It’s been more than six weeks since the last proper blog entry, so I’d better do a quick catch-up post:
- Sara finished work just after Christmas to concentrate on
daytime TVbaking Boo Boo. Maternity leave in Australia is very poor by British standards; Sara is allowed up to a year off work but it’s completely unpaid. We do, however, receive a one-off “baby bonus” from the government. I’m allowed to take some unpaid leave, but even that’s at the employer’s discretion. :-< - We’re booked in at the Angliss Hospital. Last weekend we attended the ante-natal class, which was interesting and informative but the videos were a bit grisly. I can’t begin to tell you how much Sara is looking forward to the actual birth. ~:>
- We’re also booked on the “parenting” class this week. :-\
- Sara’s “Nesting” phase is now out of the way. The whole house has been cleaned from top to bottom and the nursery room is ready for action. #:-s
- Thanks to generous gifts from family, friends and colleagues, Boo Boo has a fantastic selection of clothes for the first 3 or 4 months. In fact, she’s got more outfits than Sara and I combined. I’m sure she’ll get through them though.
- We obviously still haven’t thought of a name for Boo Boo. 😕
- Sara hasn’t had any real cravings. Although she’s been quite partial to a bowl or three of ice cream and the odd bag of imported pickled onion Monster Munch, I don’t think this is pregnancy related. But we’ve certainly been to Sweet Meck in Bayswater a lot more often than usual. :@)
- We’re still looking at houses, on and off, but can’t seem to find anything we like. Melbourne house prices have rocketed by 25% in the past 12 months, so we’re actually looking at worse properties than we were a year ago. Following this trend our landlord has just increased our rent too. :((
- Andy & Johanne have sold their house in Ferntree Gully and bought a huge place in Boronia. It’s only about 1.5kms from us, which will be handy for barbecues etc.
- My hands have now healed nicely following the accident on New Years Eve. If you look closely you can see my left hand is paler than it should be, but I’ve got to stay out of the sun for another 2 months. I’m just relieved there was no permanent damage. #:-s
- You might remember me saying I was going to write to appeal against a speeding ticket I received in December? Well it worked, they decided to let me off with a stern warning instead of the points and fine! <:-p