Fortnightis Horribilis - warning, whinge alert...

If it were not for the PG rating of this blog, I'd use a slightly stronger adjective. The last two weeks have been rubbish. Last week's cold and cough were just about over when the tooth from hell started to appear. Alice has already grown one molar, which involved three nights of broken sleep (perhaps one wake-up around 9.30 and some grumbling during the night) and a daily application of the secret magic gel from the Paddington (al)chemist. [I think that I have written before of the way that this product is produced from a hidey hole behind the counter while the pharmacist rubs his hands together and all but mumbles, "hubble bubble"]. But this tooth - well, it would take the biscuit if she had eaten anything at all in the last two days. Poor Alice - she has spent most of her days since Sunday, lying on one of us, moaning quietly. By day. By night, the moans rise to hysterical screams, calmed only by Baby Nurofen. If we are lucky. She's running a fever, her nose is streaming and she has a bit of nappy rash to boot. To you, Robin Barker, author of "Baby Love" who says that teething has no side effects, I say "pah" and to you, Gina Ford, who affords it not one entry in "The Complete Toddler Years", I say "Incomplete".

I know that we just have to get through this, but oh, how I wish it were over. I now have her cold from last week so we are feeling generally low. Stu is a champ and is sleeping in with her, but her screams are enough to wake the entire appartment block and probably do.

In other news, on the rainy day in between things to complain about, Stu needed to work so Alice and I needed to make ourselves scarce. Inspired by Madison's love of fish, we set off for Sydney Aquarium. Alice had a "ripper" of a time - it was how I imagine she would be at a dog show. Each time we got to a different fish tank, she pumped her arms and legs in mad excitement. "Fssssshhhhhh" was declared loudly, as she pointed in all directions. The underwater walkways with sharks, stingray and dugongs were places of wonder and she was completely beside herself. Nextdoor, at Wildlife World, we touched a snake, which was very exciting, as we have been learning that they say, "sssssss". Alice regaled the crowd with her impression of this: "ssshhhhhhhhhhh", she said, with one finger over her lips and stuck up her nose.

We bought an annual pass and will be going most weekends in winter, I would think.