hot town, summer in the city

Sydney is on its way to a new heat record - 6 days straight of temperatures of 30C. Your room has not dipped below 27 degrees overnight for over a week.  But we're doing our best to keep cool, you love being clothes-free most of the day and we have made good use of the pool, the beach, cool baths, playgrounds with water fountains, and even good old bucket showers (particularly hilarious when you're pouring a bucket over me!)  Vieve let you paddle at daycare on Wednesday and told Dadda that once they had you out of your swim nappy and back into your clothes you promptly plonked yourself back into the paddling pool.

new words

You have developed an extra scrunched-up-nose-cheeky look the last few days that is super cute.  This week has been all about conversations.  You are trying to tell us many wonderful things and your ability to repeat words after hearing them once is astounding.  Words of the week are boat, ball, nigh-nigh, bath, and your favourite is still cake.

Your favourite past-time at the moment is puzzles, and you love the animals in them and try to do the sounds.  All in all it's a fantastic time, despite some horrible teething moments.

2011

We have almost finished celebrating this holiday season.  Christmas Day this year was spent at Grandpa and Nonna's place in Bondi, with your Great Grandparents Clarke and Great Uncle and Aunty Di and Lew.  Then a few days down at Bawley Point where the beach was at our doorstop and there were colourful birds galore.  We farewelled 2010 - your first full calendar year - in a low-key celebration at home with your Uncle Justin and Aunty Samantha, watching the Sydney Harbour fireworks from our building rooftop.  It's back to work from Tuesday, but Nene and Pardy arrive tomorrow to stay in Sydney for most of January so I'm sure there is much more celebrating in store for you.

As is custom at this time of year, reflections and resolutions have been on my mind.

Reflection - It was great taking a year off to be home with you, and while decent sleep pretty much walked out the door for most of 2010, your presence in our lives opened the window to unrelenting, unconditional pure love.  What I feel for you, you will one day experience again when feeling it towards your own children.  So this past year has also taught me a lot about myself as both a parent and a child - and provided an insight into my mother that one can only see when becoming a mother herself.

Resolutions - I heard someone saying that the most successful resolutions are those that focus on positive changes rather than negatives, therefore I refuse to resolve to give up chocolate, eat less junk food and drink less.  Instead, I would like to improve my health and weight (as I can no longer rely on breastfeeding to rid me of all those calories) by eating more veggies, having more alcohol-free nights per week, taking you to the park more, and also practicing mindfulness - being in the present.  I find too often I can't wait to get through the day, the week, the month, yet in the meantime I so so cherish you being so young and it is all going too quickly.  So I want to appreciate the here and now rather than looking constantly forward at what's around the corner.

So here's to another fantastic year with you in our lives.  Happy 2011 Maya. x

happy birthday dadda!

Today was your Dadda's birthday, and he had been wanting to take you to Taronga Zoo for ages so we set off early this morning and were there before the gates opened.  It was a fantastic time of day to go, no lines, all the animals were moving around, and not too hot or sunny.  Your favourite was the giraffes, they are such an unusual looking creature I suppose.  Lucky for you Dadda became a zoo member today so I'm sure he'll be taking you back there many times over the next year.

a new first

Friday night was my work Christmas party so after dropping you at Vieve's at 8:30 in the morning it was au revoir to your mum until Saturday morning, as I wasn't home until after you were asleep.  A first for us.  Almost 24 hours without your mum.  And by all accounts you didn't seem to mind!

Your new fascination at the moment is with buses, so on Saturday we caught a bus down to Bondi and back and you loved it.  The today we caught a bus from Paddington home after a morning coffee with your Uncle Jus.  Again you thought it was fantastic, and now you love pointing out anything bigger than a normal car (which is sometimes a garbage truck instead of a bus but it's all part of learning!).

homemade treasures

Gorgeous dress that Nene made for you...

And in other news, you have truly entered the world of "babble" now.  Your vocabulary is far reaching, we are just unsure what language you are speaking, nevertheless it is a beautiful one.  You have been such a fun little character to be around over the past few days.

Today you had an excellent day with your Dadda eating mint chip icecream at the beach while Mumma had to go to work :(

grandparents galore

You're such a lucky little thing to have so many grandparents in your life.  This evening it was Grandpa and Nonna's turn to delight you with their love and attention, and boy can you dazzle when you want to.  You were full of cheeky smiles, hand slaps, gifting of your toys and dummies to them, crazy laughs and general brilliance.  The only downside was when it was time for bed you got grizzly as you were having too much fun with the grown-ups.

Mumma and Dadda were also spoilt by their visit as they always bring yummy food so we don't have to cook.