Life Lately – January 2015

After months of nonstop changes and moving, a routine is starting to form in our lives. JZ’s commute finally reached its next stage, and he bikes to work on the road bike.  He says the process will be complete once we have the xtracycle. Fortunately for his coworkers, there is a bike locker and, more importantly, showers at the office. He promises a detailed post on the evolution of his commute, but I’m not holding my breathe.

We are holding strong on our renewed commitment to exercise, and right now, we are on Day 9 of BodyRock HIITMAX. I love the high intensity workouts that are over in just 16 minutes. When the whole process takes under 20 minutes, it is impossible to convince myself that I don’t have time to exercise.While I do my ninja tucks, squat jumps, and push ups, Cecilia entertains herself on the playmate from Great-grandma Ifland. She ringing the bells and grabbing stuffed animals in the past couple weeks, but looking at herself in the mirror is still her favorite (and who can blame her with those adorable cheeks).

After JZ goes to work, we hang out and play in between her feeds and my attempts to sneak in laundry, dinner prep, and other chores. Thanks to my ongoing postpartum hair loss, sweeping everyday is not optional. Most days, Cecilia and I have been lucky to chat with friends or family back home; these talks help keep me sane after so much time spent talking to someone who responds mostly in cries and facial expressions. If I’m lucky, I am able to persuade CZ to take a 30 minute nap in the mornings, during which I run around like a crazy person to capitalize on the efficiencies that come with not holding/entertaining a baby. Sometimes we take the stroller out for a walk around one of the nearby parks, but lately we spend the time watching repairmen file in and out. I think our leaky aircon has an unsettling need for attention.  We thought it was finally fixed after 2 drip-free days, but not even 2 hours after the drywall repair, it started leaking again. Hopefully, we are in the clear now! (It’s been almost a week.)

In the afternoon, I try to cajole Cecilia into napping (fruitlessly, more often than not), and then she and I run errands. This is the only time I really think about having a car or a bike because I am limited to buying only what I can carry, in addition to the baby and the diaper bag. There is a small grocery store, a fruit/vegetable stand (Redfern Market), and a butcher about a block away, and I am learning where to buy what. The fruit and vegetable stand has a better selection in the mornings, but what’s in stock varies. I am still getting used to the butcher’s shop because it is a much bloodier experience than the nicely packaged meat in the grocery store, but I think I will adjust with the money we save. The little grocery store usually fills the gaps from the butcher and produce stand, but occasionally, I put Cecilia in the stroller for the 1/3 mile walk to the well-stocked Woolworths. The aisles are big enough to accommodate the stroller, which increases my carrying capacity, and if I alternate grocery stores it is like having upper body and leg days at the gym! Occasionally Cecilia will fall asleep during these outings if she hasn’t taken a nap yet.

Side note: the fruit-stand bananas are ginormous. See the photographic evidence below.

Between 5:30 and 6:30, JZ comes home and relieves me from baby duty so I can finish dinner and any other half completed chores. It’s nice for me to get a break, and the smile she gives him everyday indicates she is happy to harass her other parent. After dinner and bath time, she sleeps, and we enjoy a couple hours together.

Lately, we are engrossed with Tamora Pierce’s novels so we read those and chat while eating whatever fruit I picked up at the Redfern Market  (the prices are cheaper than the grocery store, but it all needs to be eaten immediately because it is very ripe). I generally go to bed around 10pm and John stays up a bit later to feed Cecilia a bottle around 11. This usually keeps her full until 2am or 3am – one night last week she slept until 4:30 which was incredible!

Of course, things are always changing, and this week I started working from home, which eats into reading and playtime. The next big change on the horizon is the arrival of our sea freight Saturday! The spartan rental furnishings will be replaced by our now overwhelming amount of American furnishings. Fortunately, there are several OP shops (thrift store equivalents) on our block to help us with the “burden,” and JZ is certain the xtracycle is up to the task of hauling away the excess.