Petit Crime

This morning I woke really late because of the severely upset stomach of yesterday/last night. I was feeling much better though thanks to the combined factors of pro-biotic yoghurt, peppermint tea and effervescent electrolyte tablets, so we went to swimming lessons as usual. Unfortunately (possibly because I woke so late :S), we arrived pretty late to the class (and as it's only half an hour, even 5 or 10 min makes quite a difference) and Michael was unusually reluctant to get into the pool, and then spent pretty much the whole lesson wailing plaintively.

Finally it was over though, and after a brief stop back home (where Michael tried to consume pegs as I put out the washing) we went on to 'Babyland' so that Cherie could look into a new buggy for Annie and Michael. Unfortunatey I didn't get to experience the wonder of 'Babyland' because Michael fell asleep in the car, so I stayed in there on baby-minding duty. It was pretty interesting seeing all the people going in though - I don't think I've ever seen so many pregnant women all in one place.

Once Cherie had made a deposit on a suitable buggy (apparently for even just the basics (without rain-covers etc) they can cost in the region of AU $1000 (that's about £580!) we went on to a shopping centre nearby, where I had an hour or so to myself to look round. After discovering the post shop was shut, I spent most of the hour browsing in an arts and crafts shop, amused by the emphatic signs on not allowing children to bite polystyrene shapes, as every week some apparently had to be thrown away due to bite marks. Funnily enough, it was quite comforting reading, having witnessed the vast number of things Michael has put in his mouth just since I've been here (a list that includes uncooked rice, a tablespoon of salt (meant to be mixed into playdough); random bits of plastic; his own hands/feet/shoes; anything that remotely resembles a bottle; DVD cases; foam letters for the bath; a funnel; pegs; and countless pebbles/stones/bits of bark/tree kernels). Anyway, after debating whether to buy the children some washable window crayons (I didn't in the end as they weren't suitable for under 3s, and I thought it probably wasn't a good idea to pave the way for indiscriminate drawing on furnishings) I met Cherie and we returned to car to unpack the shopping she'd done, only to discover that Michael had casually slipped two pairs of purple tights for 6-8 month olds into the bottom of the buggy. Not only a thief, but a cross-dressing one at that.

The evening was further Michael-mischief themed when more thorough inspection of the missing Elmo DVD situation (as there are only 3 "Ah-moo" DVDs, and he is in constant demand, you quickly notice if any go missing (i.e. the repetitiveness becomes that bit more unbearable) and the simultaneous mysterious rattling of the DVD player led me to realise that said DVD was actually trapped somewhere inside the player. Risking electric shock, and probably voiding all sorts of warranties, I removed the case from the player find two DVDs in there, evidently posted in at an opportune moment by Michael, who has an on-going love affair with all manner of electrical gadgets. Somewhat miraculously, both DVDs and player were ultimately unharmed and functional, but this discovery led to a rearrangement of brown goods to place them within less easy reach of the tiny criminal masterminds. Later on this evening, (and speaking of 'brown goods rearrangement'), Cherie mentioned some 'welts' she'd noticed on Michael's behind (which turned out to be scratches he'd made himself, as he has insanely sharp little fingernails, honest!) but, just as she laid him on his front, dropped his nappy, and we both bent over to look, he let out a prolonged fart, made all the more hilarious by the totally innocuous look on his face.

Anyway, on that (bum) note, till tomorrow (and hopefully slightly more sophisticated fare...)!

A xx