evening picnic

he

 He played with his big friends. This weather is gorgeous. Look at our pretty city.

she

She had lots of willing cuddlers for her first evening outing. And, obviously, slept the entire time.

me

Our regular Thursday dinner had some welcome extras last night!

national garage sale trail

he 

Just metres from home, the first garage sale for the day had A TODDLER-SIZED DRUM KIT! Obviously, we took it home. And a Judy Blume book. And a copy of Storm Boy.

she

She really just sleeps. Even when her brother is trying out his new drums a metre away from her. Impressive! She did wake briefly for a feed when were were right by our friend's place, so we popped in to make use of their comfy couch, change table and toys.

me

Oh how I love this annual event! Last year's suitcase rummage was wonderfully fruitful. This year we stayed local. I mapped out an easy route, incorporating 6 of the garage sales that were listed in our neighbourhood. Yes, on an index card. Yes, there was probably some clever technological way to do it. Index cards work fine. And oh yes it was wonderful. One family were even selling ice-cold homemade lemonade. Mmmmm...

new set of wheels

he

"It's a racing car but it doesn't have a spoiler on the back." 
This picture shows the work in progress. After this, it got more buttons/dials, headlights and a working stereo. Of course, once the stereo was installed, he parked the car, lay flat inside it and listened to the music for about an hour...

she

Not actually new wheels, but new for her! We bought a 2nd-hand double pram a while back, and have been making very good use of the extra storage space ever since, particularly on our weekly trips to the markets. On Sunday she persuaded us, with her cuteness, to give up the space and include her on our walk to the markets. Here's a picture of her first pram ride, she slept for the entire outing. I'm also including a picture of one of her first car rides, because I think she looks hilarious all buckled in snugly!

sushi challenge

he

Obviously, the sushi trains are far more interesting than the sushi itself.

she

Here she is enjoying her first ever sushi date.

me

Now that I can eat whatever my heart/stomach/eyes desire, we decided to use B's two weeks at home to embark on a noble quest.  We're trying ALL of the local sushi places to discover the very best. Points for tastiness, freshness, efficiency, vegetarian selection and an option for us to phone ahead with an order to pick up.

matching families

he

Three weeks apart in age.

she

Three months apart in age.

me

Friends brought dinner (and lovely company) on Friday evening. While remarking on the matching-ness of the little people, we realised that the mummies were kind of matching, too.

outside in the afternoon

he

she 

me

while in hospital

he

  

He:

- Played with his Auntie, Nanma and Pa, who lovingly cared for him for the duration.

- Visited us, read stories, ate hospital food.

she 

 

  

She:

- Slept. Stretched.

- Stared and wondered.

- Met lots of special people.

- Passed all of her tests.

- Met Granny and Great One in the USA, thanks to the wonders of technology.

me

 

  

 I:
- Ate SO MUCH food that was previously forbidden!
- Cuddled.
- Fell quickly and deeply in love with my tiny one.
- Tried to tap into all of the wisdom I gained last time I had a baby. Still trying...
- Appreciated time with our visitors.
- Enjoyed the view.
- Missed my little boy.

on october 9, 2014

he

In an early demonstration of sibling rivalry, he made sure to not be outdone by his sister's mere safe transit from womb to world, and orchestrated his own picture to be on the front of the day's paper.

she

 

She's here, she's perfect. 
Born 9.14am
51cm, 3.8kg
Current skill set: an excellent snuggler, sleeps through any noise - except for her Dad's sneezes, fills her nappy regularly, can quack like a duck, looks gorgeous in any colour, has perfectly healthy blood sugar levels, stares intensely and knowingly (on rare eye-open occasions).

me

Before & After

we

spontaneous dinner outing

he

After dinner, he had such fun 'climbing' on the cliffs!

me

The day was over, dinner was made, we were about to eat, and B said "It's such a beautiful evening, let's eat at Kangaroo Point!" So we packed up the food and popped up to the cliffs to eat it. Just lovely. 

saturday & grandmothers

he

It was B's 20-year highschool reunion, so B and he spent the day in Toowoomba - first at a picnic with B's classmates, then at Nanma and Pa's place for the afternoon. Nanma recently uncovered some long-lost boxes of toys in the garage, and he spent the afternoon reminding the toys what playing is all about. Then he carefully lined them all up. I think it was his longest 'train' ever! All tuckered out, he slept in the car on the way home. Then didn't fall asleep until 10.30pm...!

me

A day trip to Toowoomba was just a little too far from the Mater hospital for my liking - less than a week until Baby Day - so I stayed home. I made the most of my rare boy-free day by having a bath, reading, working my way through a 'To Do' list and drinking tea with a few lovely friends in the back yard, using my Grandma's (and Great-Grandma's) beautiful tea cups. We ate tasty low-carb snacks, and one clever pal arrived with a freshly-baked ricotta cheesecake which, she had calculated, had just 4 grams of carbs per slice. It was the most excited I've been about eating in months!

we

The day was special from the very beginning, as we received a skype call from my Mom (his Granny) and my Grandma (his Great One) who are together in Toledo at the moment. I loved that they could join us, from the other side of the world, for breakfast! Great One turned 97 a day earlier, she's just incredible!

poang

he

Of course, he thinks that the foot-stool is his own new reading chair.

me

I went for a big morning walk, and, feeling quite exhausted as I neared home, I happened upon this ikea poang, complete with matching footstool, on the curbside. I circled it a couple of times and settled in for a few minutes of relaxing. Then, convinced that the poang and I were destined to be together (at least until I've finished with late-night breastfeeds), I called B to pop outside and help me carry it home. I wiped it down, had the covers cleaned, and now I'm sitting ever so comfortably, wondering why I didn't realise immediately that I'd have to share it.

nepal

he

  This time, he flew on a plane to Nepal with his daycare friends. He was still talking about Mt Everest when he came home in the afternoon! Although his cheesy camera smiles are kind of funny, I was pleasantly surprised to capture them as it's difficult to get anything other than his favourite 'funny face' when he knows a picture is being taken lately (you'll know it if you scroll through recent blog posts).

me

  Much like the daycare 'visit' to the USA on Monday, I also organised a Nepal morning this week. Exhausting, and ridiculous timing for me, but I did receive a stunning 'thank you' card, and I really appreciated the extra insight into his room/teachers/routines/classmates. I also enjoyed the opportunity to reminisce about my Nepal days while I was planning/preparing. 

The daycare trip to Nepal included:

- Flying on the plane and being greeted with a 'namaste', a cup of chai (milk/honey/spices) and a bindi.

- A photo slide show (mainly cute animals which I encountered during my time in Nepal, but there was at least one photo that related to each planned activity).

- Bangle-making (and trying on my authentic bangles).

- Making patterns/mandalas with dried legumes.

- Printing patterns on prayer flags (which Granny very generously sewed 15 sets of with my scrap fabric while she was here on the weekend!).

- Dress ups and dancing to Nepali/Indian music.

- Putting on backpacks, beanies and scarves and going for a 'trek' up Mt Everest!