Decisions, decisions

Yet another poorly worded catch up post (people, I am both a science graduate and a public servant, it's surprising that I can spell my own name).

1. The IVF appointment.

Kerching! There goes $200 before you know it...with only $60 back from Medicare*. Oh well, at least we are climbing back up towards that safety net at the speed of light. I digress.

Hubs and I met with our doc at his swish new offices (with disturbingly sperm shaped door handles, or maybe that was just me). It's a fairly straight forward process for us to launch into operation make baby #2:-

• a couple of blood tests (you know, to check that neither of us has developed a sudden penchant for sharing needles with people infected with nasty type diseases); and
• date with a cup for my boy (surprisingly he declined the offer of doing it straight after our appointment, even though our doc told him they now had slightly better facilities than the disabled toilet they used to provide. Nice.)

Then it's simply pick a date and book the follow up appointment to go ahead. Thanks to the Pill I don't have to faff around with waiting to ovulate. I can start snorting and shooting up the appropriate drugs straight after appointment number 2. Extra thanks to hubby signing for his rights away, I can start whenever I want without him there. Tomorrow sounds good. Seriously...June is looking about right at this stage.

2. Sleeep baby sleeep

The poo monkey must have caught onto our plans, as the night before our appointment we all slept for a total of about two hours, thereby causing hubs and I to question the sanity of our plan. Poor girl, think she had a bit of a reaction to her needles. Coupled with teething and trying so hard to stand up without pulling up (go figure) and we've had one narky sleepless girl for the last week or so. Good thing is, this seems to have settled. Well it better have or it's Phenergan for you my sweet.**

3. (No) choice feminism

So a debate has been raging in the intelligent mummy types blogosphere about the writings of one Linda Hirschman. More eloquent discussion of the issue than what you are about to read can be found here and here.

Sigh. Seems our learned friend does not see the irony of replacing a father knows best/it's your biological destiny patriarchy with right wing economic rationalism under the guise of feminism.

We get it. Us educated white middle class females should be using our degrees for the purpose for which they were intended, ie in the marketplace to make someone else lots of money and/or to help a politician or two dodge their responsibilities. Ladies, of course the market demands that your peak career years should coincide with your child bearing and rearing years! We want a return on your tax payer funded education and we want it NOW**. Of course there is no room to consider a system which might allow women to return to the workforce and work their way up at a later date. You can't be a ladder climber at 50...what would the shareholders think after seeing your picture in the company report. You might have wrinkles!

Oh yeah...and someone else can do all the domestic work...that can fall to women further down the chain. And for next to no money. But why worry about the inequity of that scenario?.

As for that nasty childrearing stuff...who could possibly have feelings and/or want to show any interest in the upbringing of the next generation of human type creatures? They are of no importance or interest at all to the few white males who dominate our market economy until the kiddies are earning dollars that can be spent on stuff. Toe the line you irresponsible parents. We don't want to know how you raise the next generation of consumers. Just do it out of sight and mind. And don't pester us for any monetary or hands on assistance OK?

Of course rather than get our menfolk to lower themselves into a true share of domestic and childrearing responsibilities, ie the stuff that makes society function and the very work traditionally undertaken by women...let's simply further denigrate these minor 'tasks'. That way men can be reassured that all along their work was more important and screw the health and well being of the kiddies. If the little buggers get sick, depressed and obese, well hey, that's not my responsibility.

For fuck's sake.

* This will only make sense to Australian readers. Can't be stuffed explaining it to my non existent OS audience.

** Yeah right, I think our girl has had about three doses of Panadol in her entire life.

** Ummm...of course this does not apply to any male who may be retraining in his 40s. In our brave new economy you suck too...just for different reasons. Like not being in the wrong place at the wrong time when the axe fell on your job. You tosser.