I was thinking of you all. Really. Nobody likes a complainer. And given that a lot of my literary ‘wit’ is naturally acerbic, I thought that to...
Clearly, I had no idea during my first pregnancy just how lucky I was. Barring the nausea that stopped at the end of the first trimester, it was barely noticeable. Reminders I was pregnant typically came only when I bent over to lace my shoes and had to hold...
I have busted a great medical myth. I’ve concluded that obstetricians do not, in fact, exist. They’re an idea, a philosophical construct of the medical community designed to keep expectant mothers reassured that their case is being handled by a 20ft-tall archdoctor with golden fingers. The reality is that...
Wow. The last three weeks have been…well, horrible. Mostly because the only resident of our home who has escaped vicious sickness is the budgie. Those of us without feathers of invincibility have at various times been subject to the strong grip of colds, aches, throats of sandpaper, headaches, vomit,...
