Around the home with Emma V

A few random piccies from around the home...
Emma is one month old today - 1 August 2009!



Dad burps the baby - one of only a few things I can actually do to help.

Proud Granny H - 'the calmer' (she calms

Emma for us when Emma is screaming blue murder).

Asleep on Mom's shoulder. We've learnt that come 5 or 6pm, if she falls asleep in a position, leave her there till she wakes herself - otherwise she'll just cry for another three hours!

In the garden, trying to give Emma a tan. Well, just some sunshine.

Bathtime! I actually have one of these photos
with me, but I didn't want to make anyone sick.

Feeding time! Isn't every hour feeding time?

Dad and daughter share an intimate (burp) moment.
Emma burped too.

Emma wins the 2009 wet T-shirt competition.
She seems to enjoy having a warm facecloth put over her in the bath.

Mom and daughter share an intimate moment,
but not as intimate as dad's earlier intimate moment.

Sometimes, the light can keep a baby from falling asleep, so here I am trying to put her in our Kanga pouch, while keeping her in the dark.

Obviously this photo was taken in the morning.
We'd be glaring daggers at her in the evening.

Bathtime again.

Bouncy seat. This thing actually works (sometimes).

The baby room. I hate the word nursery, it sounds so Victorian era. We don't have a nursery. We have a baby room.

Emma asking me to pass her the phone. She's clever like that.

Emz with her Bokkie. I mean, we hadn't even beaten the All Blacks twice in a row when this photo was taken. She's obviously just a die-hard fan.

My new job

Oh - for those that are interested, I have a new job - I can't remember
whether I said so before or not.

I am working as a sub-editor at the Cape Argus newspaper - an afternoon newspaper - doing pretty much what I was doing in Ireland, the only difference being that here my opinion is valued!

It's quite cool, I've written a sport column twice ...

Column 1

Column 2

... and been asked to write a news article on the possible move of WP rugby from Newlands to Greenpoint (Click on the photos to read what I had to say).

I've also been asked to proof pages - something that didn't happen at the Irish Examiner once in my two years there. It's quite cool actually.

I've also started doing page layout - no formal training though - on Saturdays. How ironic - in Ireland they send you on two days paid training and then never give you the chance, in Cape Town they give you the chance but don't actually train you. Oh well, at least I'm learning a new skill.

Job going great so far. Loving it.

I actually was supposed to start on the first of July - but something else came up that day... a little girl called Emma!

Losing my mind

It's official - I have stated to lose my mind.

Sleep deprivation will do that to you I suppose, but theis was me reaching new heights of nuttiness.

I mean, we've all done the whole 'putting the sugar tin in the fridge and the milk in the cupboard' thing, well I hope that isn't just me. But really - the other day I went to the toilet and picked up the toilet spray, lifted my arm and readied to fire a burst as deodorant at myself. Luckily I woke up from my 'episode' just in time and instead went with the sexy smelling stuff that drives the chicks wild.

Then, those that know me know that I tend to use the back of my hand as a sort of diary for important things. It will not be uncommon to find 'phone bob' and 'chicken' or 'sabc 3 - 9' all at the same time even, telling me for example to phone Bob, defrost chicken and watch the Sabc 3 tv channel at 9pm.

But the other day, at work, I wrote ‘sport’ on my hand and I to this day have no idea why. So vague. What could it have meant? So if you find my mind, can you please return it, I seem to have misplaced it.

Rugby on the beach

Rory's little fantasy...

So all this happened because Rory wanted a bit of a kiss and a cuddle with the okes.

Obviously we wouldn't comply, so he arranged some full-contact

rugby on the beach - four a side - seven little girls and I.

Who won? Who cares. I know we were losing when Tim realised

we were on the comeback trail and pulled a sickie.

He was obviously scared that I would try and get revenge for the

stiff arm to the face he gave me earlier in the game.

The fact that his toe was lying at 90 degrees to his other

toes did not convince me he was injured. Nor did the photo

he sent me the next day of his foot. I know for a fact that

Morag's feet look just like that. Just more hairy.

She must have shaved them for this photie.

Anyway, there were no big hits as far as I remember.

Rory was obviously a bit bigger than the rest of us lightweights

but he likes it like that (softy), but we just ganged up on him

and lifted him off the ground, ripping the ball off him.

Needless to say, I was the best player on the beach.

Buff wasn't bad, but you can't take someone seriously

when they wear swimwear to a rugby game.

He tried to show me who was boss and he did - me.

Nicole took these pics so thanks to her.

Buff's a big girl. He goes down like a cheap prozzie.

Buff knocks on... again.

Buff runs away from me (I'm in the blue shirt). Look how scared he is.

Matthew makes a break.







These three shots show me making tackles (did anyone else make any tackles?) Top left, I'm obscured but Tim actually wet himself here as I homed-in on him. It was pretty gross.

Top right, Buff, with ball tucked under armtries in vain to fight me off.

Bottom left, having already made a tackle on Tim, I'm about to jump up again and make the next one too.



The ultimate leader marshalling his troops.



Buff illegally getting in some cheap shots after the whistle. I would never stoop that low myself (or be caught doing it on camera certainly).



Rory kicks off.

Steve cringes at the thought of being tackled by me.

Before and after: The Carew express steamrolls Ian.

The panoramic beach shot.

Struggling to breathe?

Tim tries to round one of the youngsters. Don't be silly Tim, you're not me.

Afterwards a few of us stayed around to sign autographs to the clovelly locals. Steve and Ian helped get the fans into an orderly line for me and I signed.

Nicole brought Patrick along to watch me beat up his Dad - pretty cruel if you ask me - but maybe it was a lesson in... 'Don't count on your dad to protect you' - in which case, fair enough.

Tackle of the day I hear you ask? Me of course - too many to count really but Nicole managed to get this one. Normally I would dislodge the ball but butter-fingers Carew managed to hold onto this one. I think he's pretending that the tryline is close. Ian is smiling cos he's not getting kop-stumped this time. Notice that no one is running to help Rory - they know it's a losing battle against me. They're hoping he'll pass. Silly silly. Rory can't pass.

Kirilenko v Wozniacki

Just saw the Wimbledon tennis draw and Kirilenko and Wozniacki have been drawn to play against each other – oooh!

The two hottest players on the circuit - on one court.

I'm so excited I can't contain myself...The match is strarting soon - sorry I have to ru...

A quick search on google broght up this...

http://www.google.co.za/search?hl=en&q=maria+kirilenko+photos&btnG=Search&meta=

while wozniacki search brought up this...

http://www.google.co.za/search?hl=en&q=caroline+wozniacki+photos&btnG=Search&meta=

Emma (part 2)

A few more pics of little Emma. I still have other things to post from way back but I know you're only really interested in my gorgeous daughter...

Cath's found a way to hold her (and stop her crying) and still have her hands free.



Company for the cot.

Clearly in a wus when it comes to how cute this chick is.... here she is all dressed up in a hat mom made.

Catching 40 winks.

Before we left the hospital, they made us a special picnicy supper and we had it on Cath's bed while the nurses looked after the baby. Cath was hungry for it...

And speaking of hungry, someone else was hungry too.
But she gets this evil look in her eye whenever she feeds... as if she's saying 'Ha, I'm gonna bite you and you can just try and stop me, heh heh heh.'

But then soon after, she's yawny and cute again.



Don'y you just love this outfit?

The Lions win the 3rd Test

Today the Bok fringe players take on the Lions and I really don't know what to expect. I hope it's more running rugby and not this crappy kicking game we've seen so much of. The Boks have chosen to select the fringe players what with the Tri-nations in mind and hopefully they'll be able to mount a challenge to the best players from four countries combined. If we win with a second-string outfit, that really doesn't bode to well for the game in the north.

Well I can now update this after having watched the Boks lose... it looks the the game in the NH is safe...

It was a bummer to see the Boks lose the third Test, but realistically, who cares - the series was won and our hearts weren't in it. They wanted it more and that's quite understandable. It was the same for us last week.

Roll on the Tri-Nations.