Pumpkin Moon

Pumpkin Moon 30-Sep-07
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

This moon was out while the fireworks were on. Too bad I couldn't get them in the same photo...

Mitchelton Turns 150 Fireworks

Mitchelton Turns 150 Fireworks 30-Sep-07
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

Our hilltop position is great for seeing fireworks in all directions! This photo was taken from our driveway.

Mystery Pest, Kaffir Lime

Mystery Pest, Kaffir Lime
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

We just noticed these infesting our kaffir lime tree this week. The young are the same green as the leaves; as they get older and bigger, they gradually turn this bright orange. We have no idea what kind of beetle this is. (Please comment if you know!)

Fat Little Fruits (Pawpaw)

Fat Little Fruits (Pawpaw)
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

This the same tree as I photographed on 8-Sep for my daily photo.

Baby Stories

At present, I don't have any Callum stories that don't involve poo. So I'll just leave it to your imagination... and if you have no idea what I'm talking about then you should feel lucky...

By the way, Callum is now 4.65 kg (10 lb 5 oz), which is 60 g more than Anya at the same age.

As for Anya stories, she is getting so grown up. We have such involved conversations that I sometimes forget that she's only two years old. Here is a David and Anya story from last week:

David: Can I have a hug?
Anya moves in close as if about to snuggle his chest, then bites him.
David: OW!
[pause]
Anya: Sorry, Daddy. We should take you to the doctor, so he can put ice on your nipple.
David laughs heartily at this very cute idea.
Anya bursts into tears at this inappropriate reaction to her sincere suggestion.

Gum Tree, Late Afternoon

Gum Tree, Late Afternoon
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

The golden light on the white bark looked so elegant. I'm not sure this photo really does it justice.

Hail + Rain

Hail+Rain 22-Sep-07
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

Our roof had hail rocketing off like a slippery slide, but I wasn't lucky enough to catch one in a photo (unless you count the streak of airborne white).

Night Owl + Moon

Night Owl + Moon
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

This looked cooler with the naked eye (the house's roofline also was visible). I'll have to try again later.

Mango Tree (My Neighbor's)

Mango Tree (My Neighbor's)
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

These mango trees grow all over Brisbane.

Peregian Beach Rock Pools

Peregian Beach Rock Pools 13-Sep-07
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

I've skipped some daily photos as we were on holiday up the coast. (That's David in the water.)

Bunya Pines

Bunya Pines 13-Sep-07
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

This is the view northward from the family unit at Peregian Beach.

Beach Path Under Water

Beach Path Under Water 11-Sep-07
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

Our usual beach access path is thigh-deep under water. My mother-in-law says she's never seen it flooded like this, and she's been going to Peregian Beach for 20 years! David took this photo. (I tried taking my own the next day, but my camera settings were wrong and I got nothing good.)

Water Tank

Water Tank
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

This 7000 liter water tank was delivered this morning. We will install it when we renovate, but we needed to order it now to qualify for the government rebates.

Frangipani Tree

Originally uploaded by jaguarish

It's harder than I thought to find a good photo each day, especially with a little girl dogging my every move...

Pawpaw (Papaya) Flowers

Pawpaw (Papaya) Flowers 8-Sep-07
Originally uploaded by jaguarish
This is David's red pawpaw tree. This variety is able to self-pollinate (yellow pawpaws require male trees to pollinate the female trees!)

I rather liked the idea of the Yahoo! Daily Photo Widget so I hope to take an interesting photo each day to post, but considering that I have a newborn and a two-year-old, I'm not sure I'll make it. But hopefully this photo will be the first of many...

Story of the Day

I went into Anya's room this afternoon after she'd been napping for about 2 hours. I thought she'd probably wake up, but I really needed to get something. Sure enough, after I'd taken a few steps into the room, she opened her eyes as if she'd been awake all along, and looked at me steadily.

"Hi sweetie," I greeted her. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

She took the dummy out of her mouth and proclaimed, "Steve really likes crocodiles!" while waving her index finger at me.

I don't know how she'll take it when she learns that Steve Irwin isn't with us any more... he's a favorite of hers from Wiggles videos and Bindi Irwin's afternoon show!

The Birth Story

Read on... this is not a gruesome tale. I just thought the highlights might be of interest.

Friday (10 Aug) I went to bed at my usual time but after a vigorous sorting out of clothing for donation. (the so called nesting instinct?) I spent most of the night asleep but woke occasionally thinking, "Gee this position really hurts!"

Saturday (11 Aug) I woke around 5 am without knowing why. As insomnia has been the order of the day, I didn't think much of it. Then a few minutes later I experienced a really strong cramp. "Ooh, could this be labor?" I wondered idly, without really meaning it. (I'm thick aren't I?) I did glance at the clock though, so with my next pain, I knew it had been seven minutes. I started watching the clock. I was reluctant to wake David up without being sure.

After one or two more contractions at around the same timing, I woke David up and we got the ball rolling. We had to call his mum to come over to look after Anya. I kept timing everything, then when we were ready to go we called the hospital and let them know we were coming. My obstetrician had told me that things were probably going to happen fairly quickly this time, but I was afraid the hospital would insist that I wasn't really ready yet. They did seem a little doubtful that I was "really" laboring. The midwife said that my timing was a bit irregular and they might even send me home, depending on what the on-call obstetrician thought.

My obstetrician wasn't on duty, so a completely different doctor came and looked at me at about 8:15. By this time I was experiencing strong contractions and was up to sitting under a hot shower and sucking on gas.
I did not like having to get out of the shower and wait around for him to examine me! They said he was on his way but I must have been waiting at least fifteen minutes before he arrived. It certainly showed me how effectively the hot water was easing my pain. The gas on its own wasn't nearly as good.

The doctor convinced me to let him break my waters, saying that otherwise I would be laboring that much longer and getting tired. He predicted that the baby would arrive by lunchtime. After this I went back into the shower. David ran a bath as he thought someone should get the benefit of the spa bath. The midwife laughed when she saw this and took several photos for us.

In the end, Callum was born at 10:19 -- morning tea time rather than lunchtime!

He's Here! Callum Taliesin Ree!

Anya's Words of the Week

As Anya talks less and less like a baby, in complete sentences with adult turns of phrase, I'm beginning to forget that she's only two and a bit... but here are a few slip-ups that are oh-so-cute:

"Bumpy Dumpy" for Humpty Dumpty
"Lellow" and "Lillow" instead of yellow and pillow
"Me, me, me do it!"

And here are some adult phrases which make me laugh to hear her say:

"I'm busy at the moment."
"You wait here. I'll be back in a minute." (pointing her finger at me)
"Let's go to London-town!" (thanks, Wiggles, for that one...)

My Latest Shape

Here is my birthday photo... /laugh














We went out to Tukka on the night of my birthday, a restaurant that specialises in "bush tucker" -- food prepared with native ingredients. David had wallaby and I had possum. Neither of us were greatly impressed by the main meals (the service was quite slow, as well). I did like my appetiser of mussels with native herbs & spices, and the palate cleanser of mandarin and lemon sorbet.