The whole family has just survived four days in Sydney, during which I spent a couple of nights inteviewing gaming machine players for my research. We included a visit to Pa's house on the Central Coast. Zoe was very upset on the flight there, and nothing we did managed to console her for more than a minute. I'm annoyed with myself for not feeding her - I'm still breastfeeding - because I was embarassed about the man I was sitting next to. Now that Zoe's little older [14 months old], there's some open disapproval about my breastfeeding, although it is mostly expressed as concern for my wellbeing. And it comes from my family. While I might post my thoughts on that some other time, I do feel a bit anxious about how strangers perceive the whole thing.
We stayed with Great Aunty Pat at Jacksons Landing, which is one of those planned, high density industrial redevelopments, right on the harbour. This meant that there were loads of waterfront, child friendly parks and playground, all of them with pram/wheelchair access, which made getting out and about really easy. Zoe is much happier when she can explore widely, and where there are opportunites to practice her stair climbing. She also loves swings, and is happy to go back and forth for long periods of time.
The flight back was a bit easier, probably because I dosed her up with an antihistamine/decongestant shortly before we got on the plane. She is 'loaded with the cold', as Ewan would say, and we had a wakeful night the night before because of that, so I can justify doing this, to some extent. And it worked a treat. She fell asleep in my arms during take off [after charming the women who were seated all around us], and woke shortly before landing. With a dry nose and clear eyes. The irony is, I would have felt comfortable feeding her that time.
We've decided however, that even though the trip went well, I'll travel by myself for work next time, and Ewan and Zoe can stay home together. Suits me fine!
