It's all go, innit?

[ailbhe]

That's something my father-in-law often says, as he stretches out on a pathetically deflated beanbag in front of Saturday lunchtime TV. But round these here parts, it is all go.

That was the week that was

On Sunday there was the Great Car-Door Incident with the Scary Sweary Man. On Monday there was the EUA. On Tuesday there was Writing A Letter To Make Me Get Better. On Wednesday there was a visitor, about whom I didn't write; she brought me get-well chocolate and her own baby, and her 37-week bump, and we had a lovely chat and a gossip. I think that was the night we ate out, too; all of us tootling down to Sweet Masala for thalis and masala dhosas and learning that Linnea likes dhal so spicy Rob's eyes water.

On Thursday I think I caved in and Linnea and I spent the day at home, holed up watching telly and taking drugs. And the UNICEF catalogue arrived.

On Friday, Rob was here, and I was here in body, if not in Spirit - I was running a temperature, apart from anything else. That was the night Linnea had wind, like a tiny baby does, all distended belly and smily noises and crankiness. I tried sitting her on my lap, her tummy against one hand, the other rubbing her back and rocking her... It worked a year ago. It doesn't work now. In the end we just gave her as much gripe water as she would take (about 7ml) and sat around watching Baby Mozart and Eric Clapton on DVD. She deflated enough by about midnight to be brought to bed, but she refused to go alone. Fair enough; I don't like being lonely and ill, either.

Saturday 13 August

Saturday was yesterday. We were all exhausted. Rob took Linnea painting - the Town Hall houses the Jelly Leg'd Chicken gallery, which hosts workshops for children every Saturday morning. It's house-tidy, child-messy activity, which is always a win-win situation as far as we're concerned. Then she chased pigeons (he phoned me; I could hear her bellowing "Buddy! Buddy!" at them) and took her to the Forbury Gardens for a runabout. Then I met with them and we did stuff. I forget what; errands. Boots the chemists, and the library (I have reserved Paladin of Souls for when it's returned in early September), and Sainsbury's, and then we accidentally ate out.

The thing is, we got on our bus rather early, so that there would be a space for the buggy / pushchair / baby carriage / shinbarking device (delete as appropriate to your dialect) and settled in for a nice trip home. Then, rounding a corner by a crossroads and four pedestrian crossings, the bus scraped a railing and a bollardy thing rather... enthusiastically, causing part of a panel to come off, and so we disembarked at the usual point of embarkation (that is to say, the bus-stop I used to use before I competed in the all-Berkshire league for Buggy Space On Buses; I'm pretty good at it) rather than wait 20 minutes for another bus to show up which mightn't have space for us.

And I felt so extravagant, having wasted two bus-fares (mine and rob's; baby goes free) that I decided I was tired enough to treat us to a really nice meal.

And so we went to Pepe Sale, and had the best meal I have had in well over a year. No kidding. I just had some kind of simple pasta thing, and it was unbelievably good. The service was kind of interesting; they are all geared up for a full house, and there were only two occupied tables the whole time we were there, so at one point we had no fewer than four members of staff bringing us things. But nonetheless it was good service, and good food, and even a nice enough house white (I drank wine! Shoot me now for an irresponsible mother!) and they had a highchair for the baby.

Then we came home and Linnea went to bed shortly after eleven. And we watched more Yes, Prime Minister.

Sunday - that is to say, today. Being not sunny. In which Pooh and Tigger - oops, wrong story.

I started the day, as I do most Sundays, by staying in bed and listening to The Archers. But there was a difference - Linnea slept over nine and a half hours, and as a result, we were all three well-rested when we woke up. I mean, she woke a bit in the night, but not for long, and not often. So I not only listened to The Archers, but I can still remember some of it, and it was hours ago.

After The Archers, we all three went swimming. Linnea did her swimming-with-a-float trick, and her climbing-out-of-the-pool trick, and we were very pleased and proud to be witnessing it together. It's a very long time since Rob and I went swimming together; the last few weekends I've been ill or had a period, and of course he can't come with us midweek.

Then we walked into town and Linnea fell asleep. She napped for over an hour, all told, and while she was sleeping we bought me a rucksack. Down at my local, which isn't a pub but a camping equipment shop, I had ordered a small ladies' rucksack, and they'd had to get one in specially because the usual ladies' rucksacks are designed for people with longer backs than I have.

They're called Altimus, by the way. Very friendly. Big chat about babies - the chap who runs or owns or both it has a three-year-old and a four-month-old. He actually asked me what I thought about feeding solids to a four-month-old. But he had already implied by then that it was a bottle-fed four-month-old. So I didn't know what to say. I just listed the whole sitting up, no tongue-thrust reflex etc. stuff.

After buying the rucksack we went to Boots and bought Linnea a potty. We did our research yesterday and Boots do the simplest, easiest-to-clean one, with no decorative grooves or crenellations to get disgusting, and it's the cheapest, as well. Colour choice was predictable, so we got baby blue. Then we went for the biggest, greasiest fried breakfast we knew how to find.

Linnea woke up while we were doing that. So she shared our breakfast-at-three-o'clock. Then we went to Mothercare and bought a lightweight semi-disposable type stroller. Rob is out test-driving it now. Oh - no he's not; it took me half an hour to write this far, so they're back. Apparently it's great for nipping about but totally inadequate for shopping.

We had dinner and they went to the playground, which is part of their routine now - it gives me a half-hour to myself of an evening, and it gives Rob a chance to actually play with Linnea, which he didn't do as much as he'd have liked to until recently.

We're going to try to get her to bed before 9 pm today. Wish us luck.

Comments

[ellipunk.livejournal.com]

I'm seeing her for the first time - she's lovely! Sounds like you had a nice time overall, apart from the being sick bit.