Going Out

Tonight is SKM's (Marc's company) end of financial year party. Partners are invited but not kids, so Philippe will be experiencing a new baby sitter for the night! Well, for about 45 minutes, then he'll be asleep.

I should be excited. The function is held in a trendy bar in the city, with loud music and lots of drunk people. I feel awkward going out with my near-29-week belly! Somehow, watching a good movie sitting comfortably (impossible these days) on my couch seems like a more natural option at this stage.

On the other hand, we hardly ever take the time to do things just the 2 of us, or I should say, without young Prince Philippe. So a bit of grown up talk won't hurt! Actually, now that I think of it, no one there but us has got young children. Wow, that should really change me.

Have great summer weekend in the Northern Hemisphere. And if you're in Tassie, well, cover up!

Fatty Aussies

This is official, Australia is now the fattest nation in the world with 26% of the adult population being obese. It was all over the news last week and this is what I saw on TV. Who would have thought the Americans could be beaten on the disease they invented???

This is almost unbelievable when you think about it. 9 million Australians are over-weight, of which 4 million are obese. This is making me sick, even though I know it's not a simple issue... I cannot imagine how all these people feel. I now carry an extra 11 kilos being pregnant and I feel huge and heavy, most night (not to say all) I'm exhausted at bedtime. I puff when I climb the stairs and I struggle to carry Philippe over 50 meters (he's nearly 13 kilos now). How could I weight twice as much as that and live freely?

How about a swim this afternoon and a salad with those pork chops? (Marc you know what we're having for dinner!)

Phili-Franglish

It is fascinating to watch the process by which Philippe is learning French and English at the same time. Linguistics literature suggests to use a consistent framework to work within so the child understands that a different set of symbols (words making up a language) is used in different circumstances. For us, it is French at home, English elsewhere (mainly at childcare, playgroup and also some TV) and it really works. Philippe responds equally to people talking to him in English at childcare or to me and Marc in French. In fact, it works so well that when we visited friends from Quebec a couple of weeks ago, Philippe was puzzled to hear other people speaking that funny lingo we use at home! The only thing he doesn't seem to get is No, or Non... but who would think this is a language issue? Definitely not a parent! My only wish at the moment is that we could eventually move in a strange country, that way Philippe could pick up a third language before he reaches 7, the ultimate age before which you can learn any language without a foreign accent (or so they say).

In the meantime, here are a few things we now hear non-stop through the day (Did I ever mentioned Marc's nickname as a child was motor-mouth? Well, I'm sure it's a dominant gene).

In the animal kingdom:

• Doggy: when I say chien or dog
• Minou: (Cat - Kitty) At first pronounced the English way "menew" but now fully Francais!
• Badda: (from bird?) pointing at trees and the noisy birds in them (can't say oiseau yet).
• Ducky: Bigger birds and proper canards
  
• Totu: Do you get that one?
• Rooooaaaarr!: Any wild animal (lion, zebra) and the farm animal he doesn't know (lambs!)
• Toala: (Koala) As a mantra, is the bath, as a war cry, pointing at the tea towel, ad nauseum
  
• Moo: The English cow, obviously, as everyone knows that the French one goes Meuh
• Kh-Kh: (Horse) or the sound you make with your tongue when you call one
• Toutou: Any teddy bear or other stuffed animal not comprised in one of the above
  

First sentences (or syllables put together):

• Ah oui! as a parrot when I talk to Marc or think out loud (very dangerous now with that talking toddler around!)
  
• Tapete (T'as pete), meaning "you farted" which he now use in the right context when he or Marc farts (because I don't).
• Recent combinations: Papa paati (Dad gone), Bu paati (bus gone), Minou dodo (Cat sleeping), Tapete Papa!
  

No relation to anything known:

• Baba: truck or bus or anything big on the road
• Nono: Milk or water, you have to figure out for yourself, but you usually find out with the reaction if you guessed the right way
• Fa-Fa-Fa: I couldn't see any connection at first, then I realised what it meant and I was ashamed of myself. Let me know if you find it...
• Pitou: A motorcycle... no idea where he got that one from...
  

Given that list, my guess is he probably knows around 30-40 words right now. Not bad for a bilingual baby, hey?

Numero Due!

I'm back. After over 2 months without internet access from home, it's finally solved. Well, we still can't answer phone calls from the wireless handset but who cares when you have a mobile phone and an ADSL2+ connection to the fantastic world wide web?!?

I haven't written about our biggest news of the year. You might know about it if you're family, live in Tassie or are a friend on Facebook. Otherwise... we're expecting another baby! Here it is, as it was a few weeks ago. The photo is taken with a 3D ultrason! Cool, isn't it? I finally managed to get into the obstetrics clinic I wanted to be in for the delivery of the baby.

In Australia with the private health system, you get to choose where and what kind of birth you want to have. Turns out the doctor my Hobart obstetrician recommended in Perth is a very popular and busy doctor. I guess I called his clinic so many times that the office got tired of me and ask the doctor if he wanted to look after me so I would stop harassing them! As he knew my Hobart doctor, he said yes! I was really happy with that. You can't really pick the person who's going to deliver your baby in the Yellow Pages, can you?















Now you want to know the sex, right? Well you'll have to wait a few posts and make a guess...

Pizza

No pizza in the city, no pizza in Subiaco, the trendy, cool suburb. What is going on? Definitely a business opportunity for La Piazzetta or something like that.

In the end, we found it in Northbridge, the former Italian suburb, now turning Asian. There are still a few streets where loud Italians are talking on their mobile on the sidewalk, moving their arms up in the air as they chat. The pizza was great, ready in minutes and the owner's daughter was delignted to instruct us on how to get to the real Italian shops, delis and butchers. Grocery shopping now seems a whole new exciting experience! Aren't Italians great? Anywhere they are?

We're moving this weekend (I said that before, right?), Philippe is starting child care on Tursday when our belingings are being delivered, and I'm now looking for work in Perth!

Ciao, ciao amici!

WA

Things have moved quickly in the last few weeks. Here's a quick update, no photos, sorry I'm writing from an internet cafe until we are established in the new house...

• It's still summer here, with the daily temperature about anywhere between 30 and 40. A bit hot, really!
• We found a nice family house in Kensington, we'll be moving next week, right on time for the long Easter weekend. Our furniture has arrived, the car won't be far away...
• Things are pretty expansive in general but there seems to be a few exceptions. I bought blueberries (from Tasmania) for 2/3 of what I usually paid in Hobart, and there were good - it's a mystery.
• It shouldn't be hard to find work, Marc has already mentioned me to the System people at SKM and they want to see my resume (I better get busy).
• After a quest of 10 days, I managed to find sourdough bread; no more of that industrial crap you buy at the corner store.
• Mission for today: find a nice pizza place who delivers... quite challenging in Perth, really...

Have a good Easter break.
Edith

Chapeau! To single moms... and bilingual kids!

and to single Dads... Marc has been away for the whole week, I'm completely exhausted. It takes a lot of energy to get ready for work before Philippe wakes up, get him ready, drive to child care, park the car, walk to work, work all day, reverse itinerary, feed Philippe, play toddler games, bathe Philippe, put Philippe to bed, have dinner, clean the house, go to bed, and start again! I bet you're out of breath, just by reading it.

Honestly, single parents are real champions. If you know one, do him or her a favour: offer to babysit for a few hours, they'll love you!

As it was Australia Day long weekend last week, we went up north to visit Marc's family. Everyone was happy to see Philippe and we found out he could speak English as well as French: he kept saying "Doggy" after he met Chloe, Marc's cousin's dog! As I kept repeating "chien" it took me a while to pick it up... Now when I say chien, he says doggy... He must know it's the same !

A cousin looked after Philippe for a whole 24 hours! We drove to (almost) the north-west corner of Tasmania up to Stanley, went to dinner at Wild Cafe in Penguin, slept at a B&B also in Penguin and had a quiet morning with breakfast and a walk around the farm. What a change! I'm ready to do it again!!!

On the last day we had a family picnic in Deloraine, on the way back to Hobart. Philippe had the unluckiest day ever, and by far his worst pain experience so far. A few minutes after we arrived, he was standing a meters away from me. I saw a bee on his hand, which he then put in his mouth! As I screamed and pushed everyone aside, Mars did the same. As Philippe started crying, his mouth wide-opened, the bee flew away, unharmed. And there we are, looking everywhere for the sting on that crimson red screaming baby. Turns out he was only stung on the finger, but still, that hurts like mad!!!! Marc took him for a walk and on the swing to change his mind, and it did the trick. An hour later, Philippe, excited as always, was running down from the toilet block when he suddenly decided to change direction and landed face first, or I should say, mouth first, into the cast iron rail!!! This is NOT good! Can you think how hard he cried and how much blood there was??? I just felt terrible. Both lips were cut and Marc said Philippe also fell on his face from the shock so he was nose bleeding as well!!!! What a day! (Maybe we should go home straight away...) Relax, I'm all stressed out but it wasn't so bad after all. An icy pole (pop sickle in Canada) did the trick: stopped the pain AND the bleeding.

Babies are very resilient. Was Philippe stopped in any way after that? Oh no, I had to catch him 3 times before he was going for a swim in the Meander River that runs by the park. Can I just say we were real happy to get home that night. We had a lovely (supervised) walk on the beach and we all slept like babies. No, that's not true: Marc was up at 4:15 to catch the 6am flight for Perth...

Long time no post...

It has been the busiest December-January period ever. We've made a big decision: we're moving out of the Arm, to Perth, Western Australia. In a nutshell, here was our life for the last little while:

- We got invited to spend 3 days in Wellington, NZ to find out if we could live there: the answer to this question is yes, definitely! Beautiful city, cool cafes, friendly people, not overly expensive and green, green, green and more green mountains all around! This seems just so refreshing after 4 years in dry Australia.

- Marc then flew to Perth for interview and things became tricky: we didn't know where 2 go...

- We had a quiet Xmas week, spending lots of time outside on the beach. Philippe is a real beach baby, not afraid of the water, and has really good balance in managing the waves. We watch the yatchs coming up the river during the Sydney to Hobart Sailing race.

- Back to work, we had made up our minds: it is Perth, provided we can have a look at the place before agreeing to move. First weekend in January, we fly to Perth to have a look. When we got out of the airport, it was 41 degres! It felt like walking in an oven. 2 hours later, the Fremantle Doctor (nice fresh sea breeze) had came in to cool down the city. The temperature dropped to around 30. It's like that every day, pretty neat! Provided you live close enough to the sea to get the breeze.

- We stayed in Fremantle, the cool suburb we would have lived in 10 years ago (before having a family). Lots of cafes, boutiques, beaches, etc. Unfortunately not affordable, unless you can pay the $1.5 million people are asking for a 4-bedroom family house!

So we'll be renting for a while. Hopefully we'll manage to find a place close to the beach. It shouldn't be too difficult as the city is built along the coast, and all the beaches are protected areas with sand dunes and natural vegetation (endemic species). I'm excited about moving but it's going to quick! I'll miss beautiful South Arm but that will be fun to experience a new climate (no winter there) and a new lifestyle. Imagine: not having to wear socks, ever again! It just seem sooo relaxing!

Happy 2008 from Tasmania!

Did you say "Can Bra"?

That's how most Australians pronounce the name of their capital city (Canberra) ;-) Sounds funny to me but again, people from Quebec will typically say Briz Bain for Brisbane!

The Conference was interesting, I caught up with many people I've been meaning to meet for a long time, Compuware (our software provider) fed us a lot of really good food and the wine was flowing... That's what business trips are all about, right?

Did I miss my 2 men? Oh yes! I called home every morning, as I couldn't sleep past 6 o'clock anyway... bad habit from having a child I suppose. And it seems Philippe said "maman" for the first time while I was away.

I did a tiny bit of shopping on the City Walk and found really cute European-designed and made baby all-leather sandals for $103.00 !!! Excuse-me: no thanks! Given his growth rate, Philippe would need about 4-5 pairs in the coming year. Needless to say it's a bit much!

I stayed with Ruth, a friend of mine who left Hobart a year ago. She lives in Watson, a nice quiet suburb about 15 minutes from the CBD (City Business District, or down town if you want) . Last time I saw her was at my birthday last year so we had a lot to say. We stayed up quite late every night, even though Ruth needed to rest as she flew back to Tasmania with me to ride the ABC Giving Tree, a charity bike ride across Tasmania (about 500km!) to raise money for children in need for Christmas. She's just a machine! Unstoppable! Strong! Fit!

As the conference was only 2 days, I had the Friday off to visit the city. I decided to go to the War Memorial. This is huge! You could spend 2 full days visiting the museum if you wanted to read everything. I learned a lot about how the Australians were involved in the 2 world wars, not something we learn at high school in Canada. The war in the Pacific was terrible: the Japanese were very cruel with their war prisoners. There was also a special exhibit on Lawrence of Arabia. I got to see the clothes he wore, some of the maps he drew, etc. Very neat!

That's it. I flew back home and I was the most excited one (between Philippe and myself) when I opened the door. Marc was happy I was back, he was even more happy that maman was back!

Feeling Good - J'ai la bougeotte!

I've got itchy feet! Good timing: I'm flying to Canberra for work next week. That's not what I mean though... I think I'm ready for the next big thing. What is it gonna be? We can only wait and see.

In the meantime, another great summer is here! We love the beach and Philippe is a champion walker! He runs on the beach, splashes mud everywhere, eats plenty of sand (it's clean, isn't it?) and enjoys the cold water! We had a great time last Saturday. We might go again for a quick splash after dinner.

We've started the veggie patch again. Last weekend we put peas, lettuce, basil (lots of basil!). The leeks are nearly ready, the tomatoes are doing well. We ended up getting a few broccolis from the winter crop but then they got full of worms and we lost the rest of it (cauliflowers and cabbages as well). We have a new ennemy this year: a possum eats all our strawberries, apples and almonds! And now he started having a snack in the peach tree! What can we do apart waiting for the monster at night with a gun??? I'm joking - the only think I kill is spiders, and just the small ones (I leave the big huntsmen for Marc to throw outside!). I used to think possums were cute, now I know better: they're a nuisance, just like raccoons in North America. Anyway...

Work is busy, but good! Next time I'm bored, I might just stay quiet. I now have 3 projects in parallel and no time to complain. I'm going on a project management course next week, as well as meeting my software supplier in Canberra. I'll be staying a few days to visit the Capital city and to spend time with my good friend Ruth I haven't seen since my last birthday. Marc will be a busy single parent operation!

Where would you like to see more photos? Flickr or Facebook?

P.S. This photo: morning meal before leaving for work.

Weekend in Sydney

That was excellent, apart from the flight from Hobart to Sydney, which I did with Philippe as Marc was already there for the week. Pass the details - all I will say is imagine a newly-walking, 14-months old who has to sit on his mom for over 2 hours, stuck between the window and the biggest person on the flight: NOT FUN!

It was our first trip since the round the world back in April. How we enjoyed it! We ate brunches, Japanese, Chinese, gelati, Marc cooked a bolognese and Philippe learned to use a straw so he can have Mummy's yummy fresh fruit juice!

On Saturdays we drove to the Blue Mountains, east of Sydney, for a bit of scenery, photos and bush walk. The weather was pretty average and I had packed for summer so we didn't really walked and the photos are a bit dull. But it felt nice anyway. That photo is probably a very famous one of Australia: The Three Sisters at Echo Point in the Blue Mountains, NSW.

Sunday we went to the beach. If it's not summer yet in Tassie, it certainly is at Bondi! We did the sea walk between Bondi and Bronte and could no longer resist the water! The sea was pretty rough, we even saw the lifeguards in action. As they came back from a rescue their boat hit the rocks and they had a hard time getting everything (and everyone) back to shore. Marc and a few other guys ended up going to help as they were cutting their bare feet on the rock. Not good for a lifeguard!

Meanwhile, Philippe was eating sand and seemed way to busy to be interested in lunch. Even if the surf was too big for a swim, the rocks make a natural pool at one end of the beach where the waves are much smaller and you can take the family for a nice "trempette". Marc was quite happy to sea that Australian women now also do it the French way: monokini!

After that we met with our friends Patrick and Jayda (from Longueuil and New Castle) and went for gelati. As you will see if you've got access to Energium's photo on Flickr, Philippe was covered with a wetsuit, a hat and had sunscreen on. Good parents. But then, we didn't think WE needed sunscreen. Why would we? Now we've pretty badly sunburnt. Stupid parents!

See ya!

P.S. Videos of little walking Tasmanian Devil on Facebook too. But you've got to be my Friend.

Une Dent !!! (First tooth!)

Il etait d'une humeur excecrable ce matin. Je ne savais pas trop pourquoi. Il ne voulait pas se faire prendre, ni se faire laisser par terre, pas de calins, ni de cereales, ni sa bouteille d'eau. Il a meme fait une sieste en route pour la garderie, alors qu'il avait eu une tres bonne nuit, bizarre...

En voiture lors du retour a la maison, on discutait du fait qu'il avait eu une mauvaise journee avec sa gardienne. Il avait les joues toutes rouges; il s'est encore endormi... J'ai essaye de le faire souper. C'est pas toujours facile a 6h30, apres une sieste tardive; c'est comme nous quand on est trop fatigue, on n'a pas vraiment faim. Et la, parmi les cris, la bouche ouverte, elle etait la!!! La premiere dent, que tous les experts nous predisent depuis deja plusieurs mois! Le bout d'une dent, en fait, qui venait d'apparaitre sur la gencive de Philippe. Vite, le livre de bebe, faut ecrire ca tout de suite pour ne pas oublier. A 1 an, 1 mois et 1 semaine, Philippe a sa premiere dent!

Tout d'un coup je me sens soulagee: au moins, je sais pourquoi il est grognon! Je suis tout a coup beaucoup plus patiente, malgre mon rhume, cette toux qui ne lache pas et une journee qui a commencee a 5h du mat, ou on est parti sans le sac (lait et dejeuner) de Philippe, ou j'ai donne un cours pendant l'heure du lunch et patati, et patata.

Un peu de Baby Panadol (l'equivalent du Tempra en Australie) et Philippe est de nouveau lui-meme pour le reste de la soiree. Il etait tellement occupe a jouer qu'on a manque l'heure du dodo, resultat: il a eu une autre crise de fatigue pendant l'episode du pyjama. Celle-la, c'est jamais drole! Il est tellement triste quand il veut dormir... Le dernier boire, Dodo la Planete Do, superbes berceuses du monde et Philippe est parti au pays de Morphee. Quelle journee fantastique, bonne nuit Philippe.

No posts lately...

I haven't written anything for a while, and done that on purpose. I've been feeling crappy lately and didn't want to depress anyone.

We seem to have a break from baby ailments. No cold or gastro for what? A good 4 days so far. It's spring, and the weather is terrible. Unlike Quebec's spring, Tassie's spring is a time for storms, gusty wind and fallen trees. It's sunny for 15 minutes and then, it's as if you're inside a ping pong ball, traveling through a cloud. (No, I'm not doing drugs.)

Back to my domestic chores!

Bonne Fête Philippe!

Philippe is 1 today, September 11! We celebrated last Saturday so all his friends could join us. It has been a fantastic year and I'm sure the best is yet to come.

So far, Philippe is crawling across the house, can open sliding doors, drawers and cupboards. And he still has no teeth. Nope, not a single one. So much for all of you, baby experts, who have been telling us for months: "Yes, this baby is teething, I know when I see one!"

Madame Broute-Broute

After a few more colds for Philippe, a lung infection for Marc and gastro for the whole family, I'm back again! A little tired from disturbed sleep patterns, but ready for a new week and a busy one: we're hosting Philippe's 1st Birthday party next Saturday.

Butt F*** Nowhere. (I learned that expression from Marc many years ago, probably on a trip to Gaspesie! I can't remember. Definitely somewhere in Quebec where there are thousands of small villages.

If Marc hadn't taken a picture I wouldn't have a clue where it was, except somewhere between Sherbrooke and Ham Nord, where my Dad lives. The cow welcomes you to Asbestos, a mining and agriculture area of Quebec. From the cow's back, you get a nice view of the surroundings, the 7 towns making up the Asbestos region. Enough! If you want more, click on the photo you should be able to read what the cow has got to say...

A few updates:

• September already! Spring is here, as I wrote last year, it starts on the 1st September in Australia.
• The winter garden wasn't successful; nothing really grew and spider mites are eating the cabbage leaves. Too bad. It's time for the spring garden.
• Special hello to Carole, Valerie and Ruth who emailed me in the last months and I still haven't replied. Bug hug, I miss you!
  

Girl Power

I declare this blog a girl's blog (hence the nice pinkish colors) until Marc does something about it...

I bet you can't tell where I am!

If you can, you've been everywhere in... Canada! That's the only hint you get. I'll tell you the whole story of this monstrous cow (what else could it be???) in a few days, when you've had a go at finding the place. We really had to take photos. (Marie-Eve and Marc you're out of the competition!)

There's a lot more on photos on my PP365, AND I've got a profile on Facebook! Gee, what's going on with me? it must be fever! Good night!

Home is where the heart is or The beach is gone

I took this photo on my first walk on the beach after we got back from Canada. I realised I really missed the place where I live while I was away. I just feel so good being close to the sea, feeling the energy and the sound of the waves. This place is magical. I couldn't leave right now.

Then we settled back into routine again and I couldn't help to think the trip had gone by to quickly: I haven't seen everyone I wanted to see, I wish I spent more time with my Mom and Dad, etc. I really miss them at the moment, and the rest of the family and some of my best friends as well. I can't see my nephew and niece grow up, I don't chat with Val anymore, I won't see Annie's daughter Aude before she's a toddler...

So home is where the heart is. But where is the heart??? I don't really know. Maybe I could move to an island in the Pacific (half-way between the 2) but that wouldn't help.

Apparently there's been an underwater earthquake somewhere near Indonesia. Not sure as I don't follow the news. But guess what? We've been having a high tide for 3 days now! We could hardly get home as the sea is getting on the road (on the neck to the peninsula) and yesterday as I went for a beach walk with Philippe, the beach was gone, replaced by raging waves and wind. There was 1 meter left between the water and the sand dune. That's where I walked for a while before the water raised even higher and I had to climb my way up the dune. with the pram. Meanwhile Philippe was asleep, deep into the arms of Morphee.

Is this it? Is Global Warning (no typo here) happening just now? We've been saying it for a while but it just suddenly became a lot more real: I'm not buying a house ON the beach.

Hello, Hello!

It's been a while - again! Here are a few updates:

• PP365: I've added more photos. They range from April 5th to May 13th, our trip overseas. I'm missing a few days (end of March and early April) as the photos are on a CD somewhere... I'll keep doing the project but I no longer take photos daily, more weekly. I also want to start putting movies on YouTube but you know how it is, I've got no excuse, really...

• Return to work: It feels great to be working again! I spend 2 days at home with Philippe, he goes to day care for 2 days and stays with Marc on Fridays. We all have a good time with this new routine now that Philippe has settled into day care. He wasn't too keen at first and spent 2 weeks in the first four being sick (gastro and cold) and missing out but he's fine now. My favorite day is Friday since as the boys stay home, I can head off early and spend a lot of time on my own before meetings start. I've had lunch with my friend Mel last week and she said it was the first time in 10 months she saw me without the baby. Exactly!

• Going Out: We went to the Zoo last weekend. It was the first time in 2 monts we drove somewhere not for work or running errands in the weekend. We really have to get a life! Any suggestion for a family activity for next weekend?
  

• The computer: Turns out the video card was broken. Now that's it's been repaced by the Sys Admin (Marc) I hope to be a little more regular in giving you some news. Next step: a photo selection from our trip on Flickr.

• Veggie Patch: In Australia you can have a winter garden. Except this year it's been so cold, nothing grows. Tiny spiders are eating the broccoli leaves and possums are eating the whole plants. With a bit of luck we might get a few leeks and some broad beans.

That's it for now! If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, enjoy summer! Talk to you later, Edith xx

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