Our grown-up life: 11 months: this too shall pass.

11 months!

Hugo's eleventh month was tough. It began with a 27 hour flight back to Australia and ended with a fever and a cough. In between, we had one very long and very jet-lagged week and Hugo's first bout of sickness(es) with a gastro, a conjunctivitis and a viral fever, one after the other. We had one decent night and the rest was a mess of broken sleep and crying.

As I get to the end of this month, I feel that I have been tested. I assume I passed since I'm still doing it but a little chunk of enthusiasm is missing right now. I think we are at a funny point where 11 months down the track, we feel like we have come a long way and we are this close to a whole year, a milestone I am attaching a lot of importance to and I'm not completely sure why.

On the other hand, the slow grind of these last few weeks have scared me about the future. How will I cope with more children? Where will I find the reserves for even harder times? How long does all this stuff - the broken sleep, the crying, the dirty nappies, the hours of breastfeeding - last? How are we going to make it there?

I don't really ask myself these things in easier times but once in a while, it hits me and it scares me a little. I tell myself that I'll cope because we do, don't we? But I guess I'm not completely sure how.

Thankfully, in between the jet-lag and the disease, some nice things did happen. We visited Mick and Jess and their brand new baby, the beautiful little Archie. He was only 10 days old when we saw him and I swear I cannot remember Hugo ever being that tiny. I can rationalise it because they had similar birth proportions but unlike riding a bike, how to hold a newborn is forgotten quicker than one might think.

It was wonderful though to see both parents looking so calm and glowing with happiness, bundled in the warm fuzzy cocoon of those first weeks.

The following week-end, we were also able to spend a couple of days in the Blue Mountains with our friends Marcin and Rose who were visiting from Poland. We met their one year old twins, Maja and Janek who towered over little Hugo. They both looked long and statuesque compared to our little ball of a boy but that certainly didn't worry Hugo who was as smiley and engaged as ever. There was a little dog there too, Basil, that Hugo found endlessly fascinating. Old, deaf and blind, Basil was gentle and placid, putting up with too many little hands pulling at his tail and ears.

It's on our way back from the mountains that Hugo started vomiting which quickly spiralled into one of our most difficult weeks yet. Thankfully, as I type this, it feels like things might be getting better... fingers crossed.

Also, in brief:

We continue to enjoy going to the beach at least a couple times a week.
Hugo has taken a few steps here and there, on average around 4 and once, a record-breaking 7 before stumbling into my arms.
Hugo continues to meet new friends: Paula's son Otis (9 months younger), Ava (Mick & Jess' friends, Bec and Lloyd's daughter) who is just 2 days younger than him and Mick & Jess' Archie (10 months younger).
We celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary with a nice lunch at a cafe in Newcastle and sushi on the beach. Time flies when you're exhausted (and having fun)!