happy birthday to you!

Hello gorgeous girl - it's your first birthday!  Well not your very first as that was last year, but the anniversary of your first year.  You had a lovely day as Nene and Pardy came to stay and you LOVED LOVED LOVED playing with them, following Pardy around, and jumping all over their bed.  You got lots of gifts and got spoilt with cards, cuddles, love and smiles from your family all day long.  After a hasty birthday cake and song minutes before bed you crashed without a peep.  Happy birthday my gorgeous little monkey.  Lotsa love xxxxx

a weekend of parties

You have been a little party girl this weekend - not your own (yet!) but two of your fellow comrades from Mothers Group.  And you had an absolute ball.  Being park parties, there was no short supply of kids, dogs, birds, swings and slides to keep you occupied.  Oh yes - and party food.  You had your first taste of fairy bread (not a fan), cupcakes (yum mum!) and even some chocolate birthday cake (the expression on your face after trying this is conclusive proof you are my daughter). All great practice for your own party next Saturday.  And at the end of a long weekend of partying you are now sleeping very very soundly, not a peep all night.

your mummy - the working woman

So this may come as a shock to you but other than being your mum I am also a qualified career woman.  I haven't been feeling that way lately, especially as I attempt to return to work in a slightly different industry after a 12 month break being Your Mum.  Jobseeking.  Selling yourself.  It's hard.  And depressing.

Tonight I met up with two friends for dinner.  We all used to work together at the same company in the city a few years ago.  It was great to see them as with all our lives so busy it's hard to make our paths cross and when they do it's usually at a celebration or function where we aren't able to have a really good chatter together.  So tonight was fun.  But more than that, it made me remember the career person I was, and quite possibly still am.  I am knowledgeable, I am smart, I am experienced.  Just not in the industry I want to be in.  So although it doesn't make the job seeking any less hard, it does make it a little less depressing remembering that I in addition to being your mum, I am also many other things, such as a valuable employee.  I just need to find the company that realises that.  Stay tuned...

to write later

xx

the sleepover

On Friday night we headed to your Grandpa and Nonna's place for a sleepover.  They were very pleased to spend some quality time with you and you loved showing off your walking skills with the aid or your walker.  You were a superstar in the sleeping department which I was thankful for as it allowed me a night to indulge in some wine and chats with your Uncle Jus and Aunty Sam.  However there were 2 downsides to the sleepover -

*  After not drinking much, if at all over the past almost 2 years, it only takes a tiny bit of wine to leave me feeling deflated the next day, so Saturday was a looooooooooooong day for me.  I could not wait to crawl into bed last night.

*  After a night with mesh sides in your portacot, you caught a few knocks when back in your cot the following night, leading to a not so superstar night of sleeping.

After napping peacefully today with no troubles, I was hopeful of an uneventful bedtime tonight.  It wasn't to be.  A few more knocks as you tried to find a comfy position led to some more crying which has become totally out of character for you lately.  But as I sit here writing this I'm pleased to say there is a nice silence now coming from your room.  I hope you've found a comfy position little one, good night xxx.

greening the balcony

We have a lovely big balcony with a fantastic view of the ocean, however since moving in here over a year ago I'm ashamed to say we haven't made much of use it.  Well, today I decided that has to change.  Mainly because it's really the size of another room and you are getting bored of the rooms available to you.  You get grumpy everytime I sit you down in the lounge area.  You look longingly outside at the birds in the sky and the green grass across the road in the park.  But since we can't spend all day every day at the park, I thought I'd bring a little park to you.  So off we went to Bunnings to 'green' the balcony.  A few pot plants, some green turf and other bits and bobs later, I think the balcony is much more Maya-friendly.  You seemed to think so to as you sat outside and played with your blocks whilst I hauled the BBQ around.

Here are the before and after pics:

The before pic - empty pots, dead shrubs, dirty dusty tiles and a balcony edge that  makes me nervous (top floor of a tall building with a concrete driveway below)

Some greenery that I hope survives the summer.  Must remember to water often!

Playpen to ensure you can't get close to the edge of the balcony and throw your toys off (it's a looooooong way down!)

the afternoon nap

Our daily routine in terms of sleeping has been this for the past few months has been: morning nap in your cot, afternoon nap in our bed laying next to me.  I love the afternoon nap for many reasons:

* I get a daily nap whether I need it or not
* I get to snuggle up with you
* I get to lay and watch you sleeping even if I'm not - surely one of the most relaxing and happy activities a mother can undertake
* I get to ignore the housework and the general untidiness of the house for at least an hour a day
* I get a break from having to do things for you (feed you, clean you, change you, entertain you), and get to just enjoy you.

However, in the past few weeks it's getting harder and harder to get you to go to sleep next to me.  You're becoming too mobile and think it's hilarious to torpedo yourself around the big mattress instead of laying still and waiting for sleep to wash over you.  Lately you also love rolling away from me, back to me, away from me, back to me, and so on.  You love practicing your verbal skills and watch me closely for a reaction.  You love taking your dummy and prodding me with it, as well as sticking your finger in my mouth, up my nose, and occasionally in my eye. It's all become a great big game for you - which is fine - except that we are getting less and less sleep during this time.  And I think you still need it.  So perhaps we may have to save the sleeping for your cot only.  I'm thinking about it... but each afternoon when it comes time for your nap I just can't bring myself to give up the shared nap.  "Just one more day" I think to myself as we head into the big bed.  We'll see what tomorrow brings...

today's pic

So ever since your Daddy went back to work after you were born, he asked me to take a photo of you each day he was at work and email it to him at some stage in the day so he didn't feel like he was missing out so much.  This has become the 'today's pic' email, which now goes out not only to your Daddy, but also to your Nene, your great grandparents Pa & Maggie, and your Aunty Hayley, who all asked to be put on the mailing list after learning about this daily task.

In the beginning it was very hard to find the time and energy to take out the camera, take the photo, upload to the computer, export into a sendable file, and attach to the email.  But I'm glad I persevered, as we have pictures of you from almost every day of your life, and in my world pictures = memories.  It's now become second-nature to me to do the whole routine, that's not the hard part.  Now the hard part of each 'today's pic' is getting you to sit still long enough to take a decent photo!  Today's wasn't so great and I was a little out of practice since I didn't send the email for the last 3 weeks when your Daddy was home.  So I'm not going to attach it here.  But I will show you some other ones from the year that I think were pretty special.  

April 19 - first swim lesson

May 26 - master of the roll

June 17 - happy to be home

August 5 - so clever standing

the holiday at home is over...

For the past three weeks we've been lucky enough to have your Daddy at home with us... not so lucky for him as it was due to recovering from a knee operation so he has been somewhat mobility-challenged.  But unfortunately tomorrow he is back at work and we will be back to our daily duo routine.  You have loved having him around and often crawl around the house until you can find him.  I have loved having him around for the extra set of eyes and hands as you become more mobile and enjoy getting into anything that looks remotely dangerous.  So thanks Daddy for all you're help over the past three weeks.  We love you and wish you were home with us all the time. xxx

festival of the winds

You've only recently started pointing at things - a big development in your communication skills.  It has led to the odd battle of the wills when I place your lovingly created breakfast in front of you which you look at with distaste before pointing at the banana in the fruit bowl and look at me expectantly.

However, breakfast battles aside, the pointing is a great new way for you to pass the day and engage me in conversation as I tell you about all the wonderful things in this world that you point out.

Today you put this pointing to good use as we headed down to Bondi Beach for the annual kite flying "festival of the winds".  It was a gorgeous spring day with just enough of a breeze to keep the kites flapping about and you had great fun pointing with wonderment at all the colourful shapes high above you.  A lovely way to end the weekend.  

the simple things in life

Today you were given a balloon when we were out shopping.  I almost stopped the store assistant, thinking in my head your were too little to be interested in the balloon.  I'm glad I didn't, as it has provided hours of fun for you.  You have spent most of the afternoon crawling around with the ribbon of the balloon clasped in your little hand.  You even thought it was funny you kept bobbing the balloon into your face when we were trying to feed you lunch.  It's ironic we were out trying to find gifts for your upcoming birthday, and yet the best gift today was the one that cost us nothing.  That is one of the greatest gifts adults learn from children, that the best things in life are usually the most simple things.

the memory project

I will be the first to admit I often have grand ideas that sometimes (or maybe more than sometimes) I fail to follow through with.  Not for lack of wanting, it's more finding the time in an already overflowing schedule.  A schedule that for the almost past 12 months has been all about you.  Feeding, dressing, changing, playing, singing, reading, feeding, changing - and repeat.  'Groundhog day' was, I believe, a phrase that I may have used in the past year.  But if ever there is a time in one's life that one doesn't mind living through again and again it's the first year of your baby's life.  Motherhood - the pay sucks but the perks are endless.  Anyway I digress.  The grand idea of this blog is to create a lasting record of a time in your life that I will always treasure, but unfortunately your own memories of this time will be a little blurry to say the least.  Hopefully this blog will help you out.  I do know however, although the memories may not be so clear in your mind, the feelings of loving and being loved by your parents will be imprinted into your memory bank forever.  And so begins the memory project...