Me and My Mole

Friday

For anyone not interested in reading about some fairly sensitive medical issues, skip today's blog. Sherry gave it some thought and realized that reading other people's blogs about this sort of thing helped her cope with it, so she'd like to return the favor.

First, a little background information that some of you may or may not know. We found out we were pregnant back in March, and although it was completely unplanned, we were obviously very excited. Sherry was constantly nauseated and experienced a lot of back and pelvic pain, but since no two pregnancies are alike, she chalked it up to that. She also felt like her abdomen was bigger than it should've been for how far along she was, but since you show earlier with your second pregnancy, she was not too concerned.

The concern came when she began spotting at around 7 weeks along. She saw a midwife, since in New Zealand you only see an obstetrician if there is a major problem or high risk pregnancy, and had an ultrasound which showed a 7 week, 1 day fetus with a strong heartbeat. There was no evidence of hemorrhage around the sac. We were thrilled!

First ultrasound was reassuring

The brownish spotting resolved after a couple of days and Sherry stopped worrying. Then, with no warning, she awoke one morning three weeks later to find frank bright red bleeding. A second ultrasound was done emergently, and confirmed fetal demise. She'd had a "missed miscarriage," which simply means that she'd miscarried but the conception products were still in the womb. So, we began the waiting game. The midwife felt it would likely pass in a few days, but warned it may take up to two weeks. At the two week mark with nothing happening, she urged Sherry to "hang in there" and to keep waiting. After a month, Sherry decided to get a second opinion, especially since her pregnancy symptoms were still present for the most part, and her abdomen continued getting larger.

The obstetrician immediately did blood work and repeated an ultrasound, which again confirmed fetal demise and missed miscarriage. The Beta-HCG (i.e. pregnancy hormone) level came back alarmingly high for a woman who'd miscarried a month prior, and we were referred to Tauranga Hospital for a D & C. While discussing the surgical procedure that would remove the miscarriage, we were counseled for the first time on molar pregnancy. If this were indeed a molar event, the thought was that it was a partial molar pregnancy, since we had seen a live fetus previously. A molar pregnancy results in no fetus, only molar tissue. A partial molar event is when there is a live but genetically abnormal fetus, coupled with abnormal placental tissue that grows rapidly, and is essentially a tumor. It continues producing hormones, even after the fetus dies, and your body still thinks it is pregnant. Meanwhile, the placenta forms grape-like vesicles, or tumors and continues to enlarge. There is a risk of the tissue growing back, even after the D & C. If this occurs, they repeat the D & C. If it grows back a third time, they treat the woman with a mild course of chemotherapy, as the tumors are part of the spectrum of choriocarcinoma, and can spread to other parts of the body if not aggressively treated.

See Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molar_pregnancy

The D & C went off without a hitch on May 13th. The nearly five weeks Sherry spent waiting were emotionally draining. Just looking down at her swollen tummy was a constant painful reminder of what had happened. She was relieved to have the surgery, and get some closure!

All seemed well afterward. The histology reports confirmed partial molar pregnancy, and Sherry has to get her Beta-HCG level drawn weekly for 8 weeks, then monthly for six months. Her first two levels had dropped drastically, and she was feeling good going to her two week checkup knowing this. Yesterday was her two week checkup, but there was a little bump in the road.

About an hour before her appointment, Sherry was killing time in Tauranga running errands in the shopping center near the hospital when she started bleeding heavily. It was absolutely running out of her! When she got to the hospital, she'd soaked through her clothes and was fairly freaking out. The O&G Registrar (a rough equivalent of an OB-GYN resident) who examined her immediately admitted her to the surgical unit for D & C, but wanted an ultrasound scan first.

Sherry giving her thumbs a workout as she waits for her ultrasound

Karla picked up Mark and brought him to the hospital, and agreed to pick up Ro from school and take him back to her house. Meanwhile, once on bedrest for a couple of hours pending the scan, Sherry's bleeding tapered off and she relaxed a little. The scan showed retained products, which meant that either they didn't get it all out last time, or the tumor-like tissue had tried to grow back. Sherry's procedure was going to be delayed for an open operating theatre slot, so she decided to go home and come back this morning rather than stay overnight in the hospital.

The second D & C was quite painful afterward. According to the surgeon, they were more aggressive on the curettage in order to get all of the rogue tissue, and due to the bleeding incurred, they administered two doses of pitocin to make the uterus contract and stop bleeding. Sherry awoke feeling like there were fish hooks in her ovaries and cervix, and every 30 seconds someone was trying to yank them out of her. The first surgery was just not painful at all, so this intense soreness and contractions to boot was a surprise. The pain medicines they were giving her didn't help much; the morphine was just making her goofy. Fortunately, the Buscopan (an anti-spasmodic usually used for bowel problems) they finally gave her made her comfortable enough that she could go home this evening. She didn't want Ro to see her in pain, so she had Mark keep him away from the hospital after school until she was ready to be picked up.

Mark took Ro to Memorial Park to kill some time while Sherry recuperated

Ro and Humpty Dumpty, waiting for Sherry's text-message to give the all-clear



Ro making like a monkey

This was an exhausting week for all of us, with Mark and Ro sick, and we were all glad to get it over with. We are now looking forward to hanging out at home this weekend, doing nothing, and just being together and getting each other well.

Sunset in Mount Maunganui, right outside the liquor store

Rough Night in the Hill Home

Tuesday, May 27, 2009

Last night was quite bad for all of us here in the Hill home. Mark, after his long day yesterday plus the beginnings of a bad laryngitis, opened his e-mail to find trouble lurking with an upcoming trip we have planned to Australia. Getting to and from Darwin for his Emergency Medical conference in late June was a hassle in planning to begin with, as flights in and out of there are few and far between on the daily schedule. Plus, our stopover in Sydney to see the Opera House at the end of the conference took some time putting together as well. After he'd spent hours online Saturday night making arrangements (spurred on by the fact that we thought Sherry's wallet was lost and we might have to cancel a credit card), he received an e-mail Sunday evening stating that two of our Air New Zealand flights had been cancelled. Turns out, he had to stay up Monday night until midnight to call Expedia (making it 8 am Monday morning US time) just to sort things out.

While Mark spent the next hour or so on the phone, knowing he had to get right back up at 6 am and repeat another long day in the ED, Ronan started to whimper around half past midnight, unable to breathe through his stuffy nose. Sherry entered his room, armed for battle. She'd fought this war before, so she employed the usual weapons of good old Vick's VapoRub and saline spray, helped Ro blow his nose, and gave him water for his nasty coughing. She propped him up on two pillows (oh, for that humidifier back home right about now), and got him to return to sleep, albeit fitful. Ro reminded her of a dreaming puppy, with his hands and feet moving as he alternately coughed or sniffled. Around 3 am, Sherry awoke beside a wet and crying, shivering Ronan. All that water he'd downed for the coughing fit earlier had to come out. Ooops. He was also burning up with fever of 102, complaining of a head and stomachache. And then, the nasty coughing.

After a bed change, medicating and cleaning up Ro, and taking a soy milk and banana break in the kitchen, Sherry settled Ro back down with a cold cloth on his forehead for his headache. He fell asleep finally around 5 or 5:30 am holding the cloth over his eyes and forehead. And then he slept...big time.

Mark woke Sherry up at 7 as he was getting ready for work. At 7:30, Ro was still out, and rather than wake him, Sherry sent Mark on to work and called Ro out for school. At 10 am Ro was still sleeping. Sherry phoned the clinic where her doctor was (conveniently located two blocks from The Anchorage) to see if they could squeeze in Ro. At 10:35, Ro finally woke up, and Sherry hustled to get him to the clinic for their 11 am appointment.

Ro immediately engaged Dr. Strider, a kindly Kiwi chap who loved Ronan's "accent", and indulged every question Ro had about a spine model on the desk demonstrating a bulging disc. Ro had wheezes and crackles in his left lower lobe, and with his pneumonia history this past January and fever spike last night, Ro left with a script for Augmentin. He used his best charms to try and get Dr. Strider to give him the spine model, but alas, left with only a hearty chuckle from the Doctor and the script.

He spent the rest of the day lying around watching Scooby Doo or playing his ABC games on the computer. That is, until Mark came home. Then, Ro suddenly sprung to life, begging, "Daddy let's wrestle!" After dinner, Mark worked on the computer and Sherry and Ro watched the weekly anticipated viewing of Man vs Wild. We are happy to report that everybody slept well Tuesday night. Ahhhh.

Yes, You Can Get Sick in Paradise

Monday, May 25, 2009

Mark headed back to work on Monday while Sherry packed Ronan off for school and went for a run around the Mount sans Karla and Theresa, who couldn't make it. Because we were gone all weekend, and because her "big clean" day is traditionally Monday, Sherry set about cleaning the apartment. After catching up laundry and changing bedsheets, and when everything was fresh and sparkling, she set out to the corner butcher to get dinner (T-bone steaks). After, she stopped by the Bin Inn for some staples. The Bin is a lovely little shop that sells bulk items in "bins", hence the name. You can get your foodstuffs from baking and spices to sauces and oils in bulk, as well as a large assortment of dried fruits. They have all washing and cleaning supplies in bulk as well. Perhaps the most tantalizing set of bins is the "lolly" or candy bins. Sherry even found Mark some Hokey Pokey candy, and purchased a few marshmallow dots for Ro. Sherry's getting a lot better at baking as she gets used to our oven's fickle nature; the apple pie she baked last week was delicious, and the melt-in-your-mouth Hokey Pokey Muffins she made today should sustain Mark at work for the rest of the week.

See link: http://www.bininn.co.nz/

Sherry's favorite shopping strip on Maunganui Rd, across from Coronation Park

What makes America great also works for mothers in NZ

Ronan had started coughing a little on Sunday, and when Sherry picked him up from school, his teacher said he'd been very "low energy" today. Although Ro was running around the room with his mates and full of smiles for mum, when he coughed it sounded much worse. The teacher said that he had done nothing but cough since afternoon tea and playtime, but that he'd been acting fine, just a little tired. Ronan's class has their own blog on the Mount Primary website, and the link is below if you'd like to check out Ro's artwork and school experiences. There is a cute link now with video of the kids singing the alphabet sounds, and although Ro is front and center, he often stops to stare at the video camera. It's quite cute.

See link: http://mountroom13.blogspot.com/

Mark came home from work looking a bit dogged as well, with a hoarse raspy voice and sore throat. Additionally, a new group of juniors had started this week in the ED, making things a little more laborious for him at work. Finally, the hospital was busting at the seams and almost busier than he'd ever seen it, so he was, in a word, done.

Sherry made tea with Manuka honey and lemon for both of her guys after dinner, and as for her, took an extra dose of vitamin C. We've easily drunk more tea since we've been here than in our entire lives in the States. We've got at least a half dozen boxes of different kinds of tea bags in the kitchen, and everybody in NZ seems to have an electric kettle on their kitchen counter that'll boil water in about 30 seconds. Most of them take it with milk, like coffee, something we haven't really gotten used to although it doesn't taste half bad.

The Reprieve

Sunday, May 24, 2009

We called the luge last night when we realized Sherry had left her wallet, but they were already closed. We crossed our fingers, hoping someone would turn it in. We called first thing in the morning, no luck. Sherry told them all the places it might have been, and they called us back within an hour...they found it in the cafe where we had eaten lunch! She must have forgotten to put it back in her purse when she paid for her chai tea at the espresso bar. She also got another reprieve late last night; the Bulls beat the Crusaders in Pretoria, so no home game for the Chiefs in the Super 14 final.

We wanted to see one of the animal parks in Rotorua as long as we had to go down there again, or even hit the luge a few more times, but it rained pretty hard all day. After swinging by to pick up the wallet, we headed for the Rotorua Museum of Art & History for a little indoor diversion. The Museum is one of the most recognizable buildings in NZ, and has gone through multiple incarnations, including a bath house, restaurant, nightclub, and now a museum and art gallery.

Ro & Sherry sheltering from the rain at the museum entrance

Ro overlooking the soggy Government Gardens

Ro finds the old bather funny-looking

An old mineral bath menu

Much of the history detailed in the museum concerned the eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886, and we started our tour with a movie complete with motorized seats to simulate the earthquakes that preceded the eruption. The world-famous Pink and White Terraces were obliterated by the blast, and approximately 120 people died. There are several Maori legends concerning the mountain and the eruption itself, not the least of which was the supposed sighting of a ghost war canoe seen on the lake as a warning of impending disaster.

See link: http://www.rotoruamuseum.co.nz/

View of snow-capped Mount Tarawera yesterday at the luge

Ro in the old bath house

Ro was scared of this boiler. The fire monster under the mountain came out of it in the movie

Sherry secretly praying Ro will keep his hands off the ceramic art

Downhill Racers

Saturday, May 23, 2009

We got home late last night from the Chiefs game, and had to be up bright and early for Ro's rugby game this morning, so we were all dragging pre-coffee. Ro's friend MJ is now on his rugby team, too, so Sherry and Karla chatted during the game. Each game, Ro is getting gradually better as far as doing what he's supposed to do, but the progress is s-l-o-w going. He had a great run today and nearly got a try, but stepped on the touch line (the sideline). From the look on his face, he may have thought the touch line was the goal line, since the goalposts are on it. The little kids only play on a half-field, and their goal lines would be the touch lines of the regular-size field.

Sherry's finally feeling better after being sick for a while, so we got out of town again today. She'd never been luging before, so we headed for Rotorua. As much fun as Mark and Ro have had luging in the past, it's waaayyy more fun when you're racing somebody. We got to ride the Advanced track for the first time, too, which is so fast it's almost scary. Fortunately, the turns are banked much higher so you don't fly off the track and kill yourself. No kids or tandem riders allowed on it, though.

Note Ro's Dermabonded eyebrow from earlier in the week. The bath faucet won that encounter

Ro started out the day riding with Sherry on the Scenic (beginner) track, so he could "teach Mommy how to drive it." Mark gave chase from behind, and Sherry pushed him off the track when he tried to pass them, sending him careening into the dirt. Mark finally caught up and passed them near the end of the run when Sherry got backed up behind some slow-pokes, and boy was Ro steamed when they got to the bottom! We're not sure who he was more mad at...Mark for "cheating" (Ro's word), or Sherry for letting Mark by!

Ro pissed about getting passed

The Hills riding the chairlift between luge runs

Sherry & Ro flying down the Intermediate track

Our other notable race had Mark & Ro trying to catch Sherry on the Intermediate track. By this time, Sherry was an old pro, growing more confident with handling the luge at high speed, having just finished a solo run on the Advanced track. Mark & Ro tried passing her unsuccessfully a couple of times, eating the wall at one point. But, Mark knew the track like the back of his hand and knew just how hard he could push it in the curves without flipping, so he finally caught up to her on the last big speed hill. Sherry thought Mark was trying to pass her on the right, so she moved over to cut him off, but then he & Ro ducked around to her left. Like NASCAR drivers trading paint, we were side-by-side down the hill, bumping each other at full speed (which, of course, is forbidden). Unfortunately, the track narrows at the bottom of the hill and it only becomes wide enough for one luge, so in addition to bumping each other we were soon each bumping the walls. Sherry admits her maternal instinct took over at this point, and while she wouldn't have hesitated to put Mark in the dirt again if it were just him, she couldn't live with herself if she hurt Ronan, so she let Mark squeak in front of her, much to Ro's delight. After that, Ro refused to ride with Sherry because "Daddy goes faster."

Sherry showing off her new sheepskin boots

We stayed at the luge until sunset, at which point it was becoming quite chilly, especially on the chairlift back up the mountain. Calling it a day, we headed down on the gondolas. In the building at the bottom, the staff had set up a portable heater (central heat is practically non-existent in NZ), like the jet-engine looking ones you see on NFL sidelines. This was nirvana to Sherry, who was chilled to the bone, and she promptly parked herself in front of it. On the way home we called ahead for takeaway from Hell Pizza. Like BurgerFuel, Mark had gotten turned onto it from the nurses at work. Easily the best pizza we've had here! Unfortunately, when we stopped to pick up the order, Sherry realized she had lost her wallet somewhere at the luge! D'oh!

See link: https://hellpizza.co.nz/

Lake Rotorua at dusk

Ro enjoying a lolly and cuddling with Sherry on the ride down

Ro clowns around while Sherry warms her tush

Playoff Rugby!

Friday, May 22, 2009

The Waikato Chiefs finished the regular season in 2nd place, so they hosted one of the two Super 14 Semi-Final games tonight. We all set off for Hamilton as soon as Mark got home from work; fortunately, Ro napped on the way. It had rained hard before the game, so our seats were all wet, but the showers stayed away during the match. A couple of parachutists swooped into the stadium before the game, including the mascot, Little Chief. Then the fireworks shot off and Ro really started getting excited. We were sitting in the kids section again, but much closer to the field, which kept Ro more engaged in the game.

Ro seriously contemplates jumping in the mud puddle

Chiefs players warming up before the game; see their breath?

Little Chief dropping into Waikato Stadium

We bought Ro a Chiefs flag and he waved it with enthusiasm, joining in the chants and booing the opposition's mascot. He even made up a few chants of his own ("Yay cheerleaders!"). Sherry caught one of the freebies that they were tossing into the crowd, an inflatable Kotiate (a type of Maori war club) which Ro enjoyed banging against his flag.

Ro excitedly wielding his Kotiate

Ro chatting up some painted birds at halftime

In attendance was another sold-out crowd of 25K, and the visiting Hurricanes (the 3rd seed) who we beat a fortnight ago had plenty of fans who made the trip up from Wellington, so there were always cheers regardless of what was happening on the field. Tonight was a good deal colder than last time, but Sherry came prepared with her scarf and new sheepskin boots (sort of a NZ version of UGGs). Even so, she needed to spend the first fifteen minutes of the second half in line for coffee. The game was a tight one. The Hurricanes drew first blood, but the Chiefs scored a try shortly afterwards to knot the score 7-7 at halftime. In the second half, Chiefs captain (and All Black star) Mils Muliaina scored on a breakaway to put us ahead for good. The Hurricanes scored a penalty kick (3 points) to heighten the drama, but a solid goal line stand by the Chiefs in pea-soup fog at the end of the game sealed the 14-10 win. Ro was ecstatic at the end-of-game fireworks, and the crowd was rocking. Should the 4th seed Crusaders (the defending champs) upset the top-seeded Bulls (the '07 champs) in South Africa tomorrow night, the final will be played next week here in Hamilton! Otherwise, the Chiefs will have to travel to Pretoria to win their first-ever Super 14 title. Sherry actually enjoyed the game; she says she liked it better than American football, but wants to wait for a warm summer day before she attends her next pro rugby game, so she's rooting for the Bulls tomorrow! She forgot how much of a difference beer and youthful exuberance made in her tolerance of those chilly college football games at ECU...lol.

Can you spot the players?

"Fireworks, mama! Fireworks!"

Ways to Keep Warm

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Remember "field day" in elementary school? Well, today was "cross-country" day at Ro's school. Every kid in the school walked over to Blake Park for a big race. The first-years went first, followed by each successive grade. Ro and MJ seemed to be more concerned with horsing around while running the race than actually winning it, but they had a good time. Sherry and Karla hung around to watch Tori finish her race, then headed for Mount Maunganui for their usual morning walk around the circuit trail. Afterwards, they hit the shops down in Papamoa Beach where Sherry picked Ro up some new shoes.

Ro heading for the finish line

While coming home from a morning walk around The Mount earlier this week, Sherry, Karla, and friend Theresa noticed a barbecue grill at Pilot Bay that they hadn't noticed before. One thing led to another, and they decided to have a cook-out today. As luck would have it, today was probably the coldest, windiest day so far this autumn. The kids didn't seem to care, and the ladies were bundled up in jackets and scarves, drinking wine to keep warm. The hot steaks, sausages, and grilled veggies never tasted so good.

Karla & Sherry grilling up a mean feast

MJ, Ro & Tori playing with a rowboat at Pilot Bay

Kite surfer with Mt Maunganui wharfs in the background

MJ, Tori, & Ro enjoying a blustery picnic

Batter Up!

Monday, May 18, 2009

There's a local variety store called Sunny's just down the street, right next to the wine store (at which we're club members), and they sell everything from hardware to bath products to toys to boogie boards...sort of like a Wal-Mart in a twentieth of the space. Sherry picked up a tee-ball set for Ro there a few days ago, and he's really taken to hitting the ball sans tee. Today we took him across the street to Coronation Park when he got home from school for a little batting and rugby practice.

Ro about to launch one

Ro & Sherry taking a break from footy (i.e. rugby)

Ro finds this Japanese monument interesting

Every Sunday morning, there's a farmer's market in downtown Mount Maunganui, which Sherry has begun to make a point of visiting every week. Much to Mark's delight, she's discovered a woman there who sells organic free-range hormone-free meat and home-made sausages. Sherry picked up some lamb sausage for Mark this week, and made spaghetti tonight with it - sort of a NZ version of Bolognese sauce, with beef sausage for her and Ro. Unfortunately, she didn't realize the lamb sausage had mint and rosemary in it. When mixed into a hearty tomato sauce, the result was, umm...interesting. After putting Ro to bed, we sat down with a bottle of wine to enjoy the season finale of the one show we can both agree on, Flight of the Conchords.

While Mark Works...

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Mark doesn't have to be in to the ED until 9am on the weekends, so he dropped Ro & Sherry off at Blake Park on his way to the hospital. Ro's rugby game went fine, but his team was a little overmatched size-wise. Sherry had to remind Ro to stay near the ball if he wanted to get it, and he seemed to do better after that, or at least was more involved in the game.

Post-game handshakes

This afternoon, Karla brought MJ over to play with Ro (Tori was at her grandparent's). They loved playing in the hot tub downstairs, while Sherry & Karla sat watching them nearby. Ro got to watch his favorite new TV show tonight, Man vs Wild on Discovery Channel. We think he just likes the idea of eating bugs, but he'll drop everything to watch it, including Morrowind and his favorite new game, Timez Attack. For any of you with kids in primary school who are learning or about to learn their multiplication tables, it's pretty addictive (if a bit repetitive in the free version). At this point, it's useful to Ro for number recognition - we call out the answers to him and he types them in. Even Mark plays it, and is up to the 9's; he claims he's just curious about how the game ends.

See link: http://www.bigbrainz.com/indexc.php

Ro making a splash

Mates chilling by the pool

To Boldly Go...

Friday, May 15, 2009

Mark has been working a lot lately, and Sherry's been under the weather, so we had a relatively quiet week. While Ro was at school today, we walked down the block to catch the matinee of the new Star Trek prequel. For those of you who haven't seen it, we highly recommend it. Although full of wink-wink, nudge-nudge self-referential moments, they're very subtly done, so even non-Trekkies should enjoy it. The acting for the most part was very good...better than we expected going in. Leonard Nimoy even makes a cameo, but alas, no Shatner.

Pilot Bay at sunset

Since Mark has to work this weekend, Sherry went to the store to stock up on groceries (we only have one car), while Mark took Ro to Pilot Bay to burn off some energy before dinner. The sun is setting much earlier now, and the chilly air left us the only ones on the beach, but Ro didn't care as he happily dug in the sand and made a raft out of driftwood.

Ahoy, cap'n!

Ro starting construction

Ro enjoying his driftwood "kayak"

Go Chiefs!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Mark got called in to work yesterday evening since two of the junior doctors called out sick, and didn't get to bed until late, so he was dragging this morning as we all set off for Ro's first official rugby game at 8am. The kids played in bare feet and shorts, while the parents were all bundled up in jackets and beanies in the crisp morning air. Rugby is a winter sport, and is played rain or shine. Ro had initially refused to wear shoes to the game, but Sherry brought his bedroom slippers to keep his feet warm until the game started, which he gratefully wore once his bare feet hit the cold, damp grass.

Halftime. Note the beer sponsor on the goalpost

For those of you not familiar with rugby, it's loosely related to American football, but it's a much more fluid game like hockey or soccer. You can only pass the ball through the air backwards, so at higher levels of rugby, there's usually a series of quick laterals as the offense tries to gain a mismatch on the wings and get around the defense. You can kick the ball forward, though, so talented kickers can essentially pass it forwards with their feet.


See link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_football


There were a couple of kids this morning who knew what they were doing and consistently ran in the right direction and only handed the ball to their own teammates, but they were definitely the exception to the rule. Ro was a little frustrated that he didn't get the ball very often; he hasn't quite made the connection between his proximity to the ballcarrier and getting the ball passed to him. When tackled (i.e. flag ripped off), the kids just turn around and hand the ball to their nearest teammate, so if you're not right there you're not going to get the ball. They all took turns starting off the offense, though, so Ro did have a nice long carry in which he evaded several defenders before the fastest opposing player ripped his flag off. There were even a few girl-power moments, unfortunately it was for the other team; they had a couple of fleet-footed Maori girls who made the defense look like it was standing still.

Ro starting off his first carry

The Mt Maunganui Stripes on offense. Apparently Ro thinks his mouthguard is a handguard

All the parents were appreciative at the end of the game that their kids had gotten sufficiently tired out, and so early in the day, too! They all still had enough energy to hit the playground afterwards, though. Sherry took the opportunity to head across the street to New World to pick up some groceries while Mark watched Ro at the park. Blake Park is one of the best athletic field complexes around, and numerous rugby teams of all ages fill it every Saturday in the winter, so it probably took Sherry longer to fight the traffic around the park to and from the store than to actually do the shopping.

Horsing around on the playground after the game

Sherry got an early Mother's Day present today, something she hasn't had the entire time we've been in NZ...an evening of quiet solitude...ahhhhhh. Mark took Ro to the Waikato Chiefs rugby match about 90 minutes away in Hamilton. First, a little about professional rugby in NZ. There are two main forms of rugby: rugby union and rugby league. There are some other variations as well, like Sevens (a fast-moving type of rugby union with seven players to a side), which is being considered for an Olympic sport. Rugby union is basically the NZ national sport; the All Blacks are the national rugby union team comprised of all the best Kiwi players from the Super 14 teams. Super 14 is comprised of five teams from NZ, four from Australia, and five from South Africa. Three of the NZ teams are based in the North Island, one in Auckland (Blues), one in Hamilton (Chiefs), and one in Wellington (Hurricanes). Each team draws its players from the semi-professional teams in assigned provinces, and the Bay of Plenty is included in the Chief's provinces, so they're basically our "local" professional team. There is also rugby league, with somewhat different rules, but all the teams in the National Rugby League are in Australia save one - the Vodafone Warriors based in Auckland. To give you an idea of how big rugby is here, of the 15 channels we get on Sky TV (basic cable), two are almost exclusively rugby, one for rugby (i.e. rugby union) and one for "league" (i.e. rugby league), with occasional cricket and golf thrown in on slow rugby days.

Mark & Ro at the Waikato Chiefs game

There are only two weeks left in the Super 14 season; the top 4 teams at the end compete for the championship, and our upstart, ne'er-do-well Chiefs have risen to a surprising second-place standing right behind the long-dominant Hurricanes. And guess who the visiting team was tonight? That's right, those very same All Black-laden Hurricanes. The match was the big story on the news, and there was a sold-out crowd of 25,000 in attendance. The skies opened up about ten minutes before kickoff and a deluge of rain came down, but it fortunately didn't last long. There was a large alcohol-free kid's section that we sat in, and Ro enjoyed the whole atmosphere, even if he isn't yet interested in the subtleties of the game. When asked what his favorite part of the game was, he replied "the fireworks!" Compared to professional sports in America, the game was a bargain...it probably cost more in gas to get there and back than the NZ$20 adult ticket and $7 kids ticket (which included a free goodie bag), about US$15 total. The Chiefs won a thriller, 16-8 with some miraculous defensive play at the very end, and the crowd was pretty wild. The Chiefs vaulted past the Hurricanes in the standings with the win and look to be in good shape to contend for their first-ever Super 14 championship.


See link: http://www.super14.com/chiefs/

Scrum!

Waikato Stadium rocking at the end of the match

Sherry, meanwhile, enjoyed a huge vat of popcorn and a couple of movies from the comfort of the couch, wrapped up in her cozy new Mother's Day robe. Even her friend Karla couldn't drag her out tonight. Sherry did, however, switch channels occasionally to check for Mark & Ro on Rugby TV.