Doula Mel

Having those in the buff chats

Children are curious and very, very honest.  (When they are not telling huge porkies!)  When one is in the bathroom having a bath or shower, some interesting conversations evolve. They are often incredibly insulting but we just cringe and laugh while explaining why moms boobs look like X,Y or Z (they used to look like A,B or C) or why our bums have dimples and our tummies look like we have babies living in them.

Yesterday Rebeka says in a very concerned voice: "When I am big I don’t want a hairy cookie."  I told her that some mommies shave all their hair off and maybe she can do that.  "Does it hurt?"  Well no but it does get very itchy when it grows back.  Mmmh, I see her pondering if that is worth it.  I tell her some mommies wax and explain how hot melted wax is painted on and then ripped off like a plaster. I tell her that part does hurt.   More pondering and then she says in a resigned voice, “I think I will just have a hairy cookie.”   I had a good giggle.  She also tells me she doesn't like how her legs are wider at the top.  I tell them that is called our thighs.  Fifi looks down at her squishy ones and says in an observant matter-of-fact little voice, "I have fat 'fies.'   Lets hope by the time Fifi and Rebeka compare thighs Fifi will no longer have her fat 'fies' which I find so deliciously cute.

Tell us your worst insult you have ever received by one of your critters, you can be anon if you are chicken!

Like a sick teen on a Friday night

Do you remember when you were a teenager and you had a party to go to but you were feeling sick?  You pretended to be OK dragging your sorry butt off to school. You made up your face trying to disguise the pallor and the watery eyes and runny nose.  Stay in bed?  I don’t think so buddy! Off you went with your permed big hair, bushy brows and whatever scary fashion happened to be in at the current time regardless of whether it suited you or not.  You were NOT going to miss that party or the chance of seeing that boy you were madly in love with.

Last night we had a ladies night at a very cool new Cuban place called Beuna Vista Social Club. I was shattered after the birth the night before and my throat felt like I swallowed a pot scourer. I have this whole OC thing about commitment and not dropping people along with my teen ‘I–don’t-wanna-miss-the party thing’ going on so off I went. The manager brought us blue coloured shooters which we managed to down like old pros. It has been years since I had one and in hindsight, they seem rather silly. Paying lots of money for a short often yucky drink which you drink in 1 second. Mmmmh, defiantly a twenties thing methinks!

Our food was great and it is always fun to hang out with other women. I faded early and went home to crawl into my bed feeling very fragile. Today my neck, throat and head is sore (not hungover, just a cold!!!) and I had to forgo my Wednesday surf. I wanted to be a teen and go anyway but I feel so weak I couldn’t even carry my beloved board. 

My cats are fine by the way. She wasn’t pregnant but she was about to go on heat. He is great but she is very sad and has a funny cone thing around her head so she doesn’t bite the stitches out. She is not at all happy about it and weed on Daniel’s pillow last night and again in the TV room. Poor Tallie girl! 

Here’s a pic of the ladies last night. I am not in the pic because at that point in the evening, I just needed my bed. Back row: Girl with gorg curly hair is Shelley, next to her is red head Colleen and then blondie Phillipa.   In front is Pippa, Caroline and my BF Jen.

Cats sixth sense

Cats seem to have 7 lives and 6 senses.  You clever lasses persuaded me to neuter and spay my kitties and today is D day.  They know something is up!   I am worried she is already preggers but the vet will check her out.   Problem is she is hiding!  They say cats know when something is going on and I must say he shagged like Don Juan the entire weekend never giving her a moment’s peace.  (hence the worry she is preg!!!)

This morning I had an 8.30 appointment and I eventually had to leave her behind and just take him.  When I arrived he must have smelt the dogs as he scratched me like crazy and I have a big welt on my collar bone. I only have an hour to find her so best I carry on searching.  My eyes are stuck open with scotch tape as I did a birth last night and only got home at midnight.   I was way too wired too sleep, the birth was awesome.    What was even more special is she is a good friend and also a Christian.    In fact hubby, mama, me and midwife are all from my church so we prayed up a storm and God was right there in the room with us.   I was so proud of her, she coped so well and I now see why people choose to give birth at home. We all thought it was a girlie but out popped Samuel at 9.45 weighing 3.07kg.    Now I have 2 special friends with darling Samuel boys, amazing!     Here is the handsome boy.

Our chick day.

Yesterday we had our annual woman’s day celebration which was held at a very swanky hotel in my home town called the Lord Charles Hotel. We had 220 women so enough to fill the Grand Ball Room which was totally transformed into this beautiful venue ready to bless all these beautiful women.

The theme was berry colours so everyone wore purples and reds and pinks which looked awesome. I got to wear my new shiny red pumps from Woolies (134 Ront on the Woolies sale my lovelies!) which bite the back of my heels but we all know beauty knows no pain.

People were told to bring a gift for a newborn baby and BB was the lucky recipient of all these baby goods. We also got to show our BB DVD so hopefully we will have more people involved in the project. My fleece arrives this week (or say they say) so we will need loads of people to turn it into blankets.

Anyhoo, my mom came with her BF Dawn and her daughter Shelley. Tertia came too, under duress of course but my mom can make her do anything…. Hee hee heee (evil cackle!) BF Colleen, friend Shelley, BF Jen & her mom Annatjie and Tiffany made up the rest of the table.

We had a fashion show and I did NOT model. This made me very happy as I am shy and self-conscious (yes I know I can be obnoxious) and hate having everyone look at me. Public speaking is bad enough but it’s always for BB so worth it. Everyone presumed I would as I modeled for years as a teen but that was photographic and not ramp. I only ever did one ramp show and that was in Milan and I made sure I was a little tipsy before I sashayed down the ramp in front of clicking cameras and loads of fashionistas.  Shudder, bad memories!

They served a high tea which was delicious and had 2 talks by 2 different ladies. One is my dear friend Kate and the other is Maureen who is married to a pastor at our sister church in Stellenbosch. I hope my friends and family received the message (it was Lordy of course) as it was such a good one. It certainly spoke to me and definitely touched many other women in the room. Tomorrow I will tell you all about it as I am off to my folks for some Sunday bonding.  Sofia gets to stay over as each one has a solo turn with Mimi & Pops and she’s up next. I haven’t told Rebeks yet but I will promise her some alone-with-mom time tomorrow.  I am even a little excited to see Phoebe. Yes I know she’s a dog but for now she is a puppy and very, very cute. I think I might be a closet animal lover but that’s fodder for another post. Bye-Bye.

Awesome Foursome

We are double dating today and have invited 2 sisters for a playdate.   That 3 thing just never works and having my girls close in age makes it even worse. Apart from a mini drama concerning a broken snow globe (yes that very same San Francisco globe that never lasts longer than 2 weeks) we have no arguments or sides, just good fun girly-pants playing. The weather is gorgeous and they are playing on the new jungle gym and jumping on the trampoline. Can’t chat though as you know what its like when you look after someone else’s kids, you are far more vigilant, kind, patient, serve good healthy lunch and never yell. Supermum but just not always to my own critters!

PS Happy 1st Birthday to my sweet nephew Zack in Korea who is one today and who really does have a supermummy.   We love you my boy!

Update on all the bits and pieces

I know I haven't written anything deep and meaningful in ages and I do have a few things brewing in my head.  They will have to brew a while longer as I am a busy little bee as per usual.   So here is a quickie...

This morning we went to the hospital and gave out 22 bags.  It was so busy I had to shoot home to get more bags.   I had a 16 year old mom with a bunch of flowers next to her bed... the first time I have seen that.  When I asked who they were from, she said her 'outjie' which basically means her young man or boyfriend.  Hard to translate but it is a sweet term for one's male sweetheart.   It gave me hope that maybe they will stay together and he will be supportive of his beautiful son and his very young mommy.  Later we visited a FOURTEEN year old girl in labour.   A child really which just breaks our hearts of course.   Its just crazy to see the poverty and heartache and teen pregnancies and then deal with the otherside of the spectrum of infertility and desperately wanting women.  It doesn't make me doubt Him but it does remind me His ways are not our ways.   Anyway, I will always ponder that so onto the next thing...

My surf was awesome!   I remember now why I love it so much.  The water wasn't so freezing and the waves were smallish but reformed beautifully to give us plenty glassy green waves.   I was like my friend Colleen after a long break from tennis... great.  We used to play plenty but then she moved on to some airy fairy dancing called Nia.   When we hadn't played for ages I would suck and she would be brilliant, well, good then.   I hadn't surfed for ages and thought I would suck but I didn't, I was fab!   I had loads of great rides and even did some cutbacks.  Today I have achey arms but I am very happy and remotivated. 

Woolies sale excitement has died down now.   I got most of the things I wanted including some teenage style panties I like to wear.  My mother only ever buyed flesh coloured cotton broeks so I now buy cute and funky styled panties marketed at the age 13 to 21 age group.  The next step in the sale is next week when everything is further reduced and we go back again.  Read my sister's post about the sale, very funny!    For those who have a strong aversion to bad language, be warned and know that the language in that post is no reflection of the gene pool we share.

American swap is on and Krissy has arrived from Dallas and my sweet BF Tiffany leaves on Monday after a 3 month visit.  We will miss her lots and we are off to her farewell tonight to wish her bon voyage.   Krissy is here for 6 months and we are very thrilled to have her back, Rebeka especially!    We only have her staying here for 4 days and the poor girl doesn't have a moments peace!!

Kids all fine, Fifi has Danni over to play today.  Usually Rebeka takes over the entire playdate but fortunately Krissy is distracting her.  I love watching them play. They have coloured in, played 'play-food-kitchen,' played horsey and now Sweedles and Noodles are getting a few squeezes.  Here is a pic of the 2 blondies playing like angels.

My cats are auditioning for Jerry Springer

Those very scary contestants on JS seem to be quite fond of keeping it in the family and it seems my cats do as well. Charlie is constantly trying to shag his sister Tallie.   Tallie is not charmed by his ill placed brotherly affection and spends half her day running away from him or hiding.  She hides on the kitchen table under the table cloth. It’s very funny because you see this big mound under the cloth and then you see him staring at it very perplexed.

I clearly need to have his balls chopped off (they don’t really actually chop them off, right?) and I also need to have her spayed. I would like her to experience motherhood just one time and we would also love to have the excitement and pure cuteness of kittens. Yes I know I need to find homes for them but I have that covered.  Gary is less than thrilled about the kittens idea as isn’t that fond of the cats. I say we have a little family vote here. All in favour raise their right hand…. 4 to 1. Right, kittens it is!

I am not keen on incest one eyed cats so the plan is to fix him and then fix her after 1 litter. I have plenty boy cats who pop over for a visit who would sort her out if they can catch her or find her. I would go and phone the vet right now but I am finally going for a surf. I have been a complete wuss in the last month or 2 but the water is so frikkin’ cold that these old bones feel even stiffer than usual and I land up getting out after a half hour without a wave. Sucks dudes!

Busy saving money

I am unavailable today as I am at the Woollies sale 'saving' lots of money.  I am not a big shopper or a big spender but twice a year, the Woollies sale is announced in typical red lettering which turns the Loebenberg girls into bulls as we snort and paw the ground in excitement at the 1st sign of the red SALE sign.
We have been sending each other corny silly texts since yesterday which is probably only funny to us.... sibling humour.
I have done Stellenbosch Square, Main Road and now I am off to the dreaded Mall which I hate passionately but am making an exception for Woolllies.   Tertia & I usually compare Woollies to a lover and I have to say this year she has been really bad in bed.   I, on the other hand, am smoking hot!   
Gotta go, he is calling my name...

They would suck at basketball

I bet Michael Jordan put his clothes in the laundry basket.  Lovely husband and lovely son cannot seem to put their clothes in the laundry basket. On a good day they will leave it on the floor next to the basket. I am getting rather disenchanted with sniffing their clothes in order to establish if it needs to go into the basket or be put back on the shelf if clean.

Shoes too get left where they were removed which makes me want to beat them to a pulp with it ask them sweetly if the wouldn’t mind putting them back in the cupboard.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr! Moaning and nagging is distinctly unattractive and clashes with my desire to hang on to my fading coolness so I will resort to fining them.  Not sure how well it will work on Gary (R50 an item seems reasonable in light of the Woollies sale starting tomorrow) but I reckon after Daniel has lost most of his pocket money, he might aim a little better and place his clothes in the basket.  I am anticipating many clean clothes added in the basket as the effort of placing them back in the cupboard is just way too much to ask from a twelve year old.  Anticipating more sniffing…

PS… those with sniffing fetishes who googled me can you please decline form any stinky comments as this is a family show. Ta.

Riki Rocks

My UK donation arrived! VERY excited and loved unpacking all the gorg English goodies that Riki managed to collect on behalf of BB. Thanks to all the Brits and soutpiele ex South Africans like beloved cooksister Jeanne who even included 2 very important chocs for me, as well as some cute baba stuff. I am not sure who sent the wool but BONUS, we always need wool as I have many elderly people who love to knit for us but are unable to afford the cost of the wool.

Also yay for the blankets, the packs of pampers, baby products, wetwipes and cloth diapers. I guess I am speaking English now and not American so nappies, thanks for the nappies!

Nolene also gets a big shout out as she brought the 3 bog boxes out with her to SA. Riki I really appreciate your initiative in collecting the clothes for us and going to all the effort, time and trouble. I know you will be extra blessed in blessing us so much! Last week Auntie Gerry, an elderly very funky English lady sent out a whole bunch of knitted jerseys with my friend Lynne so am LOVING the Brits right now. Fickle hey…. !   I have American donors to thank too but this year page is for the Poms so another time.

Thanks my friends, my BEST friends!