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WE STRETCHED IT seven months but Caitlin is out on her own in the big, bad [child-minded] world. Her bag was packed, this morning, with several nappies, a blue monkey and two tubes of teething gel.
Cat is back in work and found it tough when putting our daughter to bed last night. Now, the schedule becomes a juggle with my mother on the speed-dial if a working day stretches too long or an additional shift crops up.
I have had more than six months of enjoying full days in Cailtlin’s presence to catching a fleeting glimpse before or after work. It will take Cat some getting used to. Add on the full delivery term and those two have been close to inseparable for almost a year and a half.
While Caitlin will see less of her mother in the coming months, I will have to start fending for myself again and re-embracing housework. I have to admit, while my wife was at home, I occasionally — weeks on end — lapsed into Don Draper mode.
Dinners were often made and the house was in great shape. D.I.Y jobs that I D.I.didn’t were checked off the list too as I languished in a 1950s-esque comfort zone. As part of her first week back in work, Cat has decided to go on house-work strike. I am being re-trained but distractions [like this column] are easy to find.
Before Cat headed back to the jobbing world, we had the opportunity to get away to the south of England on holidays. The idea was to get away from Ireland but not too far and without flying. We sorted out a camper van, had a rainy night in Rosslare and set off at 7am the next morning. The destination was St Ives in Cornwall.
When planning the trip, we were guilty of thinking as our former selves. Google Maps told us our post-ferry drive would be five hours. It turned out to be closer to eight. We knew there would be a feed or two along the way but Caitlin was often more interested in escaping her baby-seat shackles than having her bottle. Camper vans do not go 100mph too. We were shattered after the trip and felt like parents that had pushed our luck. Fish and chips tastes better than guilt so I volunteered to go scouting as Cat kicked off the peace negotiations.
Once we got settled, we enjoyed a fantastic 10 days away. The good weather helped but the time we spent together was great for Caitlin and she really flourished because of it. I swear she developed more in those days than she had in a month before but perhaps it is because I just took the time out to notice. She’s a little gem and already has the hang of peek-a-boo.
The first set of choppers are on their way and causing the odd restless night. Foreboding words had used primed for red-light emergencies but they proved false alarms. Murmurings under the surface. It is more of a gradual process and there have not been too many night and day-time screaming sessions but we think we are ready for the levee’s break. Caitlin already responds to the sight of teething gel with a glint in her eyes — ‘This’ll help’.
The strengthening of the gums and echoes of teeth have coincided with the ebbing move to solids to go with all that delicious milk. Cat is a sponge for other methods from friends, neighbours and work colleagues when it comes to what may work best. We are dabbling with baby-led weaning. Orange wedges are handy as they have a natural holder but bananas and kiwis are pure carnage. Having Caitlin eat whilst we are certainly encourages her.
Caitlin has mastered her ‘A’s’ and has moved on to the letter B. It has led to many BBbbbs, a sprinkling of Bbaaas and we were even treated to Baba a few times. As tempting as it was to get excited about our word-dropping wunderkind, I have to raise the question. Does she need to know what a Baba is for it to count or is the fact that she said it enough to celebrate?
The champagne is on ice.
@patmccarry is sports reporter and rugby correspondent for TheScore.ie. Playwright of shows that have appeared at Vicar Street, Electric Picnic, Bulmers Comedy Festival and New Zealand Comedy Festival. He is a Dubliner, living in Kildare. Happily married for 18 months and counting.
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Since their biased coverage of the Household Charge I’ll never trust them.
The only high standards RTE have relate to their pay………
Well said Kieran. Not that we needed evidence that RTE is a mouthpiece for government propaganda but we saw it on film last Saturday last! Talk about staged.
Several Fine Gaelers decide to walk through us the protesters? Followed by a TV crew? Do they think we’re stupid? They obviously do!
Their coverage throughout the campaign shows them to be a mouthpiece for government propaganda.
Prime Time Investigates had some very good programmes over the years, both informative and shocking at the same time. It will be sad to see it go after a dodgy run. I can’t watch any of those investigative journalism programmes on TV3.
Lots of face saving shuffling about – one retired early, one moved sideways – and what happened to the lousy reporter? Sounds like someone needs to do some investigative reporting on RTE with the culture of ‘we’re always right’ and the sense of entitlement to huge salaries. Time to privatise RTE – let the station sink or swim and do away with the licence fees – let commercial pressures rule!
Totally agree Niall! We can’t afford this hierarchy anymore! Let them live in the real world! I’d give them about six months!!
Was it hubris or ineptitude that allowed “Mission to Prey” and the fake tweet to be broadcast? It’s terrible that RTE’s reputation for excellent current affairs and documentaries could be left in tatters over 2 events that should never have made it to air.
So sorry to see Mr ‘fairness’ Ken O Shea leave his position in RTĖ. Isn’t it amazing how the wheel turns? Only gripe I have is that he and his cronies got away lightly. He still has a job although it is clear to all of us that he and the so called journalists were not up to standard. Face saving exercise……..
You can say that again :)
Anyone I have spoken to is of the opinion that RTE is a dinosaur of a broadcaster.
Especially with the mega choice of channels on satellite tv.
And what really bugs me is the fact that we still have to pay a tv licence.
I am additionally paying SKY TV approx. 45 Euro per month for their services.(which is fine).
Surely the buck stops with Noel Curren?
Unfortunately, it’s not just a question of two rogue broadcasts, as Mr Curran would have us believe. Remember, the only reasons that the Mission to Prey scandal was uncovered, were a combination of a courageous decision by Fr Reynolds to fight the allegation when he was being advised to lie down and die, a generous legal team, unexpected financial support, the incontavertible evidence of a negative paternity test and a good legal judgement. How many have been misrepresented in the past with no recourse?
t is blatantly obvious that RTE are consistently biased and prejudiced against the Catholic Church, and have been for many years. If they were concerned for the safety and welfare of our children in the area of child sexual abuse why do they persist in representing only those ( a very small minority) that have occurred in the Catholic Church rather than the real picture of child abuse in Ireland. I have yet to hear RTE report of the dangers of sexual abuse to children in their own home which stands over a staggering 90% of cases.Obviously RTE have an agenda against the Catholic Church and that is blatantly displayed in the derogatory and despicable way they treat the religion of the majority of the people in this country. While I deplore child sexual abuse in any sector of our community , however RTE staff wages are paid mainly by Catholic license holders, and we deserve to be treated with a less biased and prejudiced view on our Church.. Just because this man wore a Roman collar you decided to put the boot in as usual, just reflect on the fact if for whatever reason he had been unable to clear his name would you be apologizing now. How about doing a programme about all the good work he has done in Africa, (and other good priests here in Ireland also, like Fr. Brian McVerry and hundreds of other priests) sacrificing their lives for others, that might sound too charitable for RTE to do. You should be ashamed of your deplorable treatment of the Catholic Church, even if only in the interest of justice and decency.
It is blatantly obvious that RTE are consistently biased and prejudiced against the Catholic Church, and have been for many years. If they were concerned for the safety and welfare of our children in the area of child sexual abuse why do they persist in representing only those ( a very small minority) that have occurred in the Catholic Church rather than the real picture of child abuse in Ireland. I have yet to hear RTE report of the dangers of sexual abuse to children in their own home which stands over a staggering 90% of cases.Obviously RTE have an agenda against the Catholic Church and that is blatantly displayed in the derogatory and despicable way they treat the religion of the majority of the people in this country. While I deplore child sexual abuse in any sector of our community , however RTE staff wages are paid mainly by Catholic license holders, and we deserve to be treated with a less biased and prejudiced view on our Church.. Just because this man wore a Roman collar you decided to put the boot in as usual, just reflect on the fact if for whatever reason he had been unable to clear his name would you be apologizing now. How about doing a programme about all the good work he has done in Africa, (or even all our other good priests here in Ireland do, like Fr. Brian McVerry and hundreds of other priests) sacrificing their lives for others, that might sound too charitable for RTE to do. You should be ashamed of your deplorable treatment of the Catholic Church, even if only in the interest of justice and decency.
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