Happy New Year! My baby is one already. Insanity. He is simply the most precious, beautiful creature and he's already one! I've been thinking back to the whole labour and birth experience (shudder) and it's true that you forget how it feels, sort of. What I do remember is thinking "this is the most awful feeling I have ever experienced, urgh yuck ouch etc". I can't remember the exact physical pain but I know it was hard, really hard. Unfortunately if we want another baby I'm going to have to do it again. I can't willing put myself through that yet but I also can't say that I don't want more children so at some point I'll have to stop whinging and start breeding.
Sam's first Christmas was pretty great. He got too many toys of course but it was nice having him there to focus on. There is something really nice about watching your child open a gift. The actual day went well although there was lots of driving and rushing from one place to another which I could have done without. When you have a baby suddenly eveyone wants to see you. Next year I'd like to stay at home but that's probably not ever going to happen what with parents and step parents and in laws. At least we have family to spend the day with, I knew at least 3 people who killed themselves just before Christmas time. What a shame that we have become so self obsessed and bad at looking out for each other. I am the most self focussed, introverted person of all sometimes but I'm trying to change, honest.
My brother in law got married about a week ago and it was awsome. He married a friend who he has known for years and they are completely perfect for each other. He had to go the long way around and suffer some lonliness and regret first but now he is in the great position of being able to start a life together with someone he loves. I remember when Corey and I got married. It was so exciting and satisfying to know that I was with the exact right person for me. I knew we would be happy and we are. Yey for being married.

Christmas Spirit

There is something about having a baby that makes everything more fun. Christmas for instance. Usually by this time of year I am fairly over it having done two weeks of Christmas fun with my class. This year - no class, therefore no being over Christmas. I am so excited about giving Sam his little presents even though he isn't even one yet and will have no idea what's going on. I get all nostalgic about Christmas' when I was growing up. We had the best times, so many gifts, all day at home with Mum and Dad's undivided attention, setting up new toys, great food, staying up late - ahhhh, the good old days. I want my boy to have great Christmas' to remember, maybe not quite so many gifts though as my parents used to go a bit crazy! I love the idea of family traditions. One of my dearest friends has German heritage and so celebrates with dinner and gift giving on Christmas eve. We are always invited and it is so good. We have a huge dinner and then have to wait for someone to spot the first star until we can open presents. Someone acts as the elf and hands a present to the lucky first person and we all watch them open it, then the next person etc. Present time lasts for ages and it seems that we appreciate each item more than if we had all just opened them all together. After presents we have dessert and then watch a movie or play a game together. It is just a great night. When we were little Mum used to cook a special breakfast on Christmas morning and I've decided to do that too. Bacon and eggs, waffles, pancakes - you name it. I want us to cherish our time together and create good memories. Yey for babies!

No more car

Alas our car is dead. Apparently it would cost around $1800 to fix which is more than it is worth. We don't have the money anyway so have decided to do without and depend on an alternative method of transportation ie, walking. I'm Mrs Unfit so it will probably do me good. Actually our car was a total blessing anyway as it was a gift from some friends at church, they even paid the rego for us. It lasted over 12mts without costing us a cent so I can't complain, well I can but I shouldn't. I want a station wagon with air conditioning that runs on gas in case anyone is giving away cars. On a sad note, Corey's cousin lost her little boy this week in a tragic accident. He drowned in a backyard pool while they were all asleep. I can't imagine ever recovering if something happened to my baby, hopefully I'll never have to find out. This has put my silly car worries into perspective. I sometimes get caught up in what I wish I had and forget about what I have. I am so glad that I have this time to spend with my baby, even if we are a bit broke sometimes. We have everything we need and I'm eternally grateful for that.

My Car

Well I had quite an adventure this morning. Don't you just hate that sinking feeling you get when your car breaks down? Maybe you don't drive the kind of cars I drive and so don't know what I'm talking about but I know it well. I was actually on my way to the mechanics for them to charge me a million dollars to fix a water leak that I could probably fix myself if I had even a scrap of knowledge about cars. I was almost there when the engine stopped, for good. Luckily my Mum was following me and was able to go home and look after Sam while Corey went to work. I ,meanwhile, waited for the RAC to arrive and tell me that I needed a tow truck. I then waited for the tow truck for what seemed like 4 days but was in fact only about 1/2 an hour. The guy was talking on his mobile to another driver and made a comment about me being a 'clubbie' and therefore not good. I guess he was referring to the fact that I got a free ride due to my RAC membership (best investment ever!). Anyway, we got to the mechanic and he looked a little uncertain when I started listing some of the problems I had noticed, oil leak, water leak, gears slipping, smell of gas, various strange noises.... He said he would make a list and let me know. I think what he was thinking was more like, you're kidding, you actually want me to try and fix this. I hate being the stereotypical women who knows nothing about cars but that's what I am. I also hate trying to speak to mechanics and sounding like a complete idiot. "Oh and there was this weird noise, you know, in the thingy." Most of the time I am semi intelligent, honest

Prince

Prince or whatever his name is now, hmm. Try as I might I just can't get into him. something about his music makes feel like taking a bath, in bleach. Is it the complete sleeziness of the lyrics? Or maybe the crazy keyboard action. I know, "he's a genius, musically he is really inovative, blah, blah, blah", Corey totally gets it and thinks Prince is just the coolest but he is way more hip than me anyway. I'll stick to the sweet croonings of the classy Mr Sinatra thank you very much, so what if the lady is a tramp.

The Shinobi Experience

Corey's parents brought him a Japanese movie back from their holiday over east. It's called Shinobi and is pretty cool (I didn't watch it all as I was playing Dungeon Keeper which is way cool and I love it). Anyway, we spent an amusing 20 minutes or so trying to turn on the English subtitles. Surely if you need subtitles, you also need the instructions on how to access them in that language too. Ha. Then I found out from Scott today that there is a button on the DVD remote which automatically turns them on. Ha again. If we'd known that we wouldn't have been able to watch the beginning scene around 12 times so lucky for us I guess. Corey loves that gear, all the huge jumping around through the tree tops like in Crouching Tiger. I had to put up with him saying "awesome, cool, look at that etc" while I was going about the serious business of building a dungeon and destroying an enemy keeper. I'm such a big nerd.

Am I the only person who hates TV? I loathe it, despise it and yet watch it reglarly which I hate of course. I watched DR Phil today, arrgh. He told some guy to stop cheating and grow up which I so needed to hear. We didn't watch any TV at all at one stage but then the baby came along and all those long hours of feeding were really boring without something to look at. We recently obtained a DVD player from my lovely brother so there is no excuse for watching TV really. Corey and I are in a MacGyver phase now which means we watch it every night after dinner. Honestly, I can't really believe I am admitting this. It is so terrible that it is great. Last night he kissed some russian defector who looked old enough to be his Mum which was slightly disturbing. Prior to this we were watching the great Richard Dean Anderson in Stargate which is an awsome show and I love it! Before that it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer which was great to season 5 and then sucked more than I can mention (I still watched them all of course). I get strangly addicted to these shows, even used to be something of a trekkie. I love the way they suck me in with their predictable plot and inevitable tidy endings. If only I could live on board Deep Space 9, I'd teach those Cardassians a thing or two. I am a big nerd.