The Week's Report

Thursday was the most eventful day this week for Istra and I. We went to the Movies for Mommies event, which I mentioned before. Unfortunately the movie was sort of dumb. It was The Wedding Crashers. I wasn't really expecting it to be a great movie; I just went because the other people from my prenatal class were going and I wanted to go with them. All the same, I learned a valuable lesson (in two parts): One--it is a lot of work trying to keep a baby happy while confined to a very small seat for over an hour, and Two--if one is going to do all that hard work, the movie better be worth it. The Wedding Crashers wasn't worth it and I'm not even sure Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would be worth it (that is, I'm probably not going to go to that next week).

Actually, for next week's prenatal class outing we're all headed to Pam's house, which is in the Beaches. I've never been to the Beaches and don't even really know where this mythical land (where everyone votes NDP) is. Pam warned us, though, that even though where she lives is called the Beaches, it's actually a very long walk to the Beach.

Anyway, after I came back home from the movie, I quickly had to whip up some dinner and tidy the apartment a little bit to prepare for the next exciting event--Liuba and Alex (my Russian tutors) coming to visit me and the baby. Actually, Liuba arrived alone because Alex was working (it seems like he is working every time we make plans to visit, so I actually haven't seen him since just after the New Year). In place of Alex, however, Liuba brought presents from Russia! She'd been back home for a few months (which is why she could not come to my baby shower) and she brought back one of her favourite children's books for me--Alexander Pushkin's "Little Tragedies". While looking at the pictures, Tim commented that it seemed a little morose for a children's book; quite a few of the pages have illustrations of the grim reaper or crazed looking priests or deathly pale and dark-eyed women. Ah, those Russians!

That was Thursday. Today since it has cooled off a bit, Tim and I took Istra out grocery shopping in the super-stroller. Unfortunately, the super-stroller ran over a tack and as it turns out the tires are not invincible. By the time we got to No Frills, Istra was having a lovely wobbly ride that kept listing over to the right on a completely flat tire.

Tim has now taken his bike up the street to Canadian Tire to get a patch kit and a bicycle pump. In the meantime, I am carrying Istra around in yet another new baby carrier (the last one for a long time, I promise!)--my Ellaroo wrap. It really is a beautiful thing--five meters of hand-woven, hand-dyed cotton made with loving care in Guatemala (not in a sweat shop). It's so nice that I fully intend to use it as a scarf or shawl as well as a baby carrier.

The last of this week's big events pertains to Istra's development. Her eyes appear to be ever so slightly changing colour. They are still very much that strange slate-grey colour she was born with, but now there is a just slightly perceptible tinge of brown.