Missing home

Pixie and I came home from hospital yesterday.  As I'm writing this, it's eerily quiet.  Luke is out, Pixie is asleep and Elsie is at the park with her Nanna.  I'm such a lucky girl!  This can't last...

We're planning to be in Sydney with Luke's parents for a few more weeks before returning home to Lord Howe.  Pixie and I both need check-ups before we leave Sydney.  And staying here is fantastic because Nanna and Pa are happy to spend so much time playing with Elsie.  So far, she likes her new little sister (who has given her lots of presents) and she's hardly had any interruption to her normal routine.  This can't last either!

I'm really looking forward to getting home to Lord Howe.  I'd forgotten how stressful Sydney can be.  It's the little things, really.  There's no mobile phone coverage at Lord Howe.  I'd forgotten how intrusive mobiles can be.  Since we've been here, I'm amazed at how much time everyone, including me, spends talking on, texting and playing with their phone.  I'm turning into such a cranky old woman!  The pace at Lord Howe is so relaxed.  A few weeks ago I was driving to work and I passed the policeman.  He had his siren on - the first time I'd ever seen it - but he still waved at me.    

Living at Lord Howe makes it easier for kids to have an old-fashioned childhood.  There's no such thing as "going shopping" when you can only buy the essentials at the shops.  No one has the latest car (or phone, for obvious reasons).  It just isn't that important to keep up with the Joneses.  The birds wake us up in the morning and you can see the stars at night.  We talk about the weather and the waves a lot.  It's so safe that no one locks their doors and they leave the keys in the car.  The kids ride their bikes to school and bare feet are official school uniform. 

Elsie and Pixie aren't going to have the latest iPhone and I really hope it'll be at least a few years before they notice.

Update on Dani and Pixie Mae

All is well. Dani reports that the second baby is much easier (but not easy). Pixie Mae is feeding well and sleeping most of the time. The nurses are fantastic - all the ones we talk to love their job and have been there for years.

There's something about breast feeding women and food - I've never seen hospital soup and sandwiches get devoured so quickly, and it's wise to bring food before entering the room. Take note family and friends.

Thanks for all the calls, messages and flowers.

Luke

New daughter

Pixie Mae Hanson was born at 5pm today. Dani and Pixie are both well and are catching up on some sleep. Only a few days ago, we were thinking of Mae Pixie, but after a sudden change of heart we thought that it was OK to name our daughter after her grandmother. She was an amazing woman, and if Qantas named a plane after her then we could name our daughter after her.

Pixie Mae is a seventh generation Lord Howe Islander.

Little Island

Waiting in Sydney makes me daydream about my favourite place on Lord Howe - Little Island. To get there, ride your bike south on Lagoon Road. When the road ends, leave your bike at the gate and walk south along a rough road for about a kilometre. The walk is easy and flat and the last section is through dense palm and banyan forest. 

Suddenly the forest ends and you're directly below 400 vertical metres of cliffs on Mt Lidgbird. Looking up, there are tens of thousands of birds. You have a good view of the Lower Road, the first dramatic part of the climb up Mt Gower. Little Island is also the place where the coral reef meets the island. There's a great wave that's popular with surfers at high tide. 

Late afternoon is the best time of day at Little Island. The afternoon light hits the mountains and everything just glows. It's just as good in the rain - all the waterfalls start flowing. We get there every few days and rarely see anyone else there!

Birth Horror Stories

I wasn't young when I had Elsie.  Most of my friends already had kids - so I'd heard a few birth stories.  I knew that there would be lots of people at the birth and that some of them would be wearing gumboots.  I'd heard about tearing, episiotomies, forceps, vacuum suction, stitches, emergency Cesareans and mastitis.  I knew that I should ask for an epidural immediately or risk missing out.  I'd been warned.   

My second baby is due very soon.  Have you ever noticed how people (no, wait, women) can't wait to tell you the most horrific stories about birth when they see you're about to have a baby?  Most of the time it's not a personal story - it's about a "friend" or a "friend of a friend".   Where do they get these stories from?  And why do they think I want to know?  Stop it!  I'm not listening!  LAAAA LAAAA LAAAA.... 

Driving

Learner drivers are required to display L plates on their cars.  There's a good reason for this - it alerts the rest of us to expect sudden stops, starts and stalls.  It's shorthand for: "I don't have a clue and my dad is screaming at me.  Just stay out of the bloody way!".  

There really should be a system of alerting other road users that the person driving the car is from Lord Howe Island where there's only about 5km of road and a speed limit of 25km per hour.  On Lord Howe, the most important road rules are: (a) wave; (b) don't run over small children riding bikes; (c) it is acceptable to stop the car in the middle of the road for a chat with someone who is driving in the opposite direction; and (d) there is no time limit on rule (c).  

I've never been a good driver.  My eyesight isn't great.  I learnt to drive at Lord Howe and didn't buy my first car until I was nearly 30.  I have a long history of backing cars into trees and scraping them along gutters and in parking stations.  When I worked for a large law firm in Sydney, I crashed my boss's car.  I still can't talk about it.  It's probably my most humiliating memory.  

It hurts me to admit that since moving to Lord Howe, my driving has deteriorated even further.  I even backed Luke's car into a post at our house.  It was the only post for several kilometres.  Who knows what I will do in Sydney where everyone drives so fast.  Perhaps I should keep my hazard lights on at all times and install a loud siren on the roof of the car ... or just make up some "LHI" plates. 

Shopping

I'm in Sydney at the moment and the baby is due in less than 2 weeks. I've been running around buying some baby things and borrowing others and I've remembered how much I hate shopping centres.  

Years ago, when I was single and had a disposable income and plenty of time, shopping was sort of fun. It's different now. Shopping means the supermarket, the chemist and K-Mart. I used to love book shops, but have you ever tried browsing with a toddler? I hate the parking and queuing and the music in big shopping centres. I come home exhausted.  

Buying clothes on Lord Howe is much more enjoyable. Lisa Makiiti runs Larrups, a small surf shop in what is jokingly referred to as "the CBD". It's next door to Humpty Micks cafe and opposite the Post Office. 

Lisa is warm and outgoing and has fantastic taste. She sells surfwear and swimmers, but also manages to dress older people (and pregnant women!). She stocks underpants and PJs for people whose bags didn't arrive on the plane. There is always a rack of sale items outside on the verandah. Shopping is quick if you're in a hurry (the joys of limited choice), but there's always time for a chat if you're not. There are no fluorescent lights in the change room and there's a basket of kids toys in the corner.  

Parking is easy - there's always a spot for your bike in the bike rack at the front of the shop.  Shopping heaven!