And so I 'weight'

For the longest time I weighed no more than 51 kilos. The most I had weighed was 52 kilos. But growing a baby goes hand in hand with gaining weight. I wondered if I would because, there was a time when, no matter how much I ate, I simply could not gain weight. I always ate what I wanted and stayed the same weight, so much so that I had a pair of jeans from my high school days that fit me perfectly until I got pregnant (it is in tatters). But, I did gain weight and now weigh over 65 kilos!!!

I was surprised at how steadily I gained weight, and unlike before when the weight was distributed to regions not easily noticed by anyone but me, now it is all over. I shed my baby around three months ago, but the "baby weight" is still sticking around. Nursing my little man means I can't go on a diet, but simply cannot imagine doing that either, because I have never ever been on a diet. 

Anyhow, wondering how you go about shedding all this extra weight while eating sensibly, etc., has helped me better understand my friends who struggle with weight issues. It isn't easy, especially when people visit you with chocolate fudge cake, which, hubby can't eat because he is on a diet and can stay on it. And you simply cannot let a good cake go to waste, so...I managed to get a picture of thew last piece of the cake before devouring it. Ah well, as I always say, life is short, so...

Dare

The arrival of our offspring has forced me to take driving lessons. Most places that babies have to be taken to seem to have no access to public transport and hence the need to drive legally.

My instructor is a retired pilot who served in the Royal Airforce. We still haven't got to interesting stories about World Wars, etc., but I am sure, the rate at which I am going, we will. I am not sure whether it is his military experience, absolute confidence in himself or his students or sheer madness, but he teaches without brakes on the passenger side of the car. To most instructors their lives depend on that brake!

My independence and day trips for my baby depends on these lessons. Here's hoping both teacher and I come out unscathed, with that damned licence.

...

I was a day overdue and highly irritable when I heard the MTV/MBC station had been attacked by “armed civilians”. Interesting when you think that there are “armed” civilians walking the streets of Sri Lanka. I have been there and have fond memories, and it saddened me to think that it was vandalised or attacked, whichever word is more appropriate. While I was thankful that no one was hurt, I was angry, and the progesterone coursing through my system added fuel to the fire. I raged on about it to my poor Hubby and my Mother who is visiting to help us with the baby.

Not sure if it was the injustice against private news organisations in Sri Lanka, or MTV in particular, or perhaps it was the obstetrician working her magic on my cervix, I went into labour that night, while still ranting about how nothing would be done about the attack and how could civilians get their hands on arms without the support of some one or some people with more authority, and in Sri Lanka’s case “power”. Authority and power are not to be mixed up, not in Sri Lanka, not in the current climes.

So I went into labour as I was saying (that is a story for another time), and our boy arrived the next day. I completely forgot about the attack, which is rather unusual for me, but I would say, something like childbirth might do that to a woman’s brain. Anyway, we had been home a couple of days, and I was just beginning to feel my numb bottom and praying desperately for some sleep when Hubby asked me if I knew the editor of the Sunday Leader. I knew it had to be bad news. Why would he ask me about someone he knew nothing about, journalists from Sri Lanka don’t win the Pulitzer, they just get killed, that is recognition of quality work. The hormones still raging through me, I did not take this news well.

What the hell is going on in Sri Lanka? I tried to live in denial for the longest time by avoiding any news coming out of the country. And now…weeks later, the government is surging into the north and east and the LTTE are flying into the city bombing or crashing into buildings, whatever it may be and my son is growing, I am recovering, but my head is full of nasty memories associated with the birth of my child. I am confused, not sure what to think. I always wanted to take my offspring to Sri Lanka, a beautiful country with beautiful people…I don’t think there will be much for him to see. There certainly will be few nice people left for him to meet. They are all leaving the country, or worse still dying!