For my contribution this week I will be conducting a hard hitting interview with mother to be, Kelly Parmenter.
AP – Kelly, what has your contribution been to the construction of your baby’s nursery so far?
KP – Ummmm…..this afternoon I vacuumed.
AP – Do you feel that it is inappropriate for a mother to show such disinterest in an environment which is so crucial in the development of their child?
KP – (screeching) I helped pick the furniture and I’m having the border and mobile flown in from the UK - that’s a huge interest.
AP – In regards to the border, do you feel that it is appropriate to outsource the purchase of this item to overseas providers?
KP – Ummmm, it’s like bringing home a piece of the baby’s heritage so I do feel it is appropriate.
AP – As you were born in Australia, I don’t understand how a border from overseas is part of the baby’s heritage. How long have you harboured these anti-Australian sentiments?
KP – (screeching) How can I be the anti-Australian one when I’m the one getting excited about our obstetrician delivering the baby of the Australian cricket captain.
AP – It’s always about image for you isn’t it. Getting back to the nursery, how did the construction of the furniture go?
KP – Rather well, I was impressed with how easily everything came together.
AP – I put it to you, that you were not even present when the furniture was constructed. In fact, my sources have told me that you were off gallivanting at a coffee shop in Mosman with friends whilst your long suffering husband was left to put all the furniture together.
KP – (whiny) I contest that my, and I want this in inverted commas, my long suffering husband was left to put all the furniture together. Truth be told, Ash’s parents were quite clearly involved in the process and in fact were likely to have done the majority of the work while Ash stood around and farted.
AP – Outsourcing your responsibilities again? In that case, do you feel it is appropriate to put such a workload on two elderly pensioners in this way?
KP – (angrily) I hope Ash’s parents are reading this, as I would hardly describe them as elderly pensioners. Ash’s dad does more work in a day than Ash does in a year.
AP – If you are going to be so aggressive, consider this interview over.
KP – (sulkily) Good.
Week Twenty Nine: Sunday 27th July 2008
This weekend simply couldn’t have gotten off to a better start! Not only did the Eels finally win a game (it wasn’t pretty, but they got away with the win) but just as we were leaving the game I received a very exciting text message….
“Enrique Javier Caraballo arrived into the world today at 2:30pm. Weighing 3.7kgs and 52cms long - healthy and handsome.”
“Enrique Javier Caraballo arrived into the world today at 2:30pm. Weighing 3.7kgs and 52cms long - healthy and handsome.”
Little Enrique is just perfect – we had a quick peek on Sunday morning, at which time he was recovering from a hard night’s work of keeping his mum up until 4am. Lot’s of gorgeous dark hair, and tiny little fingers and toes, it was all I could do to tear myself away. Daniela looked so well too after enduring 18 hours of labour.
Not a lot to report on Elwood this week – plenty of strange and wonderful movements, especially as the two of us have started having playtime of an evening after dinner. Just to shake things up a little, Ash and I went for a swim at the local pool on Friday, rather than our usual gym session, and it was fantastic (yes we really do live life on the edge). My swimsuit only just covered my belly, but it felt terrific to get some exercise without having any pressure on my joints. We plan to keep it up each week now, grooming Elwood to be the next Kieran Perkins.
On Saturday we attended yet another obstetrician appointment, and just as we walked in, the Prof was on his way out, to deliver a baby. I started getting all excited until Ash reminded me that it would be likely we would be in for a considerable wait. The Prof was back by the hour mark (although if felt like ten!) and announced that he had just delivered a baby girl, Emmy.
Low and behold, I was reading the paper on Sunday, and discovered something very exciting… Ricky Ponting, our beloved Australian Cricket Captain, and his wife welcomed the birth of their baby girl, Emmy the day before – at you guessed it, St George Private Hospital! Now I find it VERY EXCITING that our obstetrician delivered Ricky’s baby, but Ash thinks it is all rather dull, I welcome your comments…
Anyway, back to Elwood who is behaving just like the perfect baby, with his / her head down in the right direction, unlikely to turn at this point to breech. The Prof guessed Elwood would arrive into the world at about the 8 pound mark – heaven help me.
Also had the opportunity to catch up with my previous boss, Kristen and her gorgeous daughter, Alice. We had a lovely lunch down in Mosman, with Alice cooed over by everyone in the café.
While I was busying lunching, Ash and his parents were picking up the first of our baby furniture, and assembling it in the nursery. So far, we have the cot, change-table, (all important) rocking chair, rocker and Baby Bjorn – and there is still so much to come. I can’t believe how much gear a tiny baby needs! Ash has already started practicing his baby carrier skills… 
Week Twenty Eight: Sunday 20th July 2008
Much to his distaste, this weekend, Ash and I spent eight hours attending a course by St John’s Ambulance on Caring for Kids. It might be a little over protective of me, but I thought it was a smart idea to learn all about how to resuscitate a baby / child, control bleeding and manage shock, wounds, burns, bites, stings and poisoning. Ash spent most of his time being the class clown, and was even caught by the teacher at one point, swinging the plastic baby around by its legs in an attempt to “resuscitate” it. Here is a photo of him focussing his concentration on passing the assessment…
Our Eels might be putting in disappointing effort after disappointing effort this year; however we were still thrilled that one of our own (Dylan), had their first brush with Eels fame – meeting the legend of the team, Nathan Hindmarsh. I don’t think Ash could have been any prouder of this pic than if it were his own son. And I have to say even I am a little jealous; I haven’t yet had my photo taken with Nat.
Ash finished painting the nursery this weekend (while I was out lunching with girlfriend Laura). The room now looks fantastic, and next week Ash is picking up the cot and change-table, with Ash’s parents coming over to help us put together. Actually, that said, I will be on another lunch date with girlfriend Kristen and baby Alice, and so may miss out on the majority of the work. But after all, I am the one growing Elwood’s eyelashes and toenails, so it all evens out in the end.
Back to lunching, on Sunday I had a great time catching up with my girlfriend Laura, her husband Andrew and their lovely baby, William. If you head back to week 14, I proudly announced the arrival of William into the world, and it’s hard to believe how fast he is growing. I think I will order my baby to be just like William, he sat there the entire time completely contented, and wasn’t fussed by the fact he had missed his nap with all the excitement of my visit. I even got a chance to give him a bottle. Here is a pic of him before we headed out to lunch.
Elwood was also spoiled by Laura and her Mum, who bought our first Eels kit – very cute! As well as some little fashion gems, only the likes of Laura would think have the style to buy, Elwood also received his / her baby’s first books - I was particularly excited about that!
Still no word on the arrival of Baby Caraballo, who was due on Thursday – no doubt by the next entry I will have a photo or two to share.
That’s all for now, Elwood is kicking up a storm this evening, so I need to have a walk around to wear him / her out!
Week Twenty Seven: Sunday 13th July 2008
This week I have to make a REALLY REALLY REALLY BIG deal about Ash’s work on the nursery. He spent the entire weekend painting the walls a lovely light lemon colour, and seems to think it is as much work as carrying his child around for nine months!! So, well done Ash, you are an amazing man. It would however, be remiss of me not to mention the help he had today from his Dad, Johno, who did an excellent job of the more fiddley parts of the painting and played the part of furniture removalist.
Baby Elwood had his/her first ever case of hiccups on Thursday, which isn’t unusual for this stage of the pregnancy. The sensation was incredible – almost as if Elwood was on a trampoline in there, jumping up and down. It only lasted a matter of minutes, but it did have me wondering how uncomfortable the little one might have felt. Otherwise there has been plenty of other movements (like right now for instance – that chocolate brownie I just scoffed has sent Elwood into aerobics mode), and the usual sitting under my rib for most the day while at work.
This pregnancy stuff is really catching, with yet another one of my girlfriends announcing her pregnancy this week! Congratulations to Elysia and Craig who celebrated the twelve week mark on Thursday (flick back to week 14 to see a photo of their wedding day). Elysia has also started a blog, which I have included the link to at the bottom of the page. It is so exciting to know that Elwood is going to have lots of playmates to grow up with, or, more importantly, Mum is going to have plenty of girlfriends to catch up with while on maternity leave! The following picture was taken at a recent dinner catch-up.
Having three children has always sounded ideal to me, and after finding this on the net today, and taking a long hard look at myself, I decided it just had to go on the blog.
The Evolution of Parenthood
The Baby’s Name -
1st baby: You pour over baby-name books and practice pronouncing and writing combinations of all your favourites (sound familiar??).
2nd baby: Someone has to name their kid after your great-aunt Sybil, right? It might as well be you.
3rd baby: Is something you only think about on the way to the hospital – and even then it only rates a 5 minute discussion while waiting from the lights to turn green.
Preparing for the Birth -
1st baby: You practice your breathing exercises religiously.
2nd baby: You don’t bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn’t do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month.
The Baby’s Wardrobe -
1st baby: You pre-wash your newborn’s clothes, colour-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the new brand new baby’s dresser.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can’t they?
The Dummy -
1st baby: If the dummy falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the dummy falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby’s bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
Worries -
1st baby: At the first sign of distress - a whimper, a frown - you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
Activities -
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Yoga, and Baby Swimming Classes.
2nd baby: You take your infant to the playground down the road.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket.
Going Out -
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a babysitter, you call home 5 times and are home within an hour.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the babysitter to call only if she sees blood.
At Home -
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of every day watching to be sure your older child isn’t squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
Baby Elwood had his/her first ever case of hiccups on Thursday, which isn’t unusual for this stage of the pregnancy. The sensation was incredible – almost as if Elwood was on a trampoline in there, jumping up and down. It only lasted a matter of minutes, but it did have me wondering how uncomfortable the little one might have felt. Otherwise there has been plenty of other movements (like right now for instance – that chocolate brownie I just scoffed has sent Elwood into aerobics mode), and the usual sitting under my rib for most the day while at work.
This pregnancy stuff is really catching, with yet another one of my girlfriends announcing her pregnancy this week! Congratulations to Elysia and Craig who celebrated the twelve week mark on Thursday (flick back to week 14 to see a photo of their wedding day). Elysia has also started a blog, which I have included the link to at the bottom of the page. It is so exciting to know that Elwood is going to have lots of playmates to grow up with, or, more importantly, Mum is going to have plenty of girlfriends to catch up with while on maternity leave! The following picture was taken at a recent dinner catch-up.
Having three children has always sounded ideal to me, and after finding this on the net today, and taking a long hard look at myself, I decided it just had to go on the blog.
The Evolution of Parenthood
The Baby’s Name -
1st baby: You pour over baby-name books and practice pronouncing and writing combinations of all your favourites (sound familiar??).
2nd baby: Someone has to name their kid after your great-aunt Sybil, right? It might as well be you.
3rd baby: Is something you only think about on the way to the hospital – and even then it only rates a 5 minute discussion while waiting from the lights to turn green.
Preparing for the Birth -
1st baby: You practice your breathing exercises religiously.
2nd baby: You don’t bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn’t do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month.
The Baby’s Wardrobe -
1st baby: You pre-wash your newborn’s clothes, colour-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the new brand new baby’s dresser.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can’t they?
The Dummy -
1st baby: If the dummy falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the dummy falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby’s bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
Worries -
1st baby: At the first sign of distress - a whimper, a frown - you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
Activities -
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Yoga, and Baby Swimming Classes.
2nd baby: You take your infant to the playground down the road.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket.
Going Out -
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a babysitter, you call home 5 times and are home within an hour.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the babysitter to call only if she sees blood.
At Home -
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of every day watching to be sure your older child isn’t squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
Week Twenty Six: Sunday July 6, 2008
Ash here. I am writing the entry this week so Kel gets off my back about not having written anything. Apparently if I don't write something the baby will feel neglected in five years time when it learns to read.
I spent most of the week at the Gold Coast attending a conference. It gave me a chance to catch up with a mate I went to uni with. It was good timing as Brad & Min only just had a baby themselves on June 28. Lauren Grace was 4 weeks premature and weighed a massive 2.46kg. Here they are:
The labour started on Min's last day of work. It could only have been a girl as her waters broke at half-time of Friday Night Football. Being premature meant they missed the 2nd half of their pregnancy class and Min also missed out on her baby shower which was scheduled for the next day. To make matters even worse they missed out on the $800 increase to the baby bonus, but they are just happy that little Lauren is so healthy.
Lauren is already feeling a little self conscious about her size so I left her with this brochure of a personal trainer so she can bulk up:
Started work on getting the baby's room ready today. Although the room doesn't look very different as it just involved cleaning out our closets so we could move our furniture to the spare room. Yesterday we bought two drawers and a bookcase for the baby's room so we have all the furniture we need and my folks are coming over next weekend to help with the painting.
Went to the Eels game today, my nephew Dylan (who learnt to crawl this week) came along for his 2nd game but we lost so it isn't worth talking about.
As I am in charge of choosing the girls name, here is my top 5 so far:
1. Sheila
2. Buffy
3. Dolly
4. Bjork
5. Celibacy
Kel has been well this week, although I have noticed a slight increase on the crabiness meter. I will go now, I am sure this will be the last time Kel asks me to write an entry on the blog.
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