Ethan has been coining new phrases every day lately. As I reported here, one recent smash hit has been “it’s a wobbly planet”. We find this expression has a hundred and one uses around the home. Yesterday, a new one: “Dont treat me like such a mammal, Dad!”
A hundred expressions a minute
An enormous caterpillar!
The wild, wonderful, generous and impulsive Linda and Dianne sent us a treasure trove of gifts today all the way from Gloucester, Massachusetts, including a furry caterpillar 7 feet long, “Juggling for Complete Klutzses (for me!), a dress enrirely covered in watermelons, pears, lemons and cherries and the most luxuriant bathrobe you have every seen. There’s more stuff in there we haven’t even glimpsed yet. I don’t know how they got such a huge box of unexpected pleasure over here so fast.
We were exhausted after a bad night with Lucinda, and then had this most excellent surprise. Thanks, guys.
Home again home again, jiggety – jig
The Sniff Test
We have a tradition in this house: when the new baby comes home, we place her on the floor on a cushion and Eric Biggles gets to sniff the infant for a minute before anything else happens. It’s only fair: Eric has after all looked after Fiona throughout the pregnancy, and nearly went out of his doggy mind toward the end, nervously following her from room to room for the final week.
As you can see, Eric is more enthusiastic about the encounter than Audrey, although I think it went quite well overall: there was no slobbery face licking, and no eye scratching. She’s thinking: “hmm, your breath isn’t so great …”
First Bath
Ethan & Lucinda had cuddles
.. and helped bathe Audrey
… I think Lucinda figured out where babies come from!
Lucinda’s baby comes out too
All the while Fiona has been pregnant, Lucinda has also “had a baby in her tummy”. I’m proud to tell you Lucinda has informed me this morning that her baby has come out too.
Name: Ivy
Weight: 150g
Born in the traditional way: from a child’s imagination.
Hello Audrey May
Audrey May Thorpe arrived this afternoon at 2.45 at the Royal Womens’ Hospital, Carlton. 8 lb 13 oz! Fiona laboured like the true legend she is and Audrey came into the world in the traditional way.
In the waiting room, on a wobbly planet
Waiting for a birth. It’s like a cross between “24” and Groundhog day. We’re fine and having fun in the meantime. But it’s all meantime, all the time – and we’re going a bit mad. As Ethan says, “It’s a wobbly planet.”
