This weekend, we bought Isabel a new Phil & Ted’s “Escape” Backpack carrier. She’s getting a bit big for her front pack now (even though, in theory, she could weigh a lot more and still be carried around in it!) and we decided that it would make trips out and holidays a much easier experience – especially when taking her buggy is not an option!
We’ve yet to try her in it – we tried her in it in the shop but haven’t had a chance to go out properly for a test run….roll on next weekend and any weather you can throw at us as we can test the storm hood as well then!
We also think that she is getting 2 teeth at once – it feels as though both her front, bottom teeth are coming through at the same time! 2 for the price (and pain) of 1 – what more could we possibly want!
Much to our surprise, we came home from a lovely day out and evening at Paul and Rachel’s house to find the garage door WIDE OPEN – and given we went out at about midday, it had been like that for just short of 12 hours!
Luckily, everything seems to be where we left it – aside from the stuff that Nigel decided to tip on the floor but there’s nothing unusual about that!
Needless to say, we’ll be sitting in the car, on the drive and watching the door shut completely from now on, just to be sure………
Well, the last game of the season for the Lions was a game only for pride and a chance to show the All Blacks and Hurricanes selectors what they can do. They played Taranaki on a wet and blustery Friday evening in New Plymouth. The Lions’ All Blacks players made the difference on the night and helped the team to a 31-17 win. Each side scored three tries, but it was the kicking of the Lions (first of all from Jimmy Gopperth (playing at an unfamiliar full-back position) then scrum half Piri Weepu once Gopperth was substituted) that made the difference. Four penalties and one extra conversion being the margin at the end.
So the Lions’ have a break now and can only sit back and watch the semis and final on TV. Hopefully, though, a number of them will be picked for the All Blacks Grand Slam tour of the UK which kicks off in four weeks’ time against the Welsh at the Millennium Stadium.
Today we have had a date through for Isabel’s operation.
After a pre-op appointment on Daddy’s birthday, the operation itself is scheduled for 22nd November – we aren’t entirely sure what time the great event will take place, but our admission time is 7.15am………which will involve leaving our house at about 6.45am at the latest! (more like 6.30am Daddy says!)
We are still none the wiser as to how long we will have to stay in hospital etc so will probably go to our 1st appointment with a GIANT list of questions but that’s ok as the letter says we should feel free to ask questions at any point.
After being some what grumpy and EXTREMELY dribbly, Isabel had finally graced us with the beginnings of a tooth! We haven’t actually managed to see it yet but we know its there thanks to the razor like bump in her gum! It’s on the bottom which surprised us slightly – with help and encouragement from Granny, we thought it was coming at the top ……..we’ll probably get one there soon enough as well but one is quite enough for the time being!
Somebody told me that when their small person got teeth the dribbling relented a bit – I am hopeful that this will be the case with Miss Winchurst so that we might go a whole day without her being completely drenched from the neck down!
The most interesting thing of late is that Isabel appears to be going to crawl anytime now!
She’s up on her hands and knees, rocking backwards and forwards……..before moving herself backwards! She has spent many a minute wedged under the sofa or very cross because she has reversed herelf away from her toys!
Our Antenatal group were here yesterday and were extremely impressed – there are even bets floating about that she will be on the move before we meet again in a fortnight (no pressure or anything!) but we’ll have to wait and see on that one!
So all we have to do now is encourage her to figure out about moving forwards – and then will come the joy of stair-gates, child proofing the house and wondering what on earth to do with the cat food so that Isabel doesn’t eat it!?
Unfortunately, the result of the all South Island clash this weekend was Otago 24 Canterbury 19. This meant that Otago moved up to third place, ahead of North Harbour, and means that, regardless of the results next weekend the Lions won’t make it to the semi-finals. They are five points behind Harbour, but even a bonus point win (ie five points) would mean that Harbour get through on the head to head result (Harbour beat us in our first home game of the season). D’oh!
Well, the Lions’ hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals took another dent yesterday as they were unluckily beaten by Auckland, 29-22. Although the Lions had their big name All Blacks back (Umaga and So’oialo) and had most of the possession AND scored more tries, they still lost the game. And despite the fact that, in my humble, unbiased, one-eyed-fan’s perspective, the first of the two Auckland tries included a blatant forward pass and the second was scored from an offside position apparently didn’t matter – they were both still given. So, despite the fact that the moral victory was the Lions’ they only scored one point for NPC purposes. We’re therefore going to be dependent upon other results both this week and next to determine if we’re able to climb into the final semi-final place. Oh well, time will tell ….
Today we have been sorting out a passport for Isabel – at this point, we are applying for her New Zealand one but will be looking to get her British one as well in the not too distant future! I couldn’t believe the palava involved though, just for passport pictures – the rules state that babies have to be looking at the camera, they aren’t allowed to smile (which is quite tricky in Isabels case!), they have to have their mouths closed and both ears must be visible – how bloomin’ STUPID! She’s 5 months old for goodness sake! We had to take about 10 pictures of her until we came up with one that was acceptable – the lady in the shop told me that they had a lady with a 9 day old baby come in and the passport office had REJECTED her baby’s pictures………how on earth you are supposed to get a 9 day old to comply with all their regulations, I’ll never know!
Anyway, we have our pics now and the form is filled out – on Saturday we are going to see Zoe as she is going to verify Isabel is who we say she is – given the requirements are that she has to have known her from birth and being from the medical profession we thought she was highly qualified for the job!
We had a great time when Granny Radcliffe was here visiting her great grand-daughter (the fact that Dan and I were here too was completely coincidental!). I’ve added a new gallery of photos from her stay, although you will probably notice that most of them are of the Munchkin!!
Click here to view the gallery, or click on the photo on the right hand side.
