Being Momma G: Day 34

恭喜發財! Happy New Year of the Rabbit!

Today is Chinese New Year's Day, the start of the Year of the Rabbit. From the websites I've visited, it is said that "most Rabbit years are quiet, positive and inspiring and 2011 looks to be heading in this direction – a refreshing change after the fast-moving and quite dramatic Year of the Tiger. Family, diplomacy and personal development will all be highlighted in 2011. Once again alternative sources of energy and green living will be under the spotlight. The arts and culture sector of society will very busy producing amazing works of art and staging important exhibitions throughout the year. Love, romance and family life are well-starred, with a renewed appreciation of loved ones and friends. Overall, it should be a fun and relatively peaceful year. Even though aggression, violence and war zones will still be in evidence, the Chinese Rabbit year favours peaceful solutions and diplomacy, so there will be a feeling that all is not lost and that hope is still very much alive."

I am a Rat, and below is a short description of people born in the Year of the Rat and what this year will hold for Rats.

Rats are charming, elegant and clever. They can be a bit gossipy and prone to being distracted. They’re also thrifty and very good with handling money. Family and close friends are exceptionally important to them. The Rat is charming beyond words and throughout his undoubtedly long life he will always be popular and will have many friends.

Forecast for 2011 The Rat will feel glad in a lot of ways to see the end of the Year of the Tiger! There were a lot of changes and the pace was fast - not something the Rat is entirely comfortable with. The Chinese Year of the Rabbit is the opposite – its tempo will be slow and steady and the Rat must try to be patient and remain content with steady progress throughout 2011. Work will again be highlighted but this time the Rat’s experience and knowledge will be called upon, helping him to advance quite nicely in his career. April, October and November are well-starred for this. On the love and romance side of life, there could be cause for celebration during the year in the form of an engagement, wedding or birth. July, August and December and January will be particularly special months. An important aspect of 2011 for the Rat is time for personal growth, hobbies and developing skills that bring happiness. For any Rats that like to write, this year will see their creativity heightened and whether for pleasure or profit, writing is highlighted in a most positive way. Health wise, the Rat will have felt burnt out sometimes during 2010 and in 2011 his vitality will be improved. He will feel stronger and will also be taking better care of himself, maintaining a good diet and steady exercise routine.

Jonathan and Sean are both Tigers, and below is a short description of people born in the Year of the Tiger, and the forecast for Tigers during the Year of the Rabbit.

Magnetic, passionate and grand! When the Tiger does anything, it’s noticed! Indecisiveness and stubbornness can mar the sparkle of the Tiger personality. On the one hand generous, on the other hand a little mean, it’s sometimes hard to know where one stands with the Tiger. Flexible, honest and truly entertaining, one has a friend for life with a Tiger.

Forecast for 2011 Most Tigers will be feeling quite pleased and energized at the end of their own year in 2010. The Year of the Rabbit will be another positive year for them. Romantic matters are particularly to the forefront, with many born under this sign deciding to get married or to take the relationship to the next level. Single Tigers will have many chances to meet a partner with June to September particularly well aspected. If they have faced recent personal trials and tribulations, 2011 will prove to be a much brighter year. Financially, the Tiger will most likely see an increase in income, either due to a pay rise or an unexpected windfall. With careful planning and budgeting, they can enjoy this monetary increase whilst easing financial burdens. Hobbies and outdoor pursuits will also interest the Tiger this year and will provide relaxation and a social setting, both of which will suit him just fine. Travel and spending holidays with friends will be a focus during late spring and also August and September. If there is a dream location he’s always wanted to visit, this is the perfect year to do so! A house purchase or change of home could very well feature on the cards also. This will be an exciting rather than overly stressful development and Tigers should thrive in their new environment.

Today was going to be another busy day for me and Sean, with another outing planned - we were going to have yum cha with my parents, Grace and her youngest Danielle at Kam Fook in Chatswood, and get Sean's passport photos printed, so I needed to be ultra organised as I'd never taken Sean out on my own and had a meal during the outing.

Sean saw in the Year of the Rabbit by waking just after 1am for a feed, and then woke again just before 4am, and again at 6.30am. I was so dead after the 4am feed that I handed Sean over to Jonathan to change his nappy and to put back to sleep, and fell back to sleep within seconds of detaching Sean from my boob. I didn't even feel Jonathan give me a kiss goodbye as he left for work at 5.30am.

The little man was fussy after the 6.30am feed, and as he didn't properly drain my boobs, I had to express the rest, which I put in the fridge for later use. As we were going to meet up with my parents at noon, Sean needed to be fed before we left, which meant he really needed to be up some time between 9.30am and 10am. As if he read my mind, he woke at 9.45am.

Sean refused to settle after the feed, and I needed to have a shower and get dressed, so I left him to cry for a while in his bassinet. I had a super quick shower, and listened to Sean cry the whole time.

By the time I was dressed, Sean was making his "I'm hungry" face, so I fed him the expressed breast milk. He took his time drinking the milk, which meant we were late leaving the house and late for lunch. We arrived at the restaurant 20 minutes late, but fortunately, Dad and Mum were very understanding.

Our little performing monkey fussed a little bit at the restaurant, but he did put on his best cute face for all the staff, who are like extended family members as they all know so much about us, since my folks have lunch there every day. Plenty of people came by and congratulated me on the birth of Sean, and after all the excitement, the little man fell asleep so I could enjoy some lunch.

Sean woke just as we were finishing lunch, and he was very hungry and very thirsty. I still needed to get his passport photos printed, so we headed to the camera shop and sought some professional assistance. The photos took about 5 minutes to get printed, before Sean and I headed to the Parents Room for a quick feed - Sean was never going to make it home without leaving my eardrums intact.

After the feed, we paid a very quick visit to our favourite travel agent Mel "Chairman" Kaga and introduced him to Sean. Mel had helped Jonathan and me with all of our overseas travel since 2008 and has over time become a friend. Mel was so excited to see Sean and had a short cuddle with him - I was glad we went to visit Mel.

We left Chatswood after our visit with Mel, as we were heading into the city to pick up Jonathan from work. Sean cried the whole way into the city, but fell asleep just as we arrived at Jonathan's office building. Sean stayed asleep for the rest of the afternoon, and at 5pm, I expressed some milk so my boobs would stop feeling like they were about to explode. As soon as I'd finished expressing, we got ready to head to my parents' house for Chinese New Year dinner.

Sean woke at 6.45pm for a feed, and we managed to get him fed before dinner was ready. Sean was pretty good at settling afterwards, and slept in the car capsule while we finished dinner. The meal was another sumptuous affair - so much food, so little time! I love Chinese New Year - it's my favourite holiday after Christmas - because it's all about food, food and more food!

As our little man was still sound asleep, we stayed to help with the dishes before heading home. We brought the capsule into the house, so Sean could continue sleeping. At 10pm, I had to express again, and yielded 125mL. Neither Jonathan nor I could believe our eyes!

The milk monster has just woken from his slumber, so we'd better go and feed him. He should be happy with the portion we are giving him - I hope he manages to finish all of it!