Maternity Leave, Although You'd Never Guess It.

I am very annoyed. I have been on maternity leave for a week now but it looks like this:

I had reports I needed to write but I couldn't finish because I didn't have all the data and wasn't available until a couple of days ago. Then today I got emailed a revised version which wouldn't even have been passed on if I didn't harass my colleagues for a final version. I really should be spending this time with Bubby instead of having this hanging over my head. Really annoying. 

Anyway, almost finished. I was just having an oreo and tea break and having a whine. Tomorrow i have to take the car in for servicing and I will be treating myself to some EOFYS and a good lunch and hopefully have enough time to take Bubby to those ride on carousel things that malls have. I've been promising him for so long.

Bubby's Birthday and 'Boxing Day'.

We celebrated Bubby's second birthday yesterday. I can't believe that this tiny little thing is now 2!

The days of the 3 AM feeds.

We started the day with blueberry pancakes.

Then Bubby and daddy headed to the city to go shopping for presents and came back with just about every toy that Bubby touched at the stores minus the ride on Lamborghini only because hubby realised he can't carry it back to the car. I wonder if he remembers that Bubby already has a ride on car he got for his birthday last year.

Bubby helping his daddy blow up the balloons.

The "happy birthday car cake". Bubby has been looking forward to blowing his cake for weeks. He'd make a cake out of play-doh at daycare and stick paddle pop sticks in it and pretend they're candles. We had to re-light his candle at least four times. I think he really enjoyed it.

After he licked and chewed on his slice of cake he decided to put it back and 'fix it'. Yeah, we didn't end up eating that cake.

And here are some photos from this morning. The 'Boxing Day'. 

He made this truck all on his own.

And this plane too.

 

I tried to put the balloons in the playpen but apparently they have to be in the kitchen. *Sigh* This house will never be tidy.

Look how happy he is though.

Happy birthday my gorgeous little boy! You are such a joy <3.

Bubby's Big Boy's Bed

Finally, after months of sleeping on a mattress on the floor Bubby's big boy's bed has been assembled and he has made a successful transition. Not only did he transition to a bed he also transitioned into a new room. We've talked about it for weeks so he knew that it was going to be his new room and that he will have a new bed like mummy and daddy's bed. His old bedroom will be the baby's nursery as it's already set up as one.

He couldn't wait to climb on it.

The very first thing that he did as soon as he was on the bed.

More jumping as well as running and rolling around.

Bedmates.

Wrestling his toys. He was wrestling around with the bear and saying "I love you, bear" when he rolled off the edge and landed flat on his front. He was perfectly fine so we decided he didn't need cushions on the floor.The bed also isn't that high anyway which is great. 

He sleeps really well right through the night and hasn't rolled off the bed while asleep. He really loved his new bed and didn't even want to go downstairs for his dinner on the night that the bed was first assembled. He still sleeps in a sleeping bag as I don't think he'll keep the quilt on and it's just way too cold to just leave him in pyjamas. Pillows and blankets will be the next phase. Still need to decorate his room but I have a few ideas and projects in my head while I'm on maternity leave.

One more week of work to go! I finish up next Thursday but have to come back a few times to pack and submit a couple of reports but the end is in sight! Just as well because I'm losing the plot a little. I keep losing things only to find them pretty much right in front of me or filing things in the wrong places. The other night while driving home Bubby shouts "This way!" and points to a road I just drove past. I tried to explain to him that it was not the way home only to realise it was actually our street that I just missed. Definitely time to switch off.

Hello Pregnancy Insomnia.

Why, oh why can't I sleep despite being so tired and sleepy? Is it my body preparing me for the 3 AM feeds? You'd think a few weeks of good rest would be a much better way to prepare, wouldn't you? Six more weeks of this is going to kill me.

There are things to look forward to, other than meeting the baby. Being able to wear my normal clothes again would be great, no more back pains and being comfortable in general. Actually, since I fell down the stairs a couple of weeks ago my back has been very good. All the money I've spent on physio and all I needed was a good slide down the stairs. It would have been wiser not to have taken Bubby down with me though.

I'm also very much looking forward to the following things:

I want a whole platter waiting for me in recovery, please.

Chocolate hot fudge sundae. I will settle for a large one from McDonald's.

Nine more working days to go. I can do this!

Saturday Sleep In.

My Saturday sleep in really started with a 5 AM wake up because Bubby woke up crying. I thought he might have been cold so I turned on the heat but he kept on crying for a while so I decided to lie down next to him. I fell asleep but he kept waking me up because he was trying to pat me to sleep. By patting I mean hitting, being gentle is something he hasn't mastered yet. It actually was pretty cold in his room especially since I didn't have a blanket so it triggered my asthma. Hubby took over and I went back to bed. I woke up at 8 AM to find father and son gone from the house. Hubby ducked in to work with Bubby and drove through McDonald's on their way home.

Not only did I get to sleep in I also didn't have to cook breakfast!

After breakfast Bubby helped his daddy with the gardening and cleaning.

Isn't my camellia just gorgeous? I really wished I wasn't coming home so late these days so I can admire it. Not to worry, four more weeks and I will be on maternity leave!

Who doesn't like pink petals on the ground?

I really wish people would stop telling me I look tired. I'm heavily pregnant, I work full time, I run around after a toddler and hubby has been working interstate for several weeks now, I have been and still am sick, of course I'm bloody tired and look it. Is pointing it out supposed to make me feel better? Anyway, I'm hoping to get a haircut tomorrow. I'm hoping I will end up looking like Katie Holmes pre-Tom Cruise divorce before she looked hobo/boho. 

She doesn't look tired. She probably has an army of nannies and housekeepers and she doesn't really work, does she?

It Feels Like a Whack-A-Mole Day.

Remember this classic arcade game?

Well, my day felt very much like a whack-a-mole day. As soon as I have accomplished something I turn around to find even more stuff to do until things get into a bit of  frenzy.

See that carry on luggage? That was filled with my work stuff, heavy folders and text books. I struggle to pull it yet I find it has moved to the middle of the living room all the way from the foyer. Bubby wanted to ride in the wagon as he calls it. I told him it's filled with mummy's things and we need to take them out later. He took it upon himself to empty it and put his toys in when I turned around. I swear those folders are heavier than him.

I packed up the toys that Bubby took out yesterday only to find this. I packed it up again and placed the box in the playpen so he can't get to it. Then I went back to tidying up the kitchen and cooking.

I heard a crash while cooking and when I checked on Bubby he was in the playpen. I don't even know how he got in there. Needless to say the toy box has been emptied again. See the lamp on the kitchen bench? It doesn't belong there but Bubby kept trying to plug it in the power point. Every bit of clutter on the table and benches are there so they are out of toddler reach. He gets into drawers really well. Will you believe me if I told you that all I did all day was declutter and clean? No? Well it's true. God, I'm exhausted.

Jamie's 15 Minute Meals.

It's no secret that I love cooking shows. The first cooking show I was hooked on was Wok With Yan back in the 80's when I was still in primary school. (I used to watch re-runs. I'm not that old!).

He used to wear the funniest aprons.

Anyway, I was watching Jamie's 15 Minute Meals which I normally love but tonight's episode kind of grossed me out. No, it's not the food, the meal actually looked really good. It's Jamie's hygienic practice or lack thereof. He handled raw chicken with his bare hands. Okay, so most chefs probably do, I myself while obviously not a chef, wear disposable gloves when handling chicken. That in itself is not bad but after he was done with the chicken he turned around opened a drawer grabbed a clean bowl touching other clean bowls in the process. He then gives his hands a quick wash and by that I mean he got them a little bit wet. He then touched a bottle of soy sauce, dipped his hand in a container of salt. After all that he then made his pickled cucumber which he thoroughly mushed with his unwashed hands and it was served raw. He then went on to chat casually about food while leaning on his elbow over the chopping board he used to slice the chicken, his shirt touching it. all I could see is cross contamination everywhere in his kitchen. I used to be a microbiologist so this is like one of my worst nightmares along with being sneezed and coughed on, walking in a hospital, and having to touch public bathroom doors especially the door knob types *shudder*. Anyway, no this is not going to stop me from watching Jamie. A cooking show is a cooking show. I am now watching one of my favourite movies as I type. Another microbiologist's nightmare, Ratatouille.

*Shudder*