New experiences

With Mr Fork back to work, Ellie was still settling back into having just me for company.  So I decided that I should break the normal routine and take her out of the house, conveniently also crossing an item off my list.

We went to see my grandmother, Ellie's great grandmother.  She recently was moved to a nursing home, so it really was a good deed visiting there, because lets be honest, those places are depressing!.  I don't particularly get on with my grandmother, but no one deserves to be in a place like that without things to break up the day, and really, everyone loves a baby right?  So we spent some time there, just chatting across three different generations (yes, Ellie made chat noises too).  It was fine - somehow having a baby around breaks up any awkward moments, and I know it really did make her day to see us.

When we got home, it was hot, hot, HOT!  So much so, that I decided Ellie needed to experience the wonders of a bubble bath (and of course, that I should have one with her).  I think a picture says everything really - it was a hit!  Having a baby is amazing... I get to experience things through her eyes, and re-discover how fun new experiences can be.

Oh the places you'll go, there is fun to be done!

Today I made a start on making a new friend (Item 100 on my list).  Oh, I know that it isn't a scientific sort of thing and I can't one day go, 'hey, I've moved you from acquaintance to friend!' because we're not in primary school anymore and labels are bad.  But I digress.

I'm the sort of girl ( aside: can you still be a girl if you're a mum, or is it 'woman' now?) who finds it difficult to talk to people I don't know and to lead the way in starting something new.  I mean, what if they don't like me, or I say something stupid for example?  But somehow, being a mummy changed that.  Maybe it was having to get used to having just my own company while I stay at home with Ellie.  Maybe it was completely losing all my dignity in that delivery room and realising that really, we all come into the world the same way and other people aren't that scary.  Maybe it's the fact that babies need so much care and to get that, you need to a) deal with all kinds of people - doctors, nurses, checkout operators etc and b) get over your pride and accept help if it's offered. Whatever, I've had to get over my hangups pretty darn quick because there is a tiny human now who is counting on me to look after her and make sure she grows up to be a decent human being.

To help with that, and to save my sanity, I joined a mothers group and let me tell you, it's been a godsend for when I can't sleep and need someone else to talk to. Or when I'm not sure I'm doing something right and need confirmation that it's normal. Or even just to compare developmental milestones (and hey, maybe brag a little that my baby was the first to sleep through the night!!).  Usually we meet as a group in a park or at some one's home.  But Mr Fork went back to work yesterday, and Ellie was grizzly with only me for company.  So when this girl asked what I was doing, I took a giant step and met her on my own today (well, with our babies in tow) for a coffee.  And it was nice.  She didn't eat me.  I didn't say anything stupid or walk away with food stuck between my teeth (I checked later). And I even signed up to the same baby swim class as her so that I'd know someone else.

I love the friends I have but as the first in our group to have a baby, it's also super nice to meet new people who know exactly what I'm going through.  And can I just say, thank god for being able to have coffee again!

101 things to do in 1001 days

In lieu of making a list of resolutions that never happen, I thought I'd steal an idea that I came across on a blog somewhere and make a list of ’101 things to do in 1001 days’.  Not only does this give me a longer time limit to get things done, but because it's a little more task oriented than a blanket resolution, I hope that I'll have more success with it.  One of my resolutions (ha!) will be to keep updating my progress here, as being accountable seems to inspire me.  

Start date: 7 January 2013 Mid date: 22 May 2014 End date: 28 Sept 2015

Culinary Exploits

1 . Cook 5 meals from 5 different countries
2 . Try cooking with 10 herbs that are new to me
3 . Have dessert before dinner
4 . Go vegan for a month
5 . Pack home made lunches every day for a month
6 . Photograph my home made lunches every day for a month
7 . Make my own curry paste
8 . Master buttercream icing
9 . Make falafels
10 . Make at least one thing out of each cookbook I own
11 . Preserve my own food
12 . Learn to make spinach pie (spanakopita)
13 . Make refried beans
14 . Make 10 different soups
15 . Make a birthday cake for someone
16 . Bake an apple pie
17 . Make pinwheels
18 . Blog at least one recipe a month
19 . Learn to bake bread
20 . Eat three things I've never tried before
21 . Take a cooking class
22 . Host a dinner party
23 . Use five ingredients which are new to me
24 . Grow my own vegetables and cook a meal with them
25 . Try one new restaurant
26 . Serve a meal plated like it's for a cook book
27 . De-clutter and re-home duplicate or redundant kitchen gadgets

Family

28 . Buy flowers for someone
29 . Send photos to my mother
30 . Take my father out for lunch
31 . Document our family tree as much as possible for Ellie
32 . Dedicate one day a month to exclusive family time

Love

33 . Have a romantic weekend away (with baby)
34 . Have dinner by candlelight

Organise myself

35 . Write a will
36 . Learn basic first aid
37 . De-clutter the spare room
38 . Cull all of the clothes I no longer wear or will never wear again. Donate them. Be ruthless
39 . Organise the 'man cave' and re-home all the textbooks we no longer use
40 . Clean and organise my crafting supplies
41 . Clean our rugs and finally get rid of the stale dog smell
42 . Be more proactive with composting and recycling to reduce rubbish
43 . Clean one big thing a week (an under cupboard space, the microwave, the pantry etc)

Getting in some culture

44 . Read at least 10 paper books
45 . Read 50 new books
46 . Learn all the words to five songs which are not nursery rhymes
47 . Register and release 10 books through bookcrossing.com
48 . See 10 movies I’ve never seen
49 . Watch something at the theatre
50 . Have a movie marathon

Reflect

51 . Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
52 . Leave an inspirational note inside a book for someone to find
53 . Write a list of 101 things I’ve achieved in life so far
54 . Update and keep up to date Miss E's milestone book
55 . Identify 100 things that make me happy
56 . Go back and label each week of pregnancy photos
57 . End each day by reflecting on three things that I am thankful for

Getting healthy

58 . Ride at least 500km
59 . Run for an entire touch football game instead of half heartedly jogging
60 . Practice yoga and stretching at least once a week for 15 minutes
61 . Drink 1.2 litres of water everyday for a month

Keep learning

62 . Learn 50 new words in Cantonese, and use them regularly
63 . Learn to say “Thank You” in 10 different languages
64 . Learn 10 words in sign language

Money

65 . Regularly add to my change jar
66 . Have a 'no unnecessary spending' month
67 . Have one month where I refrain from buying coffee out

Be a better person

68 . Perform at least one random act of kindness each week
69 . Sponsor someone doing something for charity
70 . Give at least one heartfelt and honest compliment a day
71 . Donate $10 to charity for every uncompleted task on my list
72 . Fast for one day of Ramadan

Writing

73 . Comment on 50 different blogs
74 . Write a blog post every day for a month
75 . Post an outfit of the day on my blog once a week for a month
76 . Send at least 10 handwritten letters/cards this year

Pamper myself

77 . Get a facial
78 . Get a massage
79 . Take a bubble bath
80 . Take time out for 'Lisa time' at least once a week

Be creative

81 . Create a flower arrangement
82 . Doodle once a day for 1 week
83 . Make five home craft projects
84 . Sew 5 things from scratch
85 . Organise and present our photographs
86 . Use my hot glue gun
87 . Make at least five gifts for people

Go on an adventure

88 . Go for a family day trip on the spur of the moment
89 . Go on a winery tour
90 . Visit a museum
91 . Go on a boat
92 . See the world through my daughter's eyes and have a children's adventure
93 . Visit an island
94 . Go fishing
95 . See a Brisbane attraction I haven't seen yet

Just for fun

96 . Visit a psychic
97 . Lay in the grass and watch the clouds
98 . Photograph a day in my life
99 . Hug a tree
100 . Make a new friend
101 . Buy something frivolous

2012 in review

I freely admit that this blog was very sadly neglected in 2012.  It wasn't that I didn't want to blog, it was also that I had no energy to do so.  However, in a time honoured tradition, I thought I'd resurrect With a Fork by doing a year in review post, which will hopefully spur me towards blogging more regularly as well.

So what did I achieve in 2012?  Well, I will look back at that year with much fondness, because 2012 was a year of change for Mr Fork and I.  In December 2011, I was newly married, and settling into life as a wife.  In December 2012, I am settling into life as a mother.  We found out that I was pregnant in early February (a honeymoon baby pretty much, take that William and Kate!) and the year went remarkably quickly.  I was truly lucky in my pregnancy; I didn't experience severe morning sickness, I didn't gain too much weight, I didn't get stretch marks, and by all accounts I had a relatively easy labour and birth.  The only hiccups occurred in the last trimester when my pelvis started to separate, I started to swell and I developed cholestasis, however all is back to normal now.  I'm back to pre-baby weight and I'm even planning to re-join that touch football team as a player again.

Ellie was born on September 28, at 10:49am.  We didn't know we were in actual labour and had happily gone out to dinner the night before!  Mr Fork and I hadn't even finished up work yet, as Ellie came so much earlier than expected.  I will never forgive the fact that I missed out, not just on maternity leave and swanning around the house, but on my own maternity cake from work - while they sent flowers, I'd gone into labour on my last day at the client and they neglected to send a piece of the cake to hospital with those flowers.  Rude!

2012 saw me transition from a full time worker to a full time mother.  A transition from a couple to a family.  I admit that it's been hard, and if I'm honest with myself, much harder than I expected it to be.  I was truly shocked by the fact that as hard as I thought pregnancy was (at the time), motherhood is much harder.  Motherhood is not instinctual, breastfeeding does not come naturally and that all those people who say enjoy sleep while you can were right.  Having said that, I do not begrudge one (well, maybe one) missed minute of sleep, as I also learnt what it is to truly care for a baby, and the depths of love that come along with that.

With all the new things I did/learnt/saw in 2012, I can't wait to see what 2013 will bring!

Giving

I think I already mentioned that I was going to be trying new things this year and having more adventures (and lets be honest, an adventure for me is trying new foods, going to a new restaurant, heck, even signing up to play on a touch football team!).

Anyway, I decided that one of the first new experiences I would try this year would be to donate blood. Now I've tried to do it several times over the years but I've been rejected for one reason or another (not weighing enough, not enough iron), so I was a bit apprehensive when I walked in.  The next hurdle was to get over my needle phobia.  I've had a few bad experiences when I've had blood collected before - think collapsed veins and failed attempts - so I was chuffed when they brought out the little finger prick needle to test for oxygen levels.  I guess anyone can have a finger stick needle though.

Next step was the chair.  I lay there all comfy under the blanket with the little cuff on, squeezing that tube thing with all I had.  "Hmmm" says the nurse, tapping away on my arm.  "Hmmm" says the nurse, trying my other arm.  "You definitely have veins," she says, "that's not the problem.  The problem is that they're not juicy enough for me to get one of these needles into them." I gazed at her pitifully, "Is there no hope, am I a permanent donor dud?" I asked.  Apparently, there was no hope.  She did suggest drinking more before I came in next time, but since I'd already prepped by drinking 2L that morning, she said it was unlikely that anything would change.  Some people are just not cut out to donate blood.  Donor Fail.  It does beg the question though, how they would get blood into me if I ever needed it, given that it was so hard to get it out...

Container list

Inspired by a uni friend's goal to have, on average, one new experience per week, I'm going to break out of my rut and start trying new things myself.  It's not exactly a bucket list, more of a smaller version - a container list!!

 

First on the list, I've signed up for a mixed touch football team.  Now those who know me know I'm not really a sporty kind of girl.  Especially, I'm not a team sports kind of girl, where I have a whole host of other people relying on my performance.  Nevertheless, I've signed up.  I figure, worst comes to worst, I'll make some new friends and have some fun running around getting fit.  This is a big thing for me.  Next thing to do - read up on touch football rules and practice catching a ball....

Another year over

And what have you done?  For me, 2011 was the year of organisation. Mr Fork had proposed and I was busy, busy, busy organising our weddings. Which I'm pleased to say went off without any major hitches. Actually they were both great events and I can honestly say that I had a lot of fun. How many brides can say that they actually had fun at their weddings? My face didn't crack from too much smiling, no family meltdowns occured, I didn't spill food on my dress. An all round success I'd say! The origami bouquets were a bit of a hit, as was the cheese 'cake', which we're still working our way through at the moment come to think of it!

What does 2012 hold? I can't say for sure yet. There's some weddings to attend, some conferences to go to, new clients to meet and maybe even some work related travel to foreign locations. What I do know is that I'm going to embreace it all with open arms and sieze the opportunities. Mr Fork and I will probably do some more garden work around the house, and focus on our changed relationship status. Not that anything much as changed, married life seems pretty much the same as non married life as far as I can see.