Happy year of the snake!

Hi! *waves* - yes, I'm still here.  I've just been busy with Chinese New Year celebrations, searching for child care and caring for a suddenly cranky teething baby.

Child care is really getting me down. It's very cut throat out there.  I started applying when I was pregnant, and I was told I needed a baby.  I applied when Ellie was a month old, and I was told that January was when they filled their vacancies so that was the best time. Come January/February, I'm getting asked why the heck I'm applying so late.  Just can't win!  So, it was planned I go back to work part time in April/May, but unless we can get a place, that doesn't look like it'll happen.  I'm going to be a picky mama too, and I won't take just any place - I've immediately crossed off the ones that didn't talk to Ellie when I inspected the centres, and I've crossed off the ones where the babies were left alone and/or looked bored.  I have a very short list left... and of those, there are very long waiting lists.  Some of the centres have told me I'd be lucky to get a place before her third birthday. Holy 'industry needs a shake up', Batman!

In other, more cheerful news, look what I grew! When I spread out the last lot of compost in the vegetable patch, I got a whole bunch of random things sprouting up.  I left them all to grow because who doesn't love surprises?  I suspect what I have is a whole bunch of pumpkin, some rather ragged looking tomato, a couple of grasshopper attracting eggplants (which still manage to produce a bumper crop regardless), and this glorious sunflower.  I don't know how it got there, and I'd thought it was a weed originally, but I'm so glad I left it to grow because now this lovely sunny flower looks amazing standing tall surrounded by sad looking mystery plants.

Finally speaking of surprises, the other day I won a competition on Facebook for an organic spa gel mask. Vegan, organic and FREE, what's not to love?! I haven't had a chance to test it out yet, but will report back when I do.

Does anyone have any tips for getting into child care? Or tips for dealing with teething (that's a whole post on it's own....)

Review: Sophie the Giraffe

Sophie the Giraffe is apparently one of those 'must have' baby toys that everyone knows about. Except me. I must have had a deprived childhood, because I neither had a Sophie, nor did I know about her existence until someone brought her along to our mother's group.

Having been informed about Sophie, I fell in love with her and knew that Ellie had to have one, especially as she's been drooling, gnawing and showing general signs of teething.  Of course, being me, I was much too cheap to pay the $35 (ok, $34.95) that Mothercare was asking locally, so I turned to trusty eBay. Sure, it took two weeks to arrive from the UK, but when a brand new and sealed Sophie was delivered to my door for $17.05, I was happy to wait.

Here she is in all her unopened glory

Fun facts:

• Sophie was born in France in 1961 (on May 25 - Saint Sophie's Day!)
• The manufacturing process used to produce Sophie today is a 'traditional' one involving over 14 manual steps
• She is made from 100% natural rubber, derived from the sap of the Hevea tree. She is PVC and BPA free, painted with non toxic, food grade paints
• 9 out of 10 French newborns are given a Sophie la Girafe
• Her bumpy head helps soothe sore, teething gums

So, the results? On opening the packet, there was no overwhelming 'rubber' smell, or any smell at all really. I tested out the squeaker and sure enough, squeezing the head and tummy makes a cute little noise. Definitely easy enough for little hands to squeeze too. I'd been advised that new babies normally go for the ears, and when they get bigger, the hooves are the preferred chew surface. After a quick rinse, just in case, I handed over the giraffe. 

Ellie has just learnt to hold things recently, so after I held her for awhile and she got the idea, she was onto that giraffe like I'm onto my 5am coffee... which is to say, I think she's a hit! So far there seems to be no preference for chewing ears, neck, or hooves - any part of Sophie seems to be fair game right now. I think we have a new contender for favourite toy (the caterpillar is a pretty big hit too)!   

What have been some 'must have' things for your baby? Any hits? Misses? I could go on for ages about what worked for us and what didn't... a post for another time perhaps!

Quick update

Just a quick update to say that despite all the wild and windy weather, we're all ok here.  Our house is on a hill, so we have very little risk of flooding, and we didn't lose electricity at all.  I think the only casualty for us is from a leaky window in the sun room - some swollen floorboards and window sills, but easily fixable when everything is dry.

The biggest challenge for us was figuring out how to dry all of Ellie's cloth nappies in the rain when we don't own a dryer (Mr Fork is forever lobbying to get one, but I like the smell of sun on our things).  We ended up getting a clothes airer from Ikea so our house looked like a laundry with nappies, onesies and sheets draped everywhere.  Of course, Ellie chose the rainy days to wet through all of her sheets as well, so a trip to Target was called for - we purchased extra mattress protectors and since they're having a baby sale, we also stocked up on winter clothes and flannelette sheets for her.  It's so funny buying for babies - when she was born, we were told to take 000 size to the hospital. Of course, she came early so nothing fit and we actually needed 00000. Anyway, each new size has seemed massive and buying for winter, we're buying 6 months in advance - I just can't imagine my baby big enough to fit into these 0 size clothes. Having said that, I'm still glad she was born small and has chosen to do all of her growing on the outside of me!

So the rainy weather was a great family bonding exercise, with lots of movies, baby cuddles and hot drinks consumed.  In the last week, Ellie has also mastered the roll over - although she still prefers to roll only to the right.  She makes it look so easy, like she has been rolling forever; it is hard to remember when she was so small and fragile, holding her head up was a challenge.

Each day my baby changes and grows and I'm so grateful to be able to watch her learn these new things.

How does everyone else spend rainy weather? Any favourite activities?

PS I took this picture with my nose as both hands are in it, but I think it worked out rather well!

Carried, with love

One of the best things I bought for Ellie (and me) was her Ergo carrier.  Being a borderline premmie baby, she was small and just wanted to be close to her mama all the time.  Some days, I would wear her from when she got up until when she went to bed, popping her out only for nappy changes and feeds, and she would happily nap in there.  Having the Ergo meant that I could have her snuggled in with me and still have two hands free to do other things.  In the early days, there were many times when Mr Fork would come home and panic over what he thought was cradle cap and I had to admit that it was me, eating toast over our daughter and couldn't he tell cradle cap from toast crumbs?!

She's about 7 weeks old in the below picture. Yes, I may or may not be in my pyjamas. Don't judge.

Anyway, she hasn't gotten over her love of being carried and I have to admit it's not something I want her to anyway.  It's an instant calmer for her - when she's screaming in her pram in the middle of the shopping centre, she'll stop as soon as she's picked up and held.  It's annoying to have to carry both pram and carrier, but really, there aren't many things better than being able to tilt my head down and sniff her baby smell or drop random kisses on her head. When she looks up at me, it's one of the sweetest feelings in the world and makes it all worthwhile.

Lots of people told me that I should learn to let her settle on her own and I'd regret it if I always held her to calm her. The way I see it, I carried her already for nine months and we're pretty used to each other. If being next to me, touching, hearing and smelling me makes her calm down, who am I to deprive her of that? I'll be back to work sooner than I want to, and won't be able to cuddle on demand then... and when she's crying and upset, I'd rather hold her than let her think she's alone. (As an aside, she has learnt to self settle herself anyway, but I don't regret ever holding my daughter when she wanted comfort).

We chose an Ergo for a couple of reasons.  One, with the infant insert, it was suitable for use from birth, and could continue to be used until about 20kg. Two, as new parents, we didn't want anything complicated and we wanted something we both could use. This particular model is suitable for tall people as well as short, so suited Mr Fork and I. Three, the performance model (which we have) has a cool mesh insert which supposedly makes it cooler for baby. I can't really compare to anything, but I know that Ellie is a sweaty bub and even on hot days she loves her carrier. Four, it's easily washable if/when she dirties it and five, it comes with good reviews for infant positioning and ergonomics.

However, now that I am a stay at home mama (at least for the present), I have time to trawl forums and see what other things are out there.  Now that I have a baby and I'm not just buying theoretically, I can evaluate products a little more accurately and think about how they would work for me.  While I still love the Ergo, I find as Ellie gets bigger and heavier, I want something that is a little more multipurpose and portable. It's not exactly huge, but it is bulky to carry around and only serves one purpose. After Mr Fork has worn her, I have to spend time adjusting the carrier back to the exact way that I like it. While it's adjustable, you can only carry baby on the front, back or hip and those positions aren't adjustable. It's not a deal breaker but it is annoying.

So after much thought and research, I made the plunge and purchased a woven wrap.  Essentially, it's a long piece of fabric which you can wrap around yourself and baby.  Yes, there is a bigger learning curve, but I figured it would also double as a blanket, a pram liner and a sunshade if necessary. They're meant to be very comfortable because there are so many different wrap methods and carries - you can even carry a newborn on your back if you're brave/talented enough.  Looking online, they're quite the fashion accessory too, coming in different fabrics, weaves, colours and lengths.  I wasn't really fussed about all of that, but I'm still happy with the one I chose. It's grey with a sort of shimmery pink... I can't wait for my new wrap to make its way to me so I can play.  Expect a review soon!

Didymos Indio Porrinho

Handwritten, with love

I've always been brought up with the understanding that when you receive a gift, you should thank the giver.  This applies even if you don't like the gift or if you have already got one; you should still be able to find something nice and genuine to say about it.

When we got married, when we announced our pregnancy, and most recently, with Ellie's birth and christening, we were overwhelmed with so many generous gifts.  As the first grandchild on my side of the family, my dad was especially chuffed and I suspect did quite a lot of bragging.  This was very evident right from the beginning when we announced our pregnancy - even though we'd said to keep it a secret until we got the all clear, congratulations poured in anyway.  Consequently, I found myself writing lots of thank you cards. Lots. I can't even begin to describe how tired my hand was after the wedding. Mr Fork has boy handwriting so refused to help and left it all to me (typical!).

One thing that surprised me a lot was how grateful people were to receive a thank you.  Let alone a personalised, hand written one!  I for one, love that they love the effort I went to to write something heartfelt, personalised and honest.  I'm also saddened that people were surprised when we acknowledged their gift. I figure, if they can take the time to shop for me, then I certainly can take the time to write a thank you card. The art of the thank you is dying (or is that the cynic in me saying that?).  The art of hand written mail is dying even more.  When I was younger, I had pen pals from all over the world and a collection of great stationery.  Gradually they changed to email pals, but something was lost in the transition.  I know my heart gives a little jump when I get something in the mail that is not a bill, advertisement or reminder.  Bonus points if it's handwritten.  Maybe that's why I love Christmas cards so much.

Bring back the thank you I say.  Bring back hand written mail that you've taken the time and effort to write!  What are the occasions that you bust out the stationery and stamps?

PS: Here's a cute very hungry caterpillar gift Ellie received.  It's one of her favourite toys and she reaches for it often when having tummy time. The bottom is the thank you card I sent (yes, it's taking me awhile to get through them all)

Hairly there

When I was pregnant, I read that one of the symptoms was that your hair would become all thick and lush (love those hormones!).  I have to say, I was excited about that, because I'm one of those girls whose hair goes limp as soon as you look at it.  Fine hair means I can't go longer than two days without washing it, or it becomes oily on top and lank at the bottom.  And styling it?  Well, there is a pony tail or out. And leaving it out makes it greasy in an instant. Oh yes, I've certainly been blessed in the hair department.

So I was very sad when I didn't notice any difference in my pregnancy hair.  It didn't suddenly become all Kate Middleton gorgeous, nor did it happen over any length of time either.  I just chalked it up to another myth that didn't apply to me.  

In fact, after I gave birth, I thought those hormones kicked in and my hair was fabulous.  Perhaps it really was the hormones talking there, because considering how tired, cranky and sleep deprived I was, hair (styling, washing, any attention whatsoever) was pretty low on my priority list, so I'm sure it didn't look as wonderful as I thought it did (or wonderful at all really).

I digress.  The reason for the post is that all that lush hair that I thought I didn't get while I was pregnant?  Well it seems to be falling out now.  Sure, I didn't notice it when I had it but I'm definitely sitting up and paying attention now.  Our robot vacuum cleaner (I call him Jeeves) is vacuuming more hair than ever before; so much so that I have to cut these hairballs from his rollers (below image for display purposes only). 

I get out of bed and there are long Lisa hairs stuck to the pillows. I comb my hair and hanks of it remain on the comb.  And don't even get me started on running my hands through my hair anymore - last time I did that, I had enough strands to make a replica Grug (remember him?)

My point is, all you pregnant ladies out there, treasure your locks (even if you don't think they're doing the thick luscious pregnancy thing).  Treasure them I say!!  Who knows where the hair loss will end now?  

PS: Annoyingly, this hair shedding does not seem to extend to other areas of my body which are as hairy as they ever were.  If hair is going to fall out, if there is any justice in the world it should at least include my leg hairs!

Deep dish pizza, Chicago style!

Is anyone else humming 'Cell Block Tango' in their head at the mention of Chicago? It's just me? Well alright then, moving on.

In what is perhaps a damaging revelation given my reputation as the healthy vegetarian, this dish comes inspired by an episode of Man vs Food, which Mr Fork is particularly addicted to at the moment.  I don't usually watch it with him as it's just plain gross, but I happened to be walking past when it was focussing on a deep dish pizza (probably eating five of them knowing the show), and something about it called to me.  I figured, we could do that, and knowing that pizza was on the menu plan for the week anyway, set about researching what we'd need to do.

I decided on the dough recipe from here, and pretty much followed the instructions to the letter, with two variations:

• I don't own a food processor, so I made the dough by hand - there is something extremely therapeutic about this 
• Knowing that dinner preparation time is also Ellie's fussy time, I pre-made the dough the night before we were having the pizza.  At the stage where you rest the dough in the fridge to double in size, I just left it in for 24 hours instead.  I don't think it hurt the end result at all.

The night of the pizza, all that was left to do was to let the dough heat up a little before rolling it out.  I don't own any metal baking tins, so we improvised a little here too.  Mr Fork made his pizza in a quiche dish, and I used a cast iron frypan.  My preference was for the way the frypan pizza worked out, maybe because the sides were deeper so the pizza rose more and encased the fillings whereas the quiche dish produced more of a pizza 'quiche' to be honest.

Here are the results, I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Mr Fork's creation.  I think he had pepperoni, beef mince and a whole bunch of cheese and sauce in his. As you can see, it's all one level and overflowed the pan a little (thank goodness his meaty pizza was on the bottom shelf!)

My pizza had tomato, cheese, basil, olives and a spicy tomato sauce. My crust encased the filling and looked more like a traditional, yet very deep, pizza.

Here's an internal shot, after waiting approximately 15 minutes for the fillings to cool to something less than molten. 

What worked: The dough was delicious! I've bookmarked the recipe - perfect and flaky but not oily and overwhelming. The small amount of polenta added is a genius idea. The cast iron frypan was the better cooking method, as already noted. Pre-making the dough made putting dinner together quite easy and we were able to devote full attention to Ellie while this cooked.  Leftovers are also delicious on the following days, and actually, the pizza seems to hold together better and is easier to cut when it's cool.

What didn't work: Next time I make this, I think I'll roll the dough thinner as it was a little thick in some places and took over the pizza. I need to find something else for making a second pizza in, as there was no room for Mr Fork's dough to expand and make a nice crust (he does have a tendency to overfill things though). I think there could have been more filling and less sauce as sometimes the sauce was overwhelming.

Otherwise, this was a delicious, delicious Tuesday night dinner. Will we make it again? You bet!