Cats and stuff

Yesterday we dropped Annabelle off at a friend's place at about 3pm, hopped into the car and drove to the city where we checked into the Intercontinental Hotel. Very flash! (shitty service but I'm not going to complain). We got to our room about 3.45pm, I ran a lovely bath, and Mel poured me a glass of champagne. It would have been utter bliss except that somehow the fishing show on TV which Mel was watching in the other room was being piped into the bathroom. Took away from the serenity of the experience somewhat, but never mind. :)

At 5pm, we were all glammed up and headed to the cocktail lounge downstairs and met up with some of our really, really good friends from Sydney who are down her for the Tour Down Under (mad cyclists that they are). We haven't seen them since we left Sydney and it was great to catch up with them.




After drinks, we farewelled our friends and popped into a delightful restaurant where the service was fab and the food was DIVINE! I had Japanese spiced Tofu. I know you think that sounds crap but even Mel was jealous because it was SO good.

At 7:30pm, we headed next door to the Festival Theatre where we saw "Cats". I wasn't sure what to expect but I really enjoyed the singing and dancing. Weird-arse storyline (Andrew Lloyd Webber was on some serious drugs for sure) but a great musical theatrical experience. At half-time I had a text advising that Annabelle was fast asleep so if I'd had any concerns about her they would have been put to rest.

After the show, we headed back to the hotel for one more drink, listened to some live music and had a civilised adult-like conversation about what's been going on in our lives, plans for the future etc. Gosh, how I miss those conversations! We then slept uninterrupted until about 7:15am and chatted over coffee without having to "get up! get up! get up!!!" or make weet-bix or load a DVD or yell at anyone to not spill juice all over their clothes.

I'm telling you. Child-free nights. There should be a LOT more of them!

New dress

Annabelle's grandparents sent her a new dress and shoes from their holiday in Singapore. We had to take a picture to send to them so I thought I'd post it here. She looks so grown up!!

Good grief, it's quiet around here

Sorry about that. Last Friday I had a meeting with my research supervisors and got filled in on all the things I have to do to get my final ethics approval from the hospital. There were only a few wee things to be done to get the hospital approval, but I had TOTALLY forgotten that I need to get uni approval too. Derr!! So it's been a mad rush to put together a 2nd ethics application this week, as well as make all the amendments to the first one.

Annabelle was only in daycare for two days and it's been impossible to get anything done with her home so all the while she's been home, I've been quietly stressing about the fact that it's not being done! But over the past two days I've managed to get most of it sorted out I think, so today (while she's home again) we will be busily running all over the city getting signatures and verifications and submitting them all to the respective committees.

To put it in perspective, the group I am evaluating for my research starts in early February. I have to meet the participants, get their consent and give them some questionnaires to do before the group starts but I can't do a single thing until I get the ethics approval. It is now 14th January.... EEK!!!

In other news, Annabelle is gorgeous and I've been loving spending more time with her. She was adamant she didn't want to go back to daycare this week but once she got there she loved it. She is constantly asking me for a baby brother AND a baby sister. She even came up with the amazing plan that to lighten the load for everyone, I could grow the sister in my tummy and dad could grow the brother in his (you know, because he's a boy and everything). So I've told her that only mums can grow babies and there can only be one, so I might work on a brother for her later in the year. She seems ok with that for now.

So far, so good

It's 3pm. I've been to the gym, made a trip to Bunnings, sorted a heap of Annabelle's old toys and clothes out, supervised various craft activities, fed child, fed me, and at this rate, I may well have the house in some semblance of order before Mel gets home from work.

All of this without requiring a nap.

I'm cured.

January blues

Hola!

We got back from Queensland last week and have been slowly settling back into Adelaide life and mentally preparing for the year ahead. It's going to be a doozy but more on that later (no, I'm not having a baby) (although TWO psychics have told me to be EXTRA careful if I don't want to have a baby because there is a spirit baby hanging around me waiting to be born....).

We spent New Year's Eve across the road at our friends' house and we were home in bed by 9.30pm, just the way I like it.

Since then, we have been a bit miserable. I thought I might be sick since I've had no energy or motivation to do the things that need to be done around the place. The house is a bombsite and all I want to do is SLEEP! Mel thought maybe I should go to the doctor and see if I'm iron-deficient since I don't eat meat. But just quietly I'm pretty sure the problem has not been physical, but mental. I feel completely overwhelmed by the workload ahead of me this year. I've got nagging worries about ethics approvals and research projects and managing to get a placement since I missed out on one this semester.

Even though there are three weeks until I "officially" go back to uni, I've got that perpetual uni guilt cranking up again telling me that I should be doing something to prepare. I should be harassing someone about a placement. I should be starting my Lit Review (I really should). I should be cleaning out my office. When will I start Annabelle back at daycare? Should I be paying for daycare when she could be at home with me? Or should she be at daycare so that I can get back into work mode. Blah blah BLAH!!

I think the issue was compounded by Mel being home and "on holidays" until today. His being here was a reminder that it's all coming to an end very soon and life is getting back to normal.

But today he goes back to work and paradoxically, I feel a little lighter. I can get back into my own routine now; the one that involves me managing my days and my time and not feeling pressure to enjoy those damn holidays while they last. The gym is open normal hours and people are back at work so I can contact people and get things done instead of stressing about them not getting done. Hopefully my mysterious ailment will cure itself now.