Birthday Week Celebrations

Last Wednesday I turned 35. 35!!! That sounds so old. I don't feel 35, but does anyone ever feel their age? And everyone always thinks I am younger than Andy so that’s always a winner. Also I do feel like I am happy with what I have accomplished in my 35 years... a great marriage, a beautiful little girl, good career progression, and lots of travel and experiences. So I can't complain really! 

Wednesday is a work day for me which was a bit of a bummer. We had training scheduled for our new appraisal system after school, meaning I wouldn't get home until at least 7pm. However the good news was that my friend April had volunteered to baby-sit Ella so that Andy and I could go out for dinner. I was really, really looking forward to this as it would be the first time Andy and I were able to have dinner together baby-free in Melbourne. 

My day started at 4:30am when Ella cried out from her bed. Being a good dad and husband, Andy got up to see what she needed. When I heard him say "oh shit" from her bedroom I knew it was not good… Turns out Andy was literally describing what he saw, a leaky diaper that had gone through all the way to the mattress protector. Wonderful! I think Andy and I were both just on auto-pilot and cleaned up Ella and her bed without any grumbling or fuss. Back in bed at about 5am I found it impossible to sleep as I kept thinking about how tired I was going to be at work and then at the training session and then at dinner. I was doing that thing where you just keep thinking and going in circles about something stressful, which in turn makes you more stressed... and the cycle continues on and on. Funnily enough, this is not a good way to get yourself to sleep!

When the alarm went off at 6am I was feeling pretty negative and figured we should just call off dinner. However while in the shower I tried to talk myself out of my mood, reminding myself that I could have control over my emotions and right then I was choosing to give in to the bad mood, instead of realizing that it would be great to go out for dinner with my friends even if I was tired. My mood lifted even more when I got out of the shower with my card and gift from Andy, which consisted of messages he had put throughout the house with things like "you've won... a massage during the Easter holidays" and "you've won... exemption from doing the dinner dishes for a week" etc. It was fun to discover all my "winnings" that morning. One included $10 so I could get myself a coffee on my way to work. So off I went feeling much better, letting myself catch the later train and enjoy my walk and coffee without feeling rushed.

When I got to work the first thing I did was check my emails. In my inbox was the BEST EMAIL I've ever gotten... our appraisal training session was cancelled!! Hooray! Now my day had really improved. I left work around 4pm, getting home in time to get a shower, put on some make-up, sort out something to wear and even sit down and have a cup of tea before Andy got home from daycare with Ella. Everything was going to plan, when about two minutes before April arrived Ella vomited her bottle up all over me, her, her bedroom floor and the bathroom floor. Nice. Just as we were stripping her (and me) down for another bath the doorbell rang and April had arrived. Andy sorted out Ella while I got another shower and tried not to let my bad mood from the morning return. I nearly cancelled dinner, thinking it would just be easier to stay in and order a take-away. Luckily April, an experienced auntie, insisted that we still go to dinner and that she would call if there were any problems. Reluctantly we left, super late and super stressed.

Dinner was at Rice Paper Scissors in Fitzroy with Adam and Charlotte and we had an awesome time. Excellent food and excellent company. The food was Asian street food which is meant to be shared, kind of tapas style. For $59/couple you get to choose five plates off the menu and I would say they were pretty generous portions. My favourite was the Sticky Pork Belly: "twice cooked pork in a tamarind caramel sauce, topped with a fragrant herb salad", delicious! 

When we got back from dinner we were relieved to hear that Ella had slept the whole time. Of course, she woke up soon after we got home and proceeded to throw up on me again. Sigh. We had a pretty rough night, however as I'm writing this a week later I can't even really remember it now. All the nights with a baby seem to mould into one... Each morning Andy and I struggle to remember what happened the night before. This must be some kind of evolutionary defence mechanism so that people want more children. 

Over dinner Charlotte revealed that she had arranged brunch and a mani/pedi session with a few of our friends on Saturday afternoon. We met at Le Petit Prince in Armadale for brunch, a café inspired by the book of the same name by Antoine St. Exupery. I read this book when I was 18 and living in France so it really brought back memories. This is one of my favourite quotes from the book:

In english this means: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eyes". 

At Le Petit Prince with my lovely gift from Ness!

Adam and Andy were looking after Ella while we were away and this is the picture I was sent of the fun they were having:

Classic dad and baby fun at the pub!

After lunch we got our nails done which was fun, something that I haven't done for a long time. I decided to paint my fingers dark grey, which prompted Andy to ask me why I wanted to look like a goth. His favourite thing is to tell people that I was a goth in high school, which I think people find shockingly hilarious. It's also ridiculously untrue... I pretty much only shopped at The Gap and never even owned a pair of Doc Martens. 

Anyway, aside from Ella puking on me all day I had a really first birthday as a mom. It is definitely different to how I spent my 30th (people are hurting!) but good-different. Although I still can't believe I am halfway through my thirties... But age is just a number, right?!