Gastro, gastro go away!!

She hadn't slept well for the last few nights, so it was no surprise that Emmelia was stirring a little on this particular night. However on this particular night she became quite upset so I got her out to settle her. It was when laid her on our bed so I could turn on the bedside lamp that I heard the unmistakable sound - vomit. I sat her up as her dinner ran down her sleeping bag, clothes and our bedding. We stripped her down and tossed everything into the washer (I was very thankful we had a dryer at this moment, though, given it was almost 10 pm already, the guys downstairs probably weren't).

To calm her down, I sat with Emmelia up against my chest on the rocking chair in the lounge room, when it happened again - this time going all over me. Now, those who know me are fully aware that I DO NOT have a strong stomach. At all. Not even in the slightest.

However, despite the fact that the contents of my daughter's stomach (mainly spaghetti bolognese) were now all over me, I didn't even flinch. I really should get brownie points for that.

The worst part was the heartbreaking whimper she made after each time she was sick. It sounded like she was trying to say "why is this happening mummy, it hurts". After several hours of trying to rehydrate Emmelia in between smaller bouts of vomiting, our bedding was finally dry and we headed to bed. Needless to say, it was a rough night. Emmelia initially woke every half hour for sips of gastrolyte. Brownie points to mama again - I bought some in Oz and packed it "just in case" - seriously, am I a mum or what!!

Finally we got about an hour and a half straight, and then we were up. We all took a two hour nap later in the day and Emmelia seemed to be recovering (not eating much, but taking extra bottles). The next day was, well, filled with vomiting of the other kind...which I will not detail. We took her to the doctor, and $120 and 10 minutes later, we left knowing she was OK, and we were doing well (I was reassured by the doctor, but not to the point of $120).

That night, I was awoken (as I normally am) by someone snoring. But this time, it was earlier than normal, around 1 am. I felt a bit queasy, but was too tired to move. After failing to fall asleep for the next two hours - a combination of my stomach and continually elbowing David - it hit. I was sick. It was not pleasant at all, and I was regretting the fact we'd made nachos for dinner. Yuk, yuk, yuk.

Long story short - I was sick, tired, and miserable. I woke up forgetting it was my birthday in Oz, but remembering I had to visit a notary - and it was snowing/raining outside. Joy. After dishing out $80 to have some papers signed - that's right, you have to pay to have something notarised over here - we headed to a questionable food court, and I attempted to eat some even more questionable Chinese food. I managed to keep it down, and even had a little dinner. Surely, this was a good sign.

After sleeping for six hours straight for the first time in about five days, I was woken - not by my stomach, or even Emmelia - but by the familiar, irritating snore of my husband. Sigh. Two elbows to the ribs and he'd rolled over, and was silent, for now. I couldn't help but smile. Yep, everything is back to normal.

Cheers, V.

PS - if you have ANY snoring remedies, I'd love to hear them!!!

93 restaurants in 10 blocks ... so why am I cooking???

Every possible cuisine imaginable is within walking distance. Italian, Pizza (technically Italian I guess), Japanese, Greek, Ethiopian, Jamaican, French, the list goes on. Of course there's also numerous cafes filled with not only amazing coffee, but delectable cupcakes, biscotti, and my new favourite - Nanaimo slice (to die for chocolate and coconut and cream with a biscuity base).

So, why am I cooking? Because all I want is rice. Rice. Plain old rice. Well, actually, with Maggi seasoning on top (kind of like soy sauce but not really). That's it. No accompaniments. Nothing.

You can't walk into a restaurant, or cafe, and order rice (with or without Maggi seasoning). It would be like attending a high tea with the Queen and asking for Diet Coke.

So, I'm cooking. Rice. Every night. Not exactly a perfectly proportioned meal (on the very unlikely chance you are reading this Mrs K, my other meals are much more proportioned, I promise).

There have of course been exceptions. I had a veggie burger and fries the other night. And although it was amazing, my only motivation was that I was so tired from an afternoon at the aquarium that the idea of moving from the couch, even to put rice on, was just too many functions for my brain to handle. Needless to say, David went out and ordered dinner.

A trip to the aquarium doesn't really sound that exhausting right? Well, it started with a misguided one-hour bus journey. As each stop passed (seriously, a stop every two blocks!) the bus became filled with crazy individuals, the sane people seeming to know better and disembarking. The weird old guy trying to talk to Emmelia like she could understand him. The old indian lady who kept trying to tell me that "Mika" was a great baby's name. The french couple who were still hungover from the night before. And the really strange lady who shouted at everyone and mumbled to herself. We must have fit in there somewhere to have not got off sooner.

The aquarium itself was fantastic, and Emmelia loved every display. Bliss, right? Try taking her AWAY from a display. That's right. I was the parent with the tantrum-throwing child who kicked and screamed for the literally three seconds in between displays. As soon as she was back in front of a tank, she was back to adorable, babbling "dith, dith" (her version of "yes").

We wisely decided to ditch the bus on the way home, instead opting for the Skytrain. A 10 minute journey later, we were only a few blocks from home. Skytrain 1, Bus 0.

And what did I really want...(well, apart from maybe a double shot of Vodka)...rice. But, I settled for a burger and fries instead.

Hmmm ... I wonder what fries taste like with Maggi seasoning??

Cheers, V.

PS - As I've been writing this, I have been eating "New York Super Fudge Chunk" ice cream. In between checking on the rice, of course.