Dear Lordy my father in law knows how to wake this pregnant bitch up on the wrong side of the bed!! So, he wakes us up by bombarding our phones with fb messages, because our phones link to the wifi so he assumes that means we're online. But that's ok, he's just excited. I let it go coz well, we have to get up n go to work and stuff anyway. Obi goes to work, I deal with the dad. Apparently he's found cheap tickets to Australia for January (Only $1900pp, so if you're thinking of coming over from Canada....) which is great, but he wanted to check and see if three weeks would be too long.

Three weeks in Oz, not too long. Stay as long as you want. Three weeks living with us in our one bedroom unit while my newborn keeps me awake all night and tests the relationship I have with my husband? You bet three weeks is too long.

In one of his "wake up and talk to me" messages he mentions if it's too long they could come for a shorter visit, or maybe go visit Melbourne for a weekend. Now, I don't want to tell them to have a shorter visit. I want them to have a relationship with their grandkid, and to spend time with Obi, who'll be working and wont get as much time with them as I will... and the tickets aren't cheap, you want to make the most of them. But I'm also not stupid enough to think one weekend out of three weeks is going to make everything bearable. So I was honest I'm like "If you stay here in this tiny unit with us for three weeks, someone will wind up dead." I have no delusions. I'm not a nice person if I'm not sleeping properly. I don't like mess, I don't like sharing my space for extended periods, and I most of all don't like cheap arses who complain constantly (and they did last time, so I can't imagine this time will be better.) The whinging drives me mental.

I was very clear. Three weeks is a no. I don't think I could be clearer without being nasty. Anyway, I offered a counter suggestion - there's a pub with rooms across the road. They could stay here with me the first and third week and sleep over the road for the second. They'd still be eating most meals here, but at least they'd go home at night and give me some peace. And pub rooms are pretty cheap generally. Under $100 a night, it's just a room with a bed. There's a shared bathroom. It's not the ritz, but you don't get quality if you don't pay for it.

He also spoke about staying again at the place they stayed last time - which was through wimdoo (sp) basically a couchsurfing thing, but you pay a fee, and you choose how much space you want. You sleep on the lounge, it's cheap, you want a room, you pay a little more. That kind of thing. And then he's like "but that was really expensive".

Ugh, no it freaking wasn't. Everything is expensive to this guy if it's not free. They saved over a grand staying with this random dude rather than at a hotel, but he doesn't see that. He sees that they spent money he could have saved by staying with us - only last time we didn't have our own place. So I'm like "Your idea of expensive and mine obviously differ greatly. This is Sydney." Space is at a premium. Everyone wants a bit of space in the city. I pay $360 per week for my bit of space!!

They are going on about coming over and helping with the baby, but dear Gods, please tell me how taking over my tiny living area, eating my food, and being in my face for three weeks is helping anything? If I qualify for government parental leave at least it wont be a burden financially, but we have no guarantee of that and I'm not eligible for maternity leave through my work. So, if there's four adults relying on Obi's pay cheque, that's going to be pretty stressful just to start with. Then there's the fact that these people are not clean people. I have lived with them a few times. Mom's attitude is "life's too short to spend it cleaning" and the dad thinks housework stops when the dishwasher is loaded. PS: I don't own a dishwasher.

You know what new mothers actually want/need? Not someone who says "I'll look after your baby so you can get the house clean" but someone who helps out instead with "Why don't you go bond with your baby while I do your dishes for you?/Make you dinner?" Don't take her child off her hands, take her workload down a bit.

Sorry for the long rant. I'm just frustrated. I feel like I've been walked on with this. We skyped with them for Obi's birthday and he told them then that this place isn't really big enough. They are family, we wont turn them away no matter how much it costs us (personally/mentally or financially) but that this is not a good idea. But his dad just rolled over the statement.
Like, really? If someone makes it clear that your extended presence isn't welcome, why would you impose upon them so forcefully?

Obi reckons he's going to make a list of house rules for my protection, and forcefully impress these rules upon them before they get here, so we'll see. As for me, I'll be checking out the pub over the road later today to see if it's cheap and of a high enough standard for them.

Why can't these people see that you only get what you pay for??
And why can't they respect me enough to understand "No you can't stay with us three weeks straight". I'm willing to put them up for two (which is likely going to feel like four). They will save lots of money staying with us for two weeks. Why isn't that enough?

Ok, I'll stop complaining now.
I do want to add that I miss them, and I really want to see them. I think it's great they are coming down to Oz to meet our spawn I really do. I love these people. I just wish that they weren't so cheap and selfish. I am glad however that as time passes Obi is shedding these learned traits of theirs, so at least it's not like I married his dad

The next blog will be better, something pretty exciting is happening, but I'm sworn to secrecy at this point!