Yesterday, upstairs trying to relax, Deepti downstairs watching TV. Naina decides its boring with dada and heads down to Deepti. Negligent parent that I am, I watched her half-way. My second mistake in two weeks. According to Deepti, N got to the last two or three steps before tripping and landing on the floor with her hands held out in front of her. Couldn't actually hear the clavicle fracturing, but we might find out soon.
N was upset. Usually these are short outbursts of tears which last 10 minutes. This time she didn't settle and kept grabbing her neck region. We drove for a while to calm her down and came home again, but she started screaming again. After 30 minutes we decided to see a doctor. At 8pm on a Thursday night. A visit to the ED, sigh.
Unsure of which hospital, we headed to the maternity hospital. N settled in the car; that nervous settle; not sure to go home or keep going. We kept going. Arriving, she was still quiet; I expected to park the car and join them, only for Deepti to say, let's go home. We stayed.
N got attention from a stern looking triage nurse who silently scolded uneducated parent-types like us for not knowing that our daughter didn't have a major head injury or a minor head injury and should have been seen by the GP in the morning. This knowledge is imparted by reading a government website.
Waiting. 45 minutes in a public ED can be educational; a patient informed everyone that AIDS was invented by George Bush's father.
N was seen by a doctor who ordered an X-ray. This was going to be fun. Waiting for the doctor to finish talking to her boss, N emptied her bowels into our last remaining clean nappy. Mental note; keep spare nappy and wipe pack in the car.
So, now N was stripped of her clothes, cold, tired, had recently evacuated her bowels and was wearing hospital panties, there was a very large slightly deadly x-ray emitting machine hanging over her head, her head was resting against a hard metal plate, her clumsy dad was trying to pin down her head with one hand and her arms with the other and her mother had to leave the room because she was 6 month pregnant. I think that captures the scene well!
She got the knack the second time and lay still; the x-ray done N burst into tears again saying No no no no... remarkably resilient this one, there's a lot I can learn.
N's x-ray showed no fractures at the moment. There's no visible damage, but a fracture in someone so small may only be visible in a few days as it heals, but that will be only after five days of pain and decreasing use of her arm. And fractured clavicles can't be repaired surgically and two year olds don't like slings. So N's going to be in pain as she moves her arm for up to two to three weeks and shouldn't lift any heavy items like bricks or pot plants. That's what the government website told me Miss stern faced triage nurse!!
N collapsed asleep in the car and didn't wake till the morning. It was tense at the time; but like the car, it could have been a lot worse. For this we are grateful. Naina spent today lying down (not exactly sure why as her legs were working fine after the fall yesterday) being fed panadol and nurofen and chicken soup and watching Elmo and In The Night Garden. Not a bad lifestyle really.
07 May 2010
The good part
The party was great! We all had a blast.
As with any good Indian kids party there was plenty of food: Hakka Chow Mein, Samosas, Veg Manchurian and Rasmalai (caterers). Deepti also prepared: Chaat, tomato chilli chutney, and pulao. Then there was the cake. A lot of food was consumed, but its probably true, half the food, twice the money.
Carnegie Day Centre is a day care during the week and hireable after hours. It's kind of cutesy; kids toilets with a glass door, (advice was given to me by Aadya that I should perhaps use a different toilet), a play pit, lots of oversized toys for small hands, outdoor wash area and securely fenced off. Fantastic recipe for kids to go nuts and parents to remember what pre-parenthood parties were like. Smash away kids.
Deepti informed me that balloons are the must have accessory at a two year old birthday. (Queue sudden moves towards Spotlight). And it was true. The balloons kept the babes amused the whole three hours till they wafted out of sight in the Melbourne gloom (the balloons and the babies I guess).
Naina's growing up. Didn't get shy or cry when everyone was singing happy birthday!
We were so happy with how the afternoon went; I would have melted down after the car accident if it wasn't for the opportunity to meet so many of our friends and their kids and enjoy a few hours. And big thanks to all who came and ate cake and then cleaned up for us! The perfect friends.
As with any good Indian kids party there was plenty of food: Hakka Chow Mein, Samosas, Veg Manchurian and Rasmalai (caterers). Deepti also prepared: Chaat, tomato chilli chutney, and pulao. Then there was the cake. A lot of food was consumed, but its probably true, half the food, twice the money.
Carnegie Day Centre is a day care during the week and hireable after hours. It's kind of cutesy; kids toilets with a glass door, (advice was given to me by Aadya that I should perhaps use a different toilet), a play pit, lots of oversized toys for small hands, outdoor wash area and securely fenced off. Fantastic recipe for kids to go nuts and parents to remember what pre-parenthood parties were like. Smash away kids.
Deepti informed me that balloons are the must have accessory at a two year old birthday. (Queue sudden moves towards Spotlight). And it was true. The balloons kept the babes amused the whole three hours till they wafted out of sight in the Melbourne gloom (the balloons and the babies I guess).
Naina's growing up. Didn't get shy or cry when everyone was singing happy birthday!
Cutting the cake
Balloons
Shh, no one's looking.
N nibbling the samosas.
Shh, no one's looking.N nibbling the samosas.
Harriet in oversized toy car.
Zara calling the shots.
Harriet concentrating.... hard!
Harriet concentrating.... hard!
We were so happy with how the afternoon went; I would have melted down after the car accident if it wasn't for the opportunity to meet so many of our friends and their kids and enjoy a few hours. And big thanks to all who came and ate cake and then cleaned up for us! The perfect friends.
A bad - then good - then bad again two weeks
Life's ups, life's downs. Have to be philosophical. Need to be; the guilty one is the perpendicular pronoun. I.
Birthdays for a two year old are surprisingly complicated. Everything. Hire a hall ($400 bond), meet with caterers, organize gifts for other children, make sure invitations reach the right people. All done and sorted by 6:25pm on Friday 23rd April.
At 6:30pm on Friday 23rd April, returning from work, I miss-judged a turn in the rain and dark on an unfamiliar road and crashed the car into a pole. Two people got out and checked all was ok and called Deepti for me. Chain reaction of calls; nervousness, standing in the pouring rain, dealing with a tow truck driver, and then the indignity of the police showing up and breathalysing on the street.
At 11pm, trying to defrazzle at home, I started to look for the swipe card for the (Saturday afternoon $400 bond) hall. It was of course, securely stored in the glovebox of a securely towed crashed volvo now locked up in a tow-yard in South Melbourne. A door got kicked.
Getting to your two year old's party in a borrowed car with a $400 swipe card, priceless.
Birthdays for a two year old are surprisingly complicated. Everything. Hire a hall ($400 bond), meet with caterers, organize gifts for other children, make sure invitations reach the right people. All done and sorted by 6:25pm on Friday 23rd April.
At 6:30pm on Friday 23rd April, returning from work, I miss-judged a turn in the rain and dark on an unfamiliar road and crashed the car into a pole. Two people got out and checked all was ok and called Deepti for me. Chain reaction of calls; nervousness, standing in the pouring rain, dealing with a tow truck driver, and then the indignity of the police showing up and breathalysing on the street.
At 11pm, trying to defrazzle at home, I started to look for the swipe card for the (Saturday afternoon $400 bond) hall. It was of course, securely stored in the glovebox of a securely towed crashed volvo now locked up in a tow-yard in South Melbourne. A door got kicked.
Getting to your two year old's party in a borrowed car with a $400 swipe card, priceless.
10 April 2010
Routines are good
Naina's bed time routine has settled a lot since Perth.
6:30pm: Dinner
7pm: Talk to dada in Perth.
7:02:03 pm: Stop talking to dada in Perth
7:03pm: Run downstairs to join Deepti
8pm: Return back upstairs.
8:30pm: Complete bottle of milk, running around, jumping on bed, reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the fourth time (it's still a great book), In the Night Garden and a hindi phrase book, get into baby sleeping bag and lights off.
8:40pm: Asleep.
So it takes two hours after dinner to sleep. Naina's not an early riser, its usually around 8am before she wakes. So her bed time suits. Especially last two nights. Exhaustion amongst parents is striking. We may have beaten N to sleep tonight. Ahem. We fell asleep before she did.
Mostly, things are seemingly fitting in place. Language, slowly improving. Even little bits of witty dialogue.
Deepti: (Singing her own little nursery rhyme, whilst N is in bed)
N: Mum, mum, stop this please.
First words of adolescent protest, 10 years early. At least that's what it sounded like. A similar phrase appeared tonight. She seems to understand Hindi well enough but English is her preferred language. Except for a few key words - finished (cut-tham), water (paani), going (jaana), drinking (peena), good (accha) - it's all in English or with an Australian accent.
Tonight she decided that the sound FAK was funny and would repeat it for 3 minute stretches. Visible discomfort for me. Kind of too close for comfort. Hope she's grown out of it by birthday party time.
Routines, better. Bath time, bed time, seem to be going off with less hitches since Perth. There's still occasional uncontrollable crying when waking, during the day, but far less night wakings. Sleeping in a sleeping bag seems to be making her more rested and less malcontent and miserable during the day. The first night with a sleeping bag she played with it before being zipped up, and fell asleep quickly after lights went off. No more playing with it, but no (major) protests with it being used since. Though she was like Maggie Simpson the first night, insisting on running around whilst wearing it. She's learned its futile.
No reports of belting other kids, so far. Hamish copped one in Perth, that seems to be the last in a while. Biting is back, but pinching seems to be out of favour this week. Dramatic abducted by King Kong screams when forced to change a nappy, stop playing, wear shoes continue unabated. Followed by attempted slaps.
Meal times, easier. Self-feeding coordinated (at times). Eating chilli pickle is still in favour. Happier in a high chair the whole meal (no pinning down to eat anymore). Previously, Deepti had to pin N down to avoid loutish dinner time behaviour. If no pinning down (e.g. restuarant) lots of chasing up and down the street outside restaurant.
Loutish behaviour deserves its own post.
6:30pm: Dinner
7pm: Talk to dada in Perth.
7:02:03 pm: Stop talking to dada in Perth
7:03pm: Run downstairs to join Deepti
8pm: Return back upstairs.
8:30pm: Complete bottle of milk, running around, jumping on bed, reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the fourth time (it's still a great book), In the Night Garden and a hindi phrase book, get into baby sleeping bag and lights off.
8:40pm: Asleep.
So it takes two hours after dinner to sleep. Naina's not an early riser, its usually around 8am before she wakes. So her bed time suits. Especially last two nights. Exhaustion amongst parents is striking. We may have beaten N to sleep tonight. Ahem. We fell asleep before she did.
Mostly, things are seemingly fitting in place. Language, slowly improving. Even little bits of witty dialogue.
Deepti: (Singing her own little nursery rhyme, whilst N is in bed)
N: Mum, mum, stop this please.
First words of adolescent protest, 10 years early. At least that's what it sounded like. A similar phrase appeared tonight. She seems to understand Hindi well enough but English is her preferred language. Except for a few key words - finished (cut-tham), water (paani), going (jaana), drinking (peena), good (accha) - it's all in English or with an Australian accent.
Tonight she decided that the sound FAK was funny and would repeat it for 3 minute stretches. Visible discomfort for me. Kind of too close for comfort. Hope she's grown out of it by birthday party time.
Routines, better. Bath time, bed time, seem to be going off with less hitches since Perth. There's still occasional uncontrollable crying when waking, during the day, but far less night wakings. Sleeping in a sleeping bag seems to be making her more rested and less malcontent and miserable during the day. The first night with a sleeping bag she played with it before being zipped up, and fell asleep quickly after lights went off. No more playing with it, but no (major) protests with it being used since. Though she was like Maggie Simpson the first night, insisting on running around whilst wearing it. She's learned its futile.
No reports of belting other kids, so far. Hamish copped one in Perth, that seems to be the last in a while. Biting is back, but pinching seems to be out of favour this week. Dramatic abducted by King Kong screams when forced to change a nappy, stop playing, wear shoes continue unabated. Followed by attempted slaps.
Meal times, easier. Self-feeding coordinated (at times). Eating chilli pickle is still in favour. Happier in a high chair the whole meal (no pinning down to eat anymore). Previously, Deepti had to pin N down to avoid loutish dinner time behaviour. If no pinning down (e.g. restuarant) lots of chasing up and down the street outside restaurant.
Loutish behaviour deserves its own post.
05 April 2010
Ephemera
When we decided to end renting and start buying and moving, it seemed appropriate to clear out junk. Like get rid of stuff. Lots of stuff. 15 years of stuff accumulated and acquiring space in garage and cupboards around Malvern East.
This Easter Weekend has seen us crescendo in our waste disposal. Over the past seven months, the following items have been disposed of, as thoughtfully as possible:
Sep 2009: Two hard drives, two monitors, one television, 5 large garbage bags of my clothes, several broken computer parts including video cards, used dvds and cds, a zip drive (remember them with the extra large diskettes), 3.5 inch diskettes, 5.25 inch diskettes, reams and reams of paper used for financial purposes. Bottles of alcohol. Glassware. Shot glasses. Spare pram. Two broken oil heaters.
Jan 2010 to April 2010: A glass table on wheels. Spare cups and saucers. Serving dishes. A vaccuum cleaner. Nearly 100 cricket and other books. Nearly 60 LPs. 30 DVDs. Another 2 large bags of my clothes. A printer. Another hard drive. A keyboard. A Sony PSP. Several old mobile phones that were no longer working. A joystick. More dishes. A cot, a bouncy net, a baby pouch (#3), baby clothes.
The point of bosworthing this down in a blog is to highlight the pointlessness of so many of these purchases. Once they were in the house and accumulating space and not being used, it became - oh we can use for second child, or I'll get it fixed and we can use it again or you'll never know when you'll need a third baby pouch/my cousin in India might use it/ we can send it to so and so. All lies. We never used any of these things again, ever.
ANd yet, despite throwing out more than 300 kg of junk, we still have more junk to get rid of! I feel like the house is more or less sorted (still arguing over various bits - milk shake maker, slow cooker, coffee table), there's a whole garage full of junk to get rid of. How to rid one's self of a foxtel dish? Technically, Foxtel can ask for it back, but they never do, yet it remains their property!
Hardwaste collection hunters will be pleasantly surprised when they walk past our frontage in the next few weeks!
This Easter Weekend has seen us crescendo in our waste disposal. Over the past seven months, the following items have been disposed of, as thoughtfully as possible:
Sep 2009: Two hard drives, two monitors, one television, 5 large garbage bags of my clothes, several broken computer parts including video cards, used dvds and cds, a zip drive (remember them with the extra large diskettes), 3.5 inch diskettes, 5.25 inch diskettes, reams and reams of paper used for financial purposes. Bottles of alcohol. Glassware. Shot glasses. Spare pram. Two broken oil heaters.
Jan 2010 to April 2010: A glass table on wheels. Spare cups and saucers. Serving dishes. A vaccuum cleaner. Nearly 100 cricket and other books. Nearly 60 LPs. 30 DVDs. Another 2 large bags of my clothes. A printer. Another hard drive. A keyboard. A Sony PSP. Several old mobile phones that were no longer working. A joystick. More dishes. A cot, a bouncy net, a baby pouch (#3), baby clothes.
The point of bosworthing this down in a blog is to highlight the pointlessness of so many of these purchases. Once they were in the house and accumulating space and not being used, it became - oh we can use for second child, or I'll get it fixed and we can use it again or you'll never know when you'll need a third baby pouch/my cousin in India might use it/ we can send it to so and so. All lies. We never used any of these things again, ever.
ANd yet, despite throwing out more than 300 kg of junk, we still have more junk to get rid of! I feel like the house is more or less sorted (still arguing over various bits - milk shake maker, slow cooker, coffee table), there's a whole garage full of junk to get rid of. How to rid one's self of a foxtel dish? Technically, Foxtel can ask for it back, but they never do, yet it remains their property!
Hardwaste collection hunters will be pleasantly surprised when they walk past our frontage in the next few weeks!
04 April 2010
Food in Perth
Food in Perth is great, maddening, exciting and different. Coming from food city that is Melbourne, it's not fair to compare two very different cities. Melbourne has a diverse restaurant culture fed by migrants and larger populations. Perth does somethings so well.
Recommendations
1) Station St Markets - much better selection of fruit and vegetables than any market in Melbourne, including Queen Vic. THough price is questionable. Picked up ciabatta from Lawleys, mum picked up exotic vegetables that are unavailable anywhere in Melbourne such as kaddu and loki.
2) Chilli noodles from IGA. Superb. Imagine noodles, deep fried, coated with chilli powder and tumeric with peanuts and more chilli. Naina loved them. Actually, it has kick started N's penchant for Deepti's chilli tomato pickle. Watching a two year old lick chilli pickle and them make yummy noises is a great way to relax at the end of a long day.
3) Yummy House. Chilli squid/calamari. Green got touched again, but I'd say it was worth it.
4) Cupcakes from Sweet on Cupcake on Waratah Road. Awesomeness, esp chocolate cupcakes.
Avoids
1) Sala Thai in Subiaco. Down hill since last time. Felt like I was eating medicine.
2) Anywhere where we ate fish and chips. D for disappointing.
Recommendations
1) Station St Markets - much better selection of fruit and vegetables than any market in Melbourne, including Queen Vic. THough price is questionable. Picked up ciabatta from Lawleys, mum picked up exotic vegetables that are unavailable anywhere in Melbourne such as kaddu and loki.
2) Chilli noodles from IGA. Superb. Imagine noodles, deep fried, coated with chilli powder and tumeric with peanuts and more chilli. Naina loved them. Actually, it has kick started N's penchant for Deepti's chilli tomato pickle. Watching a two year old lick chilli pickle and them make yummy noises is a great way to relax at the end of a long day.
3) Yummy House. Chilli squid/calamari. Green got touched again, but I'd say it was worth it.
4) Cupcakes from Sweet on Cupcake on Waratah Road. Awesomeness, esp chocolate cupcakes.
Avoids
1) Sala Thai in Subiaco. Down hill since last time. Felt like I was eating medicine.
2) Anywhere where we ate fish and chips. D for disappointing.
03 April 2010
Naina's got a new bed
Obviously its not for sleeping.
And to answer Deepti's question - no she wasn't!
And to answer Deepti's question - no she wasn't!
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