Taro Latte = Purple Teeth

A couple of times a week, Penelope and I walk to our local cafe and I usually get a chai. I think more of the staff there may recognize her than recognize me; they just fawn all over her and she nonchalantly enjoys it. I recently decided to switch it up and try the new taro latte. It was good, but it turned my whole mouth very purple. Now I know what to drink if I ever need to wear a witch or zombie costume for something. 

Today we went to Penelope's second swim lesson. It was my first time in the water with her, and she did really well again. 

Meanwhile, across the biggest pond... today was the opening ceremony for the WMUCC tournament where Michael is playing, and the games start tomorrow. We talk to him everyday, whether that's through messages, phone, or video chat. 

For some reason, with him away, I find myself forgetting more what day of the week it is. Happy Monday, everyone!

Temporary Single-Parenting, Boobies in Public, and the Home Kombucha Factory

Michael has been gone about three days so far, and the help I was hoping to have has been non-existent so far. he made it to Vancouver and then to Winnipeg, and he is spending time with his team before the tournament begins. Hopefully my language skills won't devolve from 95% of my speech talking to the cats and a baby while he is gone. Luckily, Penelope is pretty stinkin' cute, and makes for good company. She also gives me a break here and there, while she's sleeping or sometimes busying herself in her bouncer. We have plans to meet up with a friend tomorrow, so that should be fun and a change of pace. 

So far we've gone for lots of short walks around the neighborhood, visiting the local playgrounds and cafe, our mums group, and the farmers' market. Penelope is getting better at napping regularly, so I guess that's one of the positives of less going on to interrupt her "schedule". She's also started tasting solid foods, although the only thing she's really indicated that she likes is banana. 

Speaking of babies eating, I just found out that women are finally legally protected to breastfeed in public in all 50 states in the US. On the one hand, this is a win. On the other hand, that took a really long time. Women have been breastfeeding their babies for thousands of years, and only recently in our modern times is it more acceptable to do so in public. It's sad that so many people have a problem about it that it even needs to be legally protected. Here in Australia, it is legal everywhere as well. I saw a comment a woman left on social media telling other women that even though it's now legal, to be "respectful and classy" and try not to expose their whole breasts in public while they are feeding (adding that she was a mom who breastfed her kids, as if that made her an authority or something). I thought this was a kind of un-classy comment. I know quite a few women who are breastfeeding these days, and none of them are trying to expose themselves. They're trying to nourish their babies and probably also stop them from crying, as efficiently as possible. There is absolutely nothing sexual about it, and it has nothing to do with how "respectful" or "classy" they are as people. God forbid that for a moment, during a transition, their nipple is visible. I personally think that if anyone has a problem with that, it's just that - their problem. If they're so offended by someone trying to feed their child, maybe they shouldn't leave their houses then. Something tells me that most of these people that are so offended by breastfeeding woman's nipple are not also offended by seeing a man's exposed nipple at the beach or the pool, which would be just as absurd. New parents are judged enough on everything they do to/for their babies, so I'm glad that this is at least a step towards allowing them to do what they need to do without judgment.

And now for something completely different... My little home kombucha factory is running nicely so far. Earlier on, one of my bottles exploded due to over-carbonation/use-of-a-cheap-bottle, and we are very lucky that neither I, nor Penelope, were near it when it happened. It is actually good that it did happen while I was home, though, so I would know what happened and could look it up and solve the problem in the future (as opposed to thinking the cats knocked it over or something), and clean it up immediately. Now we know how to avoid it, and I even keep the bottles away in a cardboard box, so that in the unlikely event that one does explode again, it would be contained and not send random shards around the apartment.

Michael goes to Canada

Michael is flying out tomorrow to represent Australia with his club frisbee team (DUFF Stout) at AMUCC in Winnipeg, Canada. He will be gone for two weeks. I would have joined him, along with Penelope, but after looking into flights I decided it was too costly and also too inconvenient, since I was also trying to find a way to visit family in the states during the same trip. I would have had to fly at least part of the way with just myself and Penelope. I decided that flying with a baby is enough of a challenge when you have help, and it would be majorly anxiety-inducing and unpleasant to do it by myself. It wouldn't be enjoyable, which would negate the purpose of such a trip anyway. 

So, we will cheer him on from afar this time. I will need to operate like a single parent for two weeks. Penelope is a happy and good kid most of the time, thank goodness. That being said, it's still going to be a challenge to take care of her by myself and have time to keep the apartment nice and clean, and buy groceries, and those sorts of things. So, if they don't get done, but Penelope is doing fine and I don't workout much and just eat takeout half the time, so be it. We will have our regular activities, like swim lessons, a music/movement class, and a few social gatherings, to keep us busy. I have a few friends who've said they can help out with her here and there too, and another friend who will let me borrow their car if I need it. 

I have already pampered myself a little bit in preparation - I got a massage and had my nails done. I'll probably do something similar upon Mike's return to celebrate. 

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Apparently we have a little mermaid on our hands. Penelope had her first swim lessons at Duck and Dive, and she was glowing. I was surprised at how well she did the whole time, considering she hadn't had a morning nap before, and because I had heard a lot of kids cry the first time. She was smiling and chattering the whole time. Even when she went underwater, she handled it quite well.

Five months sounds very young to start swimming lessons, but it's really common in Australia for people to start their young babies doing swim lessons, since it's considered such an important life skill and people spend so much time at the beach. Anyway, I'm looking forward to this weekly activity with her for the next 10 weeks.

Humming Puppy

I did yoga again for the first time recently, since having Penelope. On the one hand, some things were a lot easier because I didn't have a big belly in the way and I didn't feel like a cow. On the other hand, some things were harder because my back was so tight from not having done any big twists in about a year. 

I finally went to Humming Puppy with my friend, Holly. She gets around to a lot of yoga studios around the city because she gets a discount for working at a well-known yoga apparel company. She had been telling me about how this was the fanciest place around, and it happens to be the closest one to me. Literally, I can walk there in a minute. They have a cheaper rate for people new to the studio, so that always helps get me in the door. 

What makes it the fanciest one around? All the decor is pretty posh, and everything's clean and doesn't smell, like most yoga studios. Also, you get to help yourselves to really fancy teas and cool coconut water. The mats and props are all laid out for you at each spot already, and you don't have to put anything away when you're done. There's also literally a constant hum in the background. According to their website, this is what it's about (scroll down to "The Hum in Humming Puppy"). I'm not sure if it actually makes a difference, but I suppose it adds to the ambiance. 

I don't know how often I'll go after the intro period, just because it is definitely more expensive than other places. But, the convenience factor is huge since I have limited time that I can be away from Penelope most days. 

It's good to be back at the mat, even if only occasionally. 

His Name is Reek

It's taken me a few days to think about what we witnessed from the US president in Helsinki. The fact that they had a closed door meeting with no other people other than translators, and no cameras was weird to begin with. Then, I've never seen a world leader, from anywhere, so weakly and cowardly betray his own government and people while concurrently praising a foreign country and authoritarian dictator. It was like something out of the twilight zone. What happened to "America First"? I can think of few plausible reasons other than that Putin really does have something he's holding over the president, and that something must be pretty bad. 

And then a day later, #45 issued the bizarre statement where he pretended to walk-back what he said, but it didn't really make sense, and then he added on a sentence that just pretty much negated his walk-back anyway. An even if it had been convincing, it didn't make sense that he or his office would wait a whole day to correct a mistake.

On the one hand, it's hard to say I'm surprised because we have gotten used to this "leader" acting like a buffoon over and over again. On the other hand, it was so nuts that even some of his beloved Fox News cronies admitted how bizarre and inappropriate it was. 

We've already known for some time now that this is who he is. If those that can act continue to do nothing, they are complicit in the dismantling and degradation of the US democracy. It should go without, saying at this point, that I am disgusted with a large portion of the US government.

World Cup 2018

I had hoped to watch more of this year's World Cup, considering that the games air at odd hours, and I am up at odd hours feeding Penelope. We ended up watching Australia's first game, and cheering for them, but their lackluster performance kind of made our excitement fizzle out. We watched some highlights here and there, and at 1AM I watched the middle portion of the finals. Well done to Croatia for making it as far as they did for the first time ever, even though they didn't bring home the trophy. Congrats, Frenchies. 

Rolling, Cleaning, Eating, etc.

Penelope can now roll over, and she is determined to crawl. She is learning and growing bigger every day, and can now bounce by herself in her bouncer (although, she doesn't last that long). She loves the swings and slide at the playground. She spends a lot of her waking time, most days, with her mom, but loves playing and taking naps with her dad too. She's a joy to be around.

For the first time ever, we had a professional cleaning service come and just clean our apartment. We normally clean and tidy up things as much as we can, but it's really hard to find the time with a baby. And, when you have the time, you usually can't be very loud (ie: vacuum), or your tired or having something else that you need to attend to. It was nice to be able to leave for an hour and a half with Penelope, and come back to a clean apartment. We won't do it very often, but probably every few months it'll be worth it.  

We also spontaneously went to have dinner at Ippudo, a neighborhood Japanese place, this week. We hadn't been in several months, and it was more delicious than I remember. Penelope was on her best behavior too. We might have to bring her out there more often. 

I found time to swim and run a little bit. We facetimed a little bit with family, and Mike's mom celebrated a birthday. Mike is working, but getting ready with his team for their trip to Canada for the ultimate frisbee masters (aka: old guys) worlds tournament soon. It was a pretty ordinary week.

Wild Boars

Michael and I have been anxiously following the news story about the Thai soccer team trapped in a cave, and the attempts to rescue them. We obviously hope that they all get out okay, and it's a shame that one of the rescuers has already died. As of right now, eight of the boys have been rescued and there are four left in the cave with their adult coach. It is a refreshing change of pace in the news because it's has nothing to do with the president, some institution or international relationship that he's destroying, or some uncouth tweet. It's about people all around a country, and even people around the world, working together with the common goal of saving these young boys. Imagine that - a country wanting to rescue kids from confined spaces and reunite them from their families, rather than the opposite. 

But all snark aside, this is the story we've needed, and we sincerely hope everything turns out okay. Having travelled in Thailand, we know the Thai people are friendly, caring people, and it's beautiful to see them showing their solidarity, courage, and positivity to the world. Nobody's blaming the coach, which is probably what would happen in the US. It's not about blame, it's about righting what has gone wrong. It's an inspiring story about the human spirit, as corny as that sounds.

Caterpillar of Society

Sunday I went to see Polyphony Choir's Creature Chorus show; I have a friend who sings in the choir. They always do something unusual. This time, they had an artist who produced an artwork live (projected on the wall) during each song, and each song had an animal referenced in the title. Since then, I've had this gem of a song in my head...

Family Photos

We got our family photos back after one week, and we couldn't be happier with them. Iggy & Bon (Victoria) did a great job, and we would definitely use her again. It didn't hurt that Penelope was a pretty easy model to work with, after a brief poop fiasco, and that the sunset and location were already gorgeous. 

Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom

Penelope and I went to go see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom yesterday at Prams at the Pix. She's becoming a pro at the movies, now that she's been to four in the theater. The movie was pretty predictable by Jurassic standards. There was the ongoing argument about people playing god and messing with nature, another genetically-modified-most-deadly dinosaur, character/characters with ulterior motives to make money off the dinosaurs, BD Wong, a million close calls where characters we like almost die but then are completely fine, a kid/kids almost getting eaten, danger of the dinosaurs breaking out of where they are to wreak havoc on the wider population, etc. And, who doesn't love Chris Pratt? The premise that they should return to the island while a huge volcano erupts was silly, but whatever. Don't worry, I turned Penelope away from the scary parts and put her special sound earmuffs on for any loud parts. She even slept for about a half hour towards the end. It wasn't the best of all the Jurassic films, but I don't think it was the worst. It was a pleasant enough way to spend midday on a Wednesday. 

CPR, Family Photos, Brunch, Gear, and Vaccines

This past weekend was fairly busy. 

I have taken CPR/first aid courses several times in the last 20 years, since I work with kids. Every time I take a course, something has changed. It used to be very complicated, and you had to remember lots of different things. Every time I take it, they have simplified something, based on research and to cut down on what you need to try to remember, in an actual emergency. 

This past weekend, I took one mostly geared towards parents and carers of infants and children, as a refresher. It is much more disconcerting as a parent, because you're forced to imagine your own child in all these horrible, life-threatening situations. They also remind you of all the ways children can drown, choke, get injured, or stop breathing. Anyway, I'm glad I took the course, but I wouldn't say it was fun.

Saturday evening, we took family photos at Bronte Beach. PJ had a poo-splosion all over her cute outfit in the first five minutes, so most of the photos are of her in her backup bear suit. You know, there bear in its natural habitat, the ocean. 

The above photo was just taken by phone, after the real shoot was over. If that one came out that good, we can't wait to see what the real ones - done with the professional camera and touched up - look like. If we like how they come out, I'll recommend our photographer. 

Sunday, we had brunch with two other frisbee families at Camperdown Commons. It was really great because there is lots of room for the kids to play in the fresh air, while still being in a fenced-in and safe place where you can keep an eye on them. PJ isn't big enough to wander by herself yet, but two of the kids with us were. They were very cute playing with her, and she loved it, of course. She's a little social butterfly.

Our friend who was there, who we have referred to as our "Kuhl dealer", brought us some more womens' clothing samples, so I acquired five good quality pieces of outdoor clothing for free, and it's nice to know that they will last for years. I could have taken more, but I'm trying to get rid of some of the stuff I already have. This same friend also hooked us up with an amazing Osprey baby carrier that we just love. We feel very lucky to be gifted really great gear, and we'll have to pay it forward when it gets outgrown. 

So, that was the weekend. PJ got her 4 month vaccines this morning. I feel so deceptive when I'm sitting there smiling at her, knowing full well they are about to stick her with some needles. She was a champ and only cried a short time, and she bounced back fairly quickly. I'm sure she'll be a cranky wreck later, though. It's good for her in the long run, and that's what matters. Unfortunately, her doctor has let the practice and we will have to find another one there that we like. It's hard to find a GP who is good with babies and kids.  

...And I can hear her slowly waking up now. My free time is over.