Silver Clouds

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Originally uploaded by jaguarish

Took Anya to the Gallery Of Modern Art today to enjoy the kids' area. My favorite part is a high-ceilinged room with fans blowing around bouyant Mylar pillows (the silver clouds). I had a hard time convincing Anya to pose at all for this "celebrity portrait" as she was more interested in using the controls in the photo booth -- hence the odd expression.

For some reason this photo reminds me of the Frieda Kahlo self-portrait with herself repeated three times as goddess, mother and child sitting inside successive embraces.

Thunderbirds Are Go!

This Easter weekend, we stayed at the family units in Peregian Beach along with our in-laws. Last year Anya had followed her cousins around without real understanding, while they hunted chocolate Easter eggs (the youngest, Isaac, by cunningly following their dog around); this year she actually did some hunting herself, with everyone chiming in, "hot!" "cold!" to clue her in. I wish I could remember what Americans do, because my childhood Easter memories are mostly formed from school activities as my parents didn't do much special for Easter. I remember dying and decorating hard-boiled eggs, crafting bunnies and chicks from cotton balls and pipe cleaners, and just maybe getting to eat a tiny bit of chocolate and marshmallow. (That's another discrepancy -- no marshmallow chicks are sold here.)

Meanwhile, Callum really got moving this weekend and started going across whole rooms and down hallways, groaning with the effort as he went. Life's a whole new ballgame for him now! Today he also stepped up the pace with making not just one, but several different syllables in one continuous burst of sound -- for example: "Mamamam bab bab buh mam mam buh bah boo..." (Until today he would only repeat one syllable over and over.) This morning I could swear he talked for a solid fifteen minutes (and David could hear him from the other end of the house) while I lay groggily next to him and occasionally lifted my head to murmur to him encouragingly.

Other milestones for Anya: sleeping overnight without a nappy (she's been dry for a few months now but we were too chicken to try it); swimming across a lane and back, talking the whole way; writing letters and numbers... and generally acting like a little adult (except for a baffling need to delay and naysay proceedings at random times throughout the day).

Our Celebrity Portrait

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Originally uploaded by jaguarish

I finally made it to the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art this week. Strangely, I ended up feeling that I was more impressed by Yayoi Kusama's works. However, I imagine that it's probably hard to take in Warhol's work because he's been so influential. His way of seeing and creating art has so pervaded our cultural environment that his artworks seem (in hindsight) obvious and nothing special.

Rainwater Tank Installation

This is only a temporary location, but still annoying that the tank completely blocks access through the yard.


David looks like he's grinning, but actually he is grimacing in pain as his head is aching from a cold and the machine vibrations are getting to him (not to mention the general fatigue of a long day of hard labor).


This is the tank overflow pipe (should we ever be so lucky to have that much rain). It was a real bugbear to complete the installation since this neighborhood doesn't have a stormwater system, so we were required to connect to a 1m x 1m x 1m rubble pit. Thanks to the tank installers, we learned this fact after the tank had been placed in the only through access, forcing us to be inventive about how to bring in the earthmoving equipment.

It was lucky for us that our neighbors had their house razed recently (to build a new one) and were happy to let us drive in through their property. David simply cut out some of the rotten old fence (to be replaced anyway as part of construction) and set up a ramp over our back retaining wall. Once situated, the digging was not so straightforward either as he discovered some 60-yr-old construction rubble in the process. Fortunately, the rubble was useful for filling the pit, which was for the rainwater tank overflow. This job took all weekend. Kudos to my manly man!

Terminal Fatigue

David is conked out in bed with a cold and the rest of the household has also been under the weather for about the last two weeks. I haven't gotten terribly sick (had maybe a couple of days of feeling headachy) but I am very tired from coping with two grizzly kids. Callum seemed to be on the mend earlier this week but went downhill again with new, scarier symptoms. The doctor thinks he probably got a second virus just as he was getting over the first one.

Nonetheless, there are some fun things to report. Last night we had several friends over for a games night -- "Man Bites Dog" was first, then "Listen Up!" No PCs or game consoles involved! Just great food and conversation.

Also despite being sick, Callum has continued to show off new skills such as waving his dummy or toy between my mouth and his own -- he also did this with his grandma. It really seemed like he was trying to insert his dummy in my mouth.

Anya surprised me tonight by properly counting objects in a picture. She's known how to count up to 13 or 14 for quite a while, and recently mastered the idea that holding up fingers = a number, but until now had never seemed to understand about pointing at objects one by one to count them, and would randomly point all over the page while reciting her counting sequence.

Figure Drawing

This is Anya's latest skill. /tears/ She's really growing up!

Her first figure drawing (Feb 8th):


Her drawing of me (Feb 23rd):


Her drawing of David (Feb 24th):


Another drawing of me (Feb 24th):

Asian Beef Salad

David and I made up this recipe last night -- he did the greens, and I did the beef and onions:

Marinate 2 or 3 small flank steaks in lime juice + pulp, chili sauce, kecap manis, soy sauce and honey. (Approx 2 limes, 1 Tbs chili sauce, 2 Tbs kecap manis, 2 Tbs soy, 1 Tbs honey, but I just drizzled it into the bowl without measuring.) Grill on the BBQ or sear in a pan, then slice up for your salad.

Slice 2 onions and brown on the BBQ plate or in the pan. Set aside.

Simmer the marinade on low in the pan until thickened (approx 3-5 minutes). Return the onions to the pan and toss to coat. If there's a lot of sauce then you can also toss in the sliced beef.

Serve warm on a bed of mixed lettuces, fresh basil, tomato wedges & freshly toasted walnuts lightly dressed with sesame oil, fish sauce & rice vinegar.

Some Movement, Please

We've known for some time that Callum is raring to get going -- hates to be left lying around, rolls every which way, and constantly insists on being sat up (preferably in someone's lap) for a better view of the world around him. I've tried to show him how to slide forward on his tummy, but so far he still only scoots forwards if given something big to push off from (then he gets so excited that he's moving!)

Today he was making his usual break for it off the change mat, and I noticed that he was getting up on his knees. So it seems we'll be skipping phase one and going straight to hand-knee crawling. He's also been much more stable when sitting on his own (tipping over after several seconds rather than instantly) so that's the other problem sorted. :)

He's been much more vocal over the last few days despite (or perhaps because of?) having a snuffly cold. Vav vav vav, mam mam mam, bla bla bla (didn't you understand that?) Laughs like it's the greatest joke ever when we say "achoo!" and "boo!"

Late Night Musings

While cooking some pasta last night I wound up thinking about my friend William. I pretty much think about him every time I cook pasta, although I haven't seen him in over fifteen years (though nearly caught up with him at the turning of the millenium) and haven't exchanged email or anything with him in probably seven years. The reason I think about him is that he's the person who showed me how to slightly twist a bunch of spaghetti before letting it fall into the boiling water. I still remember how "Eureka!" that moment felt to me. I suppose to most people in the world, cooking pasta is a very ordinary event, but to this day, when I stand some spaghetti in a pot and then let it fall in a spiral, I feel a little thrill.

This got me thinking later that night about food memories. I guess they keep coming back because you never stop eating and the food still tastes like it did the first time, bringing the memory right back again. Especially if you're as into food as I am. (I do realise that I've just rather inelegantly re-capped that famous bit about madeleines and tea, but they're my own inelegant words, so there.)

I'll think of Jill every time I eat artichokes. A "wow!" moment when she showed me how to steam one and dip the leaves one by one into scrummy dip, after which I willfully broke away from her recipe (lemon juice with a tiny bit of melted butter) and ventured into high-fat territory (melted butter with a squeeze of lemon juice, and aioli, and anything with lots of butter).

Gosh, anyone reading this who's never met me would never know that I am NOT as big as a house. /laugh/

I also remember my sister "inventing" cheese cooked in a pan, after realising that her favorite part of a grilled cheese sandwich was the cheese that melts out the sides and browns in the pan. At the time, we thought she was weird. She was just in the wrong family! She should have been born to a Swiss or French family... of course, raclette is not traditionally made with a slice of American cheese.

Whenever I cook eggs, I think of my first boyfriend, who astonished me by cooking his eggs in butter. As my parents cooked everything in vegetable oil, it had never occurred to me to cook eggs in butter. His mother is German, hence the butter. I now definitely prefer eggs cooked in butter. Also broccoli cooked in butter. And most anything cooked in butter.

Which reminds me, when I first flew to Australia (to visit my not-yet-husband and in fact he was my not-yet-fiance), I went on Air New Zealand and was amazed by the delicious butter served on the plane -- a weird thing to be impressed by, but I later found out that New Zealand is in fact renowned for its dairy. I learned in the Gina Mallet book (see my list of good reads) that a small increase in the quantity of butter fat can make a world of difference in the taste of the butter, so I'm guessing that's what impressed.

This entry is starting to be all about butter... when my hubby (pre-affiancing) first asked me how I like my toast buttered, I answered him truthfully, although afraid of seeming fussy, that I like to let the toast cool slightly so that when I butter it, the butter doesn't melt all the way. I was gratified when he replied that he did exactly the same thing! The first in a long list of things we do the same (to match the equally long list of things we like to do exactly opposite).

Meanwhile, here is the little pasta recipe (without any butter) I made up last night:

2 small onions, diced small
2 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
2 red capsicums (bell peppers), diced small
approx 1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 large chorizo sausage, diced small
handful arugula leaves, chopped coarsely
handful fresh basil leaves, chopped coarsely

Cook the onion on low heat in some olive oil until softened, then stir in the garlic, capsicum, mushrooms and sausage. Keep going until the mushrooms are cooked. Stir in the fresh herbs. Serve over spaghetti tossed with fruity olive oil or chili infused oil, and garnish with grated Romano cheese or crumbled Danish feta. (I think some fresh sage would also go well, but I didn't have any to try when I made this dish.) If this dish isn't saucy enough for your tastes, add some diced tomatoes to the pan as well and let them cook down a bit.

How to Blog It Right

I've been reading Notes from Inside My Head with awe and delight. I write my little blog as a sort of news posting for friends, but this author writes about motherhood with such verve that even commonplace events such as colds, tantrums and tender moments take on a special patina of significance.

Frangipani T-shirt

One of my main artistic outlets these days is screen-printing t-shirts. My niece Lauren asked me for a frangipani and I came up with this design. I like that it's different from the common frangipani design I've noticed on numerous shirts and tableware ever since she asked me for it.

Flexiboy

Callum has recently learned to eat his toes!

Whimper whimper

So this morning I had been asleep for what seemed an eyeblink, after coaxing Callum to go back to sleep (he'd woken at 5:30 with the birds and started playfully rolling around the bed), when I was abruptly jolted awake by a few firm pushes to my bottom (did I mention my fractured tailbone?) and a bell-like voice saying, "Mama! Wake up! I need to do a wee-wee!"

I couldn't help it -- I started whimpering.

Time to Chow Down

Callum is not quite six months old yet (the age recommended for starting solids) but he's been so demanding that I decided this week to get started with some banana. Unlike Anya, who initially just let the food bubble out of her mouth, Callum immediately got into the swing of things and ate everything I gave him (about a tablespoon). Today was the fourth day and I decided to give him a lot more -- three tablespoons -- and to my surprise he ate it all. Occasionally, he stopped and winced as if the taste were weird, but he kept eating.

The first week you're supposed to do just one meal per day, but the boy is so keen I'm tempted to skip right to having three or four meals! (A meal being one to three tablespoons, at this age.) I can't wait to give him some veggies... maybe then Anya will get back into eating them! She used to eat all sorts when she was a baby, but now will only eat peas and corn (other veggies go in hiding in pasta sauces and the like).

Supreme Butter Chicken (not for the anti-fat brigade)

We cook a lot of curries at home -- mainly Thai red or green curry -- but lately I have been using Indian butter chicken curry paste. Last night's effort was especially tasty...

1. Marinate 3 chicken thighs in 2 tsp butter chicken curry paste mixed with 1/2 cup yogurt. (in fridge, preferably overnight, or 3 hours as a minimum)

2. Grill chicken in the oven until done. Slice into bite-sized pieces.

3. Meanwhile, saute minced garlic (to taste), one diced onion and half a green bell pepper (capsicum) until soft; then turn down the heat and add 2 chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon butter chicken curry paste and large pinch of fenugreek leaves (methi). Simmer on low until tomato breaks down.

4. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup cream (to your preference for sauce consistency), the chicken pieces & juices, and 1/4 cup corn niblets. (I microwaved an unshucked cob of corn for 3 minutes, then cut the niblets off half the cob for my recipe. Don't forget to run the back of the knife over the cut area to scrape off the part of the corn that stays behind when you cut it.)

5. Add salt to taste.

6. Serve over rice steamed with potato pieces, and garnish with unsalted roast peanuts. (Simply dice a washed unpeeled potato and add to the rice cooker -- no extra water needed.)

As with all curries, this probably would taste better the day after making it, but of course you can't make a dish like this and hold yourself back from eating it right away!

Running With Scissors

Not quite running with scissors, but I did slip and fall. I was going down the back steps, which were slippery with rain, and carrying Callum -- then mostly focussed on protecting him when I started to fall. X-rays showed that I had fractured my tailbone. Hence the dearth of blog entries. I can't sit comfortably and I'm a bit sleep deprived as well since lying down is not too restful either. There's not a lot of useful treatment for this type of injury (you can't set a tailbone) so I just have to put up with the pain. The doctor recommends I wait and see how I'm going in three months. Not a great injury to have when one has a 7.5 kg boy and 15 kg girl to handle!

I do have quite a few journal notes that I want to type into this blog, and will be back-dating them, so for Anya/Callum fans out there, please read back for entries since Xmas to see if you missed anything.

Look at ME! Watch ME!

Being on holiday with the family was great -- swimming at the beach every day (even if it was raining) -- and lots of people to play with Anya and hold Callum. There were times that I found myself wandering around the place WITHOUT ANYTHING TO DO. Amazing. We were there for two weeks, then had to go home since David was going back to work.

One thing Anya learned from her cousins was the catch-cry "Look at me! Watch me, watch me!" They tried to teach her to do a forward roll, but she found it too intimidating. She can, however, do some stuff they can't, because she's so flexible: stand on one leg and lift the other out straight by holding her foot with her hand (just like a yoga pose); slide into the splits; downward dog yoga pose (hands and feet on the floor with heels touching the ground). She can also jump great distances and hop (very briefly) on one leg. All this jumping has made her legs really strong, and she can even run uphill now.

It's funny to watch her run, as she hunches her shoulders slightly and lumbers from side to side like a football player. She also sometimes prances through on tiptoe, which makes her hair bounce fetchingly. It's such gorgeous hair, I'm jealous! Her hair is so long now, and she speaks so well, she often seems more like a four year old than a two year old. It's hard to remember she's a toddler when I need to discipline her for misbehaving.

I introduced the "yelling room" because she's been yelling so much. I told her she can yell as much as she likes, but I don't want to listen to it. So she can go into her room, close the door, and yell. Her cousins thought this was a great idea and would often join in.

Always Laughing

Callum's first laugh was November 20th (yes, I wrote it down!) and he's been laughing so much ever since. He used to only laugh if we kissed his tummy and laughed at him, like he needed company to laugh. Lately he's been laughing if we just laugh with him (no tickling) and then January 8th he laughed after falling asleep. I was so amused by this that I chuckled, and hearing my laugh got him laughing some more (still in his sleep). Amazing!

No talking yet, just cooing -- I'm still waiting for the first "da-da-da" (that was Anya's first syllable).

In other milestones, he rolled over for the first time on January 5th, and since then has been practicing it every chance he gets. Still no good at rolling back again (from tummy to back), though, and he only rolls on one side. I also discovered that if I placed something solid at his feet, he could scoot along on his tummy with his mighty leg kicks. Without any help he can also wriggle a little bit, but has not yet worked out that he needs to dig his toes in. The boy is definitely on the move and keen to get going.

He also grabs all sorts of things now quite well. I have to be careful what I leave near him now. This morning I was eating from a bowl, and he was grabbing the rim (I let him) then he managed to grab some of the food (yikes!) It's fun to lie face to face with him and let him explore my face.

I'm still feeding Callum through the night, maybe because he sleeps with me, which makes it easy for him to demand a feed. Anya started sleeping through from 20 weeks and I was hoping the same would happen with Callum. He even weighs more than she did, which should help with sleeping through, but no such luck. (Boys weigh more than girls anyway, but his current weight matches her weight at 3 months older!) I'm now holding on to hope that starting solids (at 6 months) will help him sleep through. There is no way I can go back to work if I'm still waking through the night and only getting total of about five hours' sleep overnight, unless I get to have a midday siesta.

Tickle Time

Callum is now 20 weeks old. He's been smiling and laughing for quite a while now, but this is first time the laugh has been captured on video.

More Anya Tales

Anya's been going to swimming lessons since late October, and swims at Don's (David's brother) and Newmarket Pool (a great local pool with slides and fun pools) quite often. So I guess it's no suprise that her first comment upon finding Mrs. Incredible in the doctor's toy basket, with super-stretched arms, was, "She can do BIG ARMS -- BIG ARMS!" (this is the way they teach them to do freestyle/forward crawl).

Another moment that really made David laugh happened when he took her shopping. He likes to cycle with her, towing her in a trailer, and puts the groceries in the trailer for the ride home. Since we live at the top of a hill, the last leg is pretty tough with all the extra weight. He was panting heavily on the upward climb, and didn't answer Anya when she tried to talk to him. "Daddy? Daddy?" she called. "Can't -- talk -- right -- now --" he gasped back. Once home, he stopped in the driveway and panted some more. "Daddy! Why are you hah-ing? Stop hah-ing! I want to talk to you!"

The naughty spot has been in force for a while now, but Anya still doesn't quite understand (or doesn't want to understand?) that we put her on there for a set time, and don't talk to her while she's on it. Recently I had to try really hard not to laugh: she told me she was ready to say sorry, but time wasn't up yet. I simply reminded her, "No talking, time isn't up yet," and she said forcefully, "Unggh! I HATE the naughty spot!" and smacked the wall with her hand. I had to go away because I was afraid I was going to laugh... (Yes dear, that's the point of the naughty spot!)