The week that was

A week of ups and downs.  Of sick babies and thousands and thousands of emails, but also of oh-so-many flowers and a few new books.

This is the week that was…

MONDAY

On Monday, after 12 months of maternity leave, I headed back to work. It was a slightly more stressful return than I would’ve liked, on account to Paul being poorly… but despite that, it turned out to be pretty good day. There were almost 19,000 emails in my inbox waiting for me and I spent the first few hours of my day deleting them.  I did manage to do a few non-administrative tasks and it felt nice to sort use my ‘work brain’ again.

TUESDAY

By Tuesday Paul had been off colour for nearly fortnight.  We’d been to the doctors, who suspected a cold.  He’d had a COVID test (the previous week, negative thank goodness), but still wasn’t really improving.  As a result the whole household was surviving on short bursts of sleep throughout the night. Adam and I were trying to juggle caring for a sick infant while working and to be honest, it all felt a bit overwhelming and exhausting. The blooming daffodils in the front yard, did offer a tiny bit of joy. One particular stem had sustained a fairly decent dent so was drooping substantially.  I decided that flower deserved to stand tall and proud, so it made its way inside to brighten up our living room.

WEDNESDAY

My office is on one of the main streets in Wagga Wagga.  It means I often get to walk to press conferences and interviews, which is nice when you’ve been sat a computer for several hours. On Wednesday I managed to fit in my commute between rain showers, and as a result got to admire the freshly watered gardens at one of the big parks in the centre of town. Wednesday was also the day Paul returned to the doctors, and this time he was diagnosed with bronchiolitis. Although you never like when your child is sick, it was good to finally get a diagnosis and to find out the best ways Adam and I could help Paul recover.

THURSDAY

Paul was like a new baby on Thursday – the brightest and happiest he’s been in weeks. I don’t work on Thursdays, so with Paul looking a bit better, I decided we’d head to our local farmers’ markets to pick up some supplies for the week ahead. We came home with beautiful free range pork, fresh eggs, a loaf of sourdough, and a bag full of fruit and vegetables. Paul had a lovely time looking around at the hustle and bustle of the market. The day was exceptionally mild, the first taste of spring I suspect, and it felt so good to feel some warmth in the sun and run errands without having to take a coat.

FRIDAY

Friday was a day of contrasts.  Cleaning bathrooms and doing washing in the morning.  Drinking champagne and eating a meal with my work colleagues in the afternoon. At the very tail end of the day, I sat on the lounge and sorted clean washing (perhaps one of my least favourite jobs).  In a bid to stop Paul knocking over my carefully folded piles I gave him a small face washer to play with.  For a good twenty minutes or so, that little piece of cloth didn’t leave his tiny clenched fists.  He shook it around, waved it in my face and even dusted the coffee table a little.

SATURDAY

Adam and I try to read to Paul a couple of times every day.  Before his naps and after his bath at nighttime, he gets a story to help calm him down and get ready for sleep. Last Christmas my parents gave Paul a ‘Spot the Dog’ book. Over the last few months it’s become one of his favourites and he’s becoming very good at lifting the flaps on each page.  When I spotted Spot books on sale at a local supermarket, I couldn’t help but pick up a few more for Paul on Saturday (and let’s be honest, Adam and I – it’s nice to have a bit of variety in our reading repertoire!)

SUNDAY

On Sunday, we gathered with Adam’s extended, Wagga based family for lunch. Pre-COVID we regularly caught up, but at the height of the restrictions we had to forgo these gatherings.  We feasted on lamb roast, with potato bake and steamed carrots and snow peas.  There was home made lemon meringue pie for dessert. Sitting proudly in our host’s house was a beautiful arrangement of hellebores.  A flower I discovered and fell in love with while living in England.  I’ve been promised a bunch of my own, and to say I’m excited is a bit of understatement.

How have your last seven days looked?

Have a wonderful week.

M. x