Being Momma G: Day 90

Mum and Nana's first full day in Sydney was a lovely and relaxing one. Just as we had hoped it would be, and just as we were planning the rest of their stay to be.

Sleeping on the inflatable mattress was an interesting experience. I didn't inflate it as much as it probably should have been, which meant that every time Jonathan or I moved, the other was thrown about as if we were sleeping on opposite ends of a see saw. When Sean woke for a feed at 2.30am, I found I couldn't get up off the floor to take Sean out of the cot for a feed. Jonathan helped me, but feeding the little man on the mattress proved to be quite difficult. We managed to get through the feed, and everyone settled back into bed.

There really was no way I could have fed the little man on the inflatable mattress again, so when he woke just before 6am, we quietly went out to the armchair and Sean enjoyed a fairly decent feed.

Soon after Sean went back to bed, we all rose and had breakfast. It was all at a relaxing pace, with nothing much planned for today. Sean woke again just before 9.30am, enjoyed a nice feed, before settling down to some serious cuddles from his Grandma and Great Nana. Sean and I had been invited to a Mothers Group gathering at Rebecca's house, and we were all asked to bring a plate to share with the other mothers. I was going to make corn fritters, which had been a hit with others in the past.

While Sean was getting his special cuddles, I went about mixing the batter and frying the fritters. The fritters were dead easy to make, and they were good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The batter was a basic pancake mix of self raising flour, eggs, milk and butter, with corn, finely diced capsicum and bacon added to the mixture. The aromas drew Mum and Nana into the kitchen, and they wanted to know if I could make a gluten free version for them to try. I promised to make some gluten free fritters for them during their stay.

The fritters took a little longer to make than I had anticipated, and by the time they were all ready, it was time to get both Sean and I dressed to head out to Rebecca's house. Jonathan and Mum and Nana were heading to the shops too, to buy supplies for dinner and to do a spot of shopping in Chatswood. We bade farewell to each other and headed our separate ways.

Rebecca and her husband Simon have a gorgeous house in West Ryde. Rebecca had been busy painting her house, and has plans to makeover her backyard in the next few years. She showed us around her gorgeous home and the other mothers and Sean and me settled in for a relaxing afternoon.

There was so much yummy food on offer. We all sampled the other mothers' cooking, and enjoyed our buffet lunch very much. Rebecca's mother in law Margaret was also on hand to chat with us, and it was lovely to get some sage advice from someone who had been there and done that and survived to tell the tale.

Sylvia took lots of photos of the mums and bubs and promised to send them around to everyone, and time flew as the babies played and slept and did baby things, like needing to be fed and changed. In a blink of an eye, it was time for Sean and I to head home, and we thanked Rebecca for such a lovely afternoon. Rebecca was going back to work as her maternity leave was drawing to an end, so she thought to host all the mothers before she went back to work. We all promised to try and work out a time to suit Rebecca so she wouldn't miss out on too many future gatherings.

After such an exciting afternoon, Sean was quite unsettled when we got home and needed a lot of help to get to sleep. When he did finally drop off to sleep, I went to investigate what Jonathan and Mum and Nana had bought for dinner.

There were 4 lovely pieces of trout in the fridge for dinner, as well as some delectable Crystal Bay prawns on offer. Jonathan also picked up some pak choy to go with the seafood dinner. The fish was beautiful and succulent and the prawns were tasty and juicy, and we enjoyed every bite.

Over dinner, we talked about foods that Mum and Nana were allowed to eat, and foods they were to avoid. Jonathan and I had really wanted to take Mum and Nana to yum cha for lunch during their stay, but we weren't sure if they would be able to eat much, as almost everything was made with things I thought they couldn't eat. I always thought they were not able to eat glutinous rice (or sticky rice), but I was wrong. Armed with this knowledge, Jonathan and I were confident that Mum and Nana could enjoy the experience, so I called my parents to arrange a lunch date with them tomorrow. As Nana had never been to yum cha, we were thrilled to be taking her to her first yum cha experience.

With Jonathan working in the evening, the rest of us relaxed with our books and hobbies. We all chilled out as we waited for the little man to wake up for his last feed of the day. Sean woke just after 9.30pm and settled down to a good feed, before having a nice luxurious bath (with Nana taking photos). I wasn't sure who was having the best time - Sean having a bath, Jonathan giving Sean a bath, or Nana taking photos of Jonathan giving Sean a bath!

The little man has just sucked down a good slug of top up formula, and it's time for bed for everyone. We have a slightly busier day tomorrow, so we all need some sleep. I've inflated the mattress some more, so hopefully, Jonathan and I will get a better night of sleep tonight without too much rocking motion!