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!)

Anya's First Rock Climb 27-Dec-07

Anya's been pestering us to take her rock climbing, and she does climb things quite well at the park. So we brought her to Rocksports to try it. She only climbed up about a meter, twice, then declined further opportunities, saying, "I'm supervising."

Christmas '07

We started this morning with opening presents at our house. Grandma (David's mum Raema) had stayed overnight and joined in. Mid-morning, we all trooped over to Don and Ann Maree's house for a massive family get-together where more presents were exchanged. It took forever to open presents for six kids and seven adults!

Anya's favorite present of the day was a miniature Winnie the Pooh tree house (complete with honey pot). Her other favorite is a magic wand which makes jingling noises when waved. This morning she enjoyed waving it at Raema and "magicking" her into a baby, a dad, a mama, and back to herself again.

Christmas '07 Video

Waily waily waily!

Anyone who's read Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men knows what "waily waily waily" means... if you don't know it, there are "pictsies" (little men who are, well, Pictish, in that they're blue skinned, speak with Scottish accents, and love fighting and drinking) who bewail unfortunate circumstances by yelling "oh, waily waily waily!" (they especially love to do this in groups, like an aggressive form of keening).

 

I've managed to find amusement in Anya's latest infuriating mannerism by thinking of this line from the book.  In Anya's case, this involves suddenly flipping from being happy and cheerful to feeling fussy.  She then works herself up from low level fussing up to concentrated snivelling and ultimately full blown wailing, by which time she's forgotten what she's upset about, but she's darn well upset and intends to stay that way.  This happens at least four or five times a day, usually about nothing of importance, more as if she's checked the clock and thought, hmm I haven't fussed for a while, better do it again.

 

So far we've managed to stay pretty even tempered about it, simply telling her we can't talk to her while she's wailing, but it is VERY annoying and tiresome, and I hope she stops doing it soon!

Bitey Boy

Our boy continues his winning ways, not only smiling at all and sundry but now also willing to lick and bite just about anybody...

Anya+Callum Photo Comparison

Everyone keeps saying how much Callum looks like Anya did. I felt at the beginning as if we had Anya all over again, but as Callum got older I didn't find them very similar after all. So I put these photos together to compare.

Springbrook National Park 5-7 Dec 07

This was the second day of our mini-holiday at Springbrook. David really did the toughest bit, carrying Anya on our bushwalk. We were just happy she was over the mysterious allergic reaction she suffered the day before during our walk to Natural Bridge. You can just make out the top of Callum's head in the sling I'm wearing.

Purlingbrook Falls (Springbrook) 6-Dec-07

Natural Bridge (Springbrook) 5-Dec-07

My Jumping Elf

Anya's changing as quickly as Callum... time seems to be going so quickly.  I just realised this week that she's developed the habit of running from A to B full pelt, then arriving with a jump at the end.  Jumping is also fun across gaps, up steps (still not doing that one properly, but keeps trying), on one leg (while holding on to furniture), up to the sky (while David and I hold her hands and she swings her legs way up) and into the pool.  She's very excited to help Callum jump as well, bouncing him up and down in the Jolly Jumper.

 

Less engaging habits lately include yelling songs at the top of her lungs, doing exactly what I've just asked her not to, and other typical toddler behaviour... luckily for me I haven't yet experienced a public tantrum, although David has: while carrying Callum in a sling, holding Anya's tricycle in one hand, and trying to get Anya to keep moving through the shopping mall (in aid of giving me a break at home).

Jolly Jumper 1-Dec-07

Lots of firsts this week: jolly jumping (well, mostly swivelling on tiptoe so far), standing supported (looks delighted every time), sitting up (with help), rolling to one side, reaching out and grabbing things... and best of all, LAUGHING! Rather than a giggle, Callum's laugh is sort of a "heh-heh-heh" as if he's surprised to be laughing.

By way of comparison, Anya's first turn in the Jolly Jumper was at 5 months, so Callum seems to be developing physically a lot more quickly. It's amazing to watch him try so hard to sit up -- cranes his neck and lifts his head. Anya only sat up after months and months of being carried around upright and never seemed to be trying to sit up by herself.

On the other hand, Anya was already reaching out and grabbing things at 12 weeks old (Callum is now 16 weeks) so she was ahead in other ways. My hairdresser (who has 4 kids) said she thinks boys are lazier and don't develop as quickly! Funny, as general consensus seems to be that boys are usually ahead of girls in physical skills.

I've also been reading about birth order (Time Magazine) -- apparently we can expect Anya to be more intelligent/ambitious, conformist/conservative and serious, while Callum will most likely be more agreeable, rebellious and humorous. Firstborns are also usually physically larger, but so far that's not the case! I was interested to read that elder siblings' intelligence is boosted by the tutor effect -- having to explain things to their younger siblings.

Renovation Concept

This perspective drawing shows how our house will look after renovation. We intend to raise the house, make most of the existing interior into an open-plan kitchen+living, and have 3 new bedrooms+rumpus downstairs (an existing bedroom will remain in place upstairs). A deck will be added as well as a paved area underneath the deck extending out to a spa.

For photos of the house as it currently exists, please go to flickr (i.e. click on the drawing above).

Fingers 18-Nov-07

Callum's latest hobby... chewing on fingers and growling happily while doing so.

Our Lovely Boy

"Before"


"After"

David wanted to capture the mega-poo experience but missed seeing this one, so I photographed it for him. Then I thought, why not share the excitement?

Bath 14-Oct-07 (4)

Callum loves his baths! It's lovely to view this photo's set in flickr as a slide show.

Big Smiles 8-Oct-07

Callum is 8 weeks, 2 days old today. Last week he weighed 5 kg and was 58 cm long (gains of 1.3 kg & 7.5 cm since birth).

You're not imagining it, yes he's got BIG hands.

Heavy Weather

After living here for ten years I'm still not used to Brisbane's heat. I just can't take the sauna effect:

• Brisbane's high today is 30 C (86 F) with 66% humidity.

Compare this to my last city and my home town:

• Los Angeles is the same temperature but with 12% humidity.
• Tucson is a little cooler with 8% humidity.

The mad part is that it's supposed to be springtime here right now... with weather like this, I'm really dreading summer!

Cycle Crazy

Today David got up at 5 am and rode 100 km along with 5000 other people in the "Wilson HTM Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenge" (here's a map of the route). I managed to pack a bunch of necessities and hit the road (with Callum and Anya) by 9:30 to meet him down there and pick him up. He was done by 10:30, similar to last year's effort, despite worries that he'd lost fitness.

Afterwards, we met up with my friend Mel, who recently moved to Miami Beach. I was amused to note that she lives on Santa Monica Road (intersected by Redondo Avenue). Mel is Australian, but like me, lived in LA for a few years. (I even lived in Redondo Beach for a while, but never lived in Santa Monica.)

It's been a pretty big visiting weekend -- yesterday we also visited both David's brothers Don and Rob at their respective homes. Both families have been away together, camping on Fraser Island and finishing with a few days at the Peregian Beach units.

Anya had a great time swimming in Don's pool and playing with him (Ann Maree and the kids had gone out before we arrived, but came home in time for the latter part of our visit). She loves going to different places and looking around. In the evening we were at Rob's, and Anya ran around the house with her other cousins at a mad pace.

Everyone enjoyed holding Callum and "chatting" with him. I'm continually amazed at how much all the kids love babies. The day really brought home to me, as well, what an easy baby Callum is compared to how Anya was. He (gasp!) goes to sleep by himself sometimes when you put him down!

He's getting really big -- long, not fat, that is. At his first checkup this week he measured 58 cm long (head to toe), which apparently puts him in the 75th percentile for his age. I've noticed with dismay that he's already outgrowing the baby carrier which he sleeps in (rather than a bassinet). It was my plan to have him in it for about 4 months, but it looks like I'll have to come up with a new plan.

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.

Art Opening

My friend Helen had her first ever gallery opening tonight:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/helenparlevliet/

About 18 months ago we started getting together and doing art at her place or mine. It got tricky to schedule so we didn't keep up a regular practice, but it certainly kick-started her art engine! I haven't been as productive, but it was good fun and got me back in touch with my arty self. I also learned screen printing from Helen (and she kindly loaned me some equipment).

When I get more spare time again (who knows when that will be!) I hope to get my watercolor painting skills back up to scratch. It was appalling how poorly my few painting attempts went when I tried. In the last decade or so I've barely painted at all, mostly honing my skills in sketching (in my journal). I do have some thoughts about doing some childrens' books. I've always loved them for their beautiful art (which I couldn't really compete with) but the vast majority seem really poorly written to me.

Also around the time of our art afternoons, I got really inspired about trying to do a graphic novel version of a C. S. Lewis novel (Out of the Silent Planet) and made up quite a few panels, but didn't finish the story because I had to return the book to the library (lame reason, I know...) At the time I was thinking it would be cool as a present for my nieces and nephews. Maybe someday I'll finish it.

Chipotle Corn Chowder Recipe

This is a fantastic recipe for a soup I served at yesterday's party. I made it up as a combination of the following two recipes which I found on the internet:
- Roasted Sweet Potato, Lime and Chipotle Soup (M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger)
- Sweet Potato Chowder (Jane Kirby)

*** Chipotle Corn Chowder Recipe ***

½ red capsicum, diced
½ green capsicum, diced
1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
1.4 kg sweet potatoes
1¼ L chicken stock
3 canned chipotle chiles, minced
400 g canned corn, drained
500 ml cream
1 Tbs brown sugar
¼ tsp nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Garnish
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
fresh herbs, chopped – coriander, sage, thyme
yogurt or creme fraiche
lime wedges

Toss diced capsicum, onion, oil, salt, thyme & sage together. Roast until softened and browned, about 30 minutes. Set aside. Roast sweet potatoes whole until soft and caramelised. Remove peel (flesh will have shrunk back from the peel).

Place the sweet potato flesh in a blender or food processor along with the chipotle chiles. Add sufficient chicken stock to blend the mixture to a smooth puree. Alternatively, place in your stockpot and apply a hand blender. Stir in the remaining chicken stock, cream, corn, capsicum mixture, brown sugar, nutmeg and pepper.

Garnish with chopped herbs and a dollop or yogurt or creme fraiche, and serve with lime wedges. Optional: serve with cheese quesadillas (tortillas folded around a mixture of cheddar & mozzarella, and toasted until the cheese is melted).

Serves 4

Baby Boy Welcoming Party

Here are all the shirts created at the Baby Boy Welcoming Party yesterday. (See my Yahoo! photo album for snaps of the creative artists at work.)

Credits (left to right)
Top row: Alexander, Jacqui, Kasia, Wenda
Middle row: Nick, Melissa, Jayden, Tom
Bottom row: Jessica, Maureen, Don, Wayne, Rob/Julie, Helen

My second last day of work…

Feeling very fatigued this week. I have no idea if it’s pregnancy, caring for Anya, the cold weather or what… but considering all that, I’m in pretty good shape if a bit of fatigue is all that’s worrying me. I hope over the next month to include some exercise on the days that Anya is at Kindercraft, perhaps swimming in a heated pool. (It’s just so boring!) Exercise hopefully will help my soreness as well as the insomnia.

Baby boy continues to amaze both David and me with his range of movement. He seems to move the most when I sit in the recliner in front of the TV. This week we were watching Dr Who and I was getting more entertainment out of watching my belly jump. Usually everything stops as soon as I try to get David to feel or have a look, but this time when I said to David, “Look!” he was able to see the movement from across the room.

Where did all this come from?

On Monday, I asked Stefan (my boss), “So how was your weekend?” and he replied, “Terrible! We had vomit all weekend!” and I said, “Me too!!!” Ah, the parental life… sounds like they had it worse than we did, with their daughter throwing up in four successive beds.

This has been a crazy week: David had two job applications due today, while battling a cold virus that he caught from Anya. He stayed home with her on Monday and Tuesday. I had to deliver a training course, so couldn’t stay home with her myself. She originally started with a light cough and restless sleep last week, and on Thursday Becca (Kindercraft) discussed her cough with me, but I really thought it was not going to get any worse. Then it did… she started vomiting a little upon coughing, but it seemed like she was just coughing too hard and throwing up a little saliva. Then her appetite diminished until she was refusing all food and taking only milk, or sometimes not even milk.

Saturday night she threw up when we tried to give her some cough syrup -- she got really upset and cried so hard that she started coughing and threw up. It went all down my front, while David jumped back out of the way. I was thinking, "Where did this all come from?" since she really hadn’t eaten anything all day. By Sunday we thought she was getting better because she ate a little bread and fruit. But while sitting on the potty before bathtime, out of the blue she vomited again. Luckily I had a bath drawn and we just wiped her up a bit and got her into her bath.

Supersize Me

The Countdown Begins

I’m starting maternity leave on July 13th. I think the time will go really quickly, because I’m delivering some training courses next week and the week after, then just have about a week and a half to wrap up loose ends with projects. I have to study up this weekend on the training course material… someone else prepared most of it. I don’t want to be standing there going, “Um, so the hydrodynamic theory is that, um…”

I do feel a little exposed because my studies in college didn’t really focus on this stuff (I only had 2 classes in fluid mechanics) and I’m only in the “water industry” due to the high demand for engineers to plan and design water and wastewater systems. Everything I know, I learned on the job by teaching myself!

The weather here is getting really cold. It’s a little warmer today, but a few days ago it was super chilly thanks to some stiff breezes. The cold made me dash out and buy myself a pile of clothing (some op shop stuff and some new maternity stuff). I am feeling anxious about breastfeeding in this weather! July is the coldest month, though, so hopefully I’ll only have about a month of this type of weather before things warm up again.

I still remember making myself a cave out of our spare room when Anya was still a tiny baby (guess she would have been 2 months old). I had the heater on in here at all times and then could breastfeed and sleep in comfort. I don’t know how that will work this time. Obviously I won’t simply be nesting in one room, with having to look after Anya as a toddler as well!

My latest Anya news is that she now weighs a whopping 15 kg. Plotted against World Health Organisation growth curves, this takes her into the stratosphere… see blue line below. I haven’t measured her height since April. I probably should do that to see if she’s had a growth spurt that way too, or if she’s just incredibly dense. Ha, ha.

Mothers Group 2nd Birthday Party

My mothers' group is still meeting -- apparently this is quite unusual! We had a group party for all the kids today. Susan organised the venue booking and made the birthday cakes while Terri and I made up the party bags (Chinese noodle boxes with pens, stickers, toys and small treats). Rather than one big cake, there was one decorated cupcake for each child, and they were all decorated differently. You can see them at the bottom of the photo.



The party was a great success. We had it at the Everton Park Hotel (for you non-Aussie readers out there, that's a pub!) It doesn't seem like a hotel would be a kid-friendly party venue, but it was fantastic. They have a large fenced playground, video gameroom (more fun for the dads than the kids at this stage), and musical carousel. (You can spot my reflection in the carousel's central post, upper left in the photo.) Anya's favourite spot was the pretend shop. That's her at the cash register and Terri sitting to the left, with Terri's daughter Sienna at the back table and Will as the customer at the right.

Cot Shenanigans

Today I rearranged Anya's room so that she could sleep on a futon on the floor, instead of in her cot (crib). She'd taken really easily to the floor futon while visiting Paul & Teresa so I thought it was a good opportunity to make the change. Besides I'd had the feeling for quite some time that it was the right time to change out of the cot. I actually had to take quite a few pieces of furniture out of the room to make enough room, so I was proud of myself for accomplishing it on my own (with Anya's supervision).

The funny part of the story is that when David came home, he tried to move the cot out of the room. I hadn't been able to do it, so I stranded it near the door. I couldn't figure it out until I remembered that we'd originally moved it in there by removing the door first. (Just that extra inch of squeeze space made all the difference.) David thought, though, that if he just tried hard enough, the cot would squeeze through. All that happened was that the cot got stuck halfway in and halfway out!

Meanwhile, Anya was inside the room (she'd been "showing" David her new room arrangement) and we were outside it, and the wheels had fallen off two of the legs thanks to all the shoving and jiggling... and it was almost bedtime! We performed an emergency door removal and got it all sorted out in time, thank goodness.

Sydney-ho!

We went to Sydney this weekend (for 4 days) to visit Paul & Teresa. They have an apartment in a fantastic position on the water. Every morning I would open up the balcony door and immediately feel relaxed as the sounds of lapping water washed over me. Paul & Teresa also took such good care of us that I felt as if I didn't have a single worry (other than losing at Scrabble).

[for more photos, see my Yahoo! album]

The first morning we were there, we walked along the water to Lavender Bay, then Luna Park, passing through several parks on the way. The weather was beautiful -- sunny and temperate -- perfect for enjoying the harbour. We finished off the outing with lunch at Paul & Teresa's local yum cha restaurant (aka dim sum). When we got back, Paul amazed me by falling asleep with his head, arms and feet hanging over the edge of the bed. My arms would go dead and my head would be pounding from the pooled blood!

The second day (Anya's birthday!) was another beautiful day. We drove into the Blue Mountains to see the Three Sisters, followed by lunch at The Conservation Hut at Wentworth Falls and a quick visit to Mt Tomah Botanic Garden. The garden was definitely the highlight of the day. We got a bit stuck in traffic on the way out of the mountains and had a very stir-crazy Anya to soothe with Wiggles stories, songbooks, and renditions of "Happy Birthday to You!" She *loved* getting serenaded and kept asking for it again and again.

Our last day, we flew back to Brisbane at 2 pm, so Paul took us to Bondi Beach for the morning. I haven't seen a wide tame beach like this since LA. The water was clear bluey green and I regretted not wearing my togs. (I'd thought it would be too cold.) Anya and I played in the sand while the guys bodysurfed. (Teresa had to go to work.)

The plane trip itself went very well. I guess 18 months of taking the train every week had Anya quite used to waiting and sitting and travelling. The only issue was that she didn't like having to be buckled into our laps. This was Anya's first plane trip ever and we'd been telling her all week, "You're going on a plane soon!" She absorbed the story really quickly and was telling all and sundry, "I'm going on a plane! Up high!" She even told everyone she was going to Sydney.

We liked our Qantas flight a lot better than Virgin Airlines. There was more leg room (we were seated right behind business class) and were in a row of two, rather than three, seats. Also, we received a "Freddo Frog" activity pack for Anya and the staff made sure to give her as much service as the adults for food and drink.

Huggy Monster

This has been the week of “I want ____” and “Mine!” (even said while taking something clearly mine, that I was in the middle of using or eating). Also “I need some ice” for every little itch and bump. (Must admit, though, ice does have great powers.)

Last week saw the rise of the “huggy monster” who runs full pelt up to her victim and hugs their legs/arms/etc. She’s also greatly enjoyed going “boo!” and “rarrrr!” while menacing with curled fingers.

Anya's favorite book at the moment is a library book by Terry Pratchett, Where’s My Cow? The main character, Sam Vines (a DiscWorld character) comes home every night to read Where’s My Cow? to his son. Over the course of reading out the story, Sam starts to think how silly you’d have to be to confuse a chicken with a cow. He then alters the story to be Where’s My Daddy? and introduces a number of other DiscWorld characters such as Foul Ole Ron and Coffin’ Henry. Anya loves this idea so much that we play it all the time, even without the book.

Anya spent a day at home with David after the Easter break, because she was getting over a mystery illness (developed a fever with no other symptoms except for a loss of appetite). By the next day, she was back to her normal routine, although still not sleeping or eating completely normally. But I’ve noticed since then that she’s much more willing to do things with David and have him take care of her. It is amazing what one day can do!

She’s also really fond of Karen, the group leader at Kindercraft, and actually cried about not going with her, when I took her home last week. I was astonished, as it’s usually the other way around!

Bad Dream

Anya's been saying lately, "I had a bad dream," when she wakes up. I try to ask her what it was about, but she doesn't know. Then this week she said, "I had a bad dream -- on my arm." David thought this was a hoot...

Boy o boy...

The 20-week scan was this afternoon. We learned that our baby is going to be a boy! I'm feeling a bit scared...

David told Anya tonight, "Mama has a baby boy in her tummy." She responded sceptically, "No..."

David's Cute Anya Story

David has been telling this story to all and sundry with delight this week. Picture him driving home with Anya in the back while the radio plays Alanis Morissette. David is singing along full blast: "You, you, you -- oughtta know-ow..." On the final chorus, he hears from the back: "I know!"

Nice to meet you!

We all went to a barbecue at my boss Stefan’s house this afternoon -- lots of people meeting their partners’ colleagues and families for the first time. There were about six families altogether. Most of the kids (including Anya) were too young to take any notice of each other, and just stayed with their parents. After about three hours, the guests started trickling away. I didn't really pay much attention but Anya must have been... Anya and I were sitting on the bench next to Stefan’s 3-yr-old daughter Elise watching the last family (except us) leave, when Anya turned to Elise, took her hand, and said, “Nice to meet you,” while shaking her hand.

First Scan

We had our first scan today. I had to drink 600 ml of water an hour ahead of time (and hold it). The appointment was for 9 am but I think I didn't get in until 9:45 or 10, so I was in dire straits!

Besides that the scan went really well. Perhaps it was better equipment this time, or just experience, but we could easily interpret what we were seeing compared to our first scan of Anya. Arms moving around, legs bicycling, even the hand rubbing the face (sucking the thumb already?!) The baby kept turning too, but never in the right direction, so the technician had some trouble getting the necessary measurements (back of the neck).

She let me relieve myself (what a relief!) hoping that would prompt the baby to move into a more helpful position. We eventually got the measurements by a combination of the baby moving a little and me lying on a slant. The measured risk result was very good (equivalent to a teenager's baseline) so we are continuing without any invasive testing.

I read somewhere that stronger morning sickness is statistically linked to a higher successful pregnancy rate, so I must console myself with that thought, as I am still not really enjoying eating or drinking. Meanwhile, three mothers in my mothers' group have had second babies already and one other is expecting in six weeks. I wonder who's next?

Koalas to Bandicoots

Today Anya started back at Kindercraft. She's been moved from the Koalas room (babies) to Bandicoots (toddlers). It's another milestone in her growing up! Luckily for us, her natural schedule actually matches the toddlers' eating and sleeping schedule, so the only real difference will be sleeping on a low cot rather than in a crib. I learned at the end of the day that she'd slept an hour, so it seems that the change of sleeping venue didn't worry her at all.

Meanwhile, I'm not working yet this week, but I took the bus out to the University of Queensland, just to see how long it would really take, and familiarise myself with the bus stop location and how to get to the office (located in the Engineering building). It was so strange to be wandering around a campus again. A friendly student escorted me to the Engineering building, and he took me on a shortcut through a building (which I would have no hope of remembering). There is definitely a distinctive university aroma -- is it books? Chalk? Chemicals? Dust?

The Saga Continues

Suffice to say that the fridge still smells (see previous post). David moved it outside, and alternated running it with leaving it open to the elements, all to no avail. After arriving, Don also cleaned it repeatedly and seemed convinced at first that it just needed his efforts to come good. He finally conceded after a week that the smell was not going away. It smells a lot less than when we first came, of couse, but it's still not usable. We lived out of an Esky after Don's family arrived and took over the downstairs unit.

Other than that minor discomfort, the rest of our stay at Peregian was good. The weather became fine by Friday, and Don & Ann Maree arrived on Saturday (30th). Every morning we all went to the beach together, dug a bath-sized hole for Anya to loll in, and swam in the surf. Anya didn't really approach the open water much, but loved digging and running around on the sand. For some reason, running laps around the bath-sized hole while carrying a bucket seemed to be one of her favorite activities. Afterwards she generally had a great big nap, too.

Anya's developed the endearing mannerism of putting her hands on either side of my face and asking intently for something she really wants: "bottle?"

New Year's Eve was pretty quiet. Don & Ann Maree went to their friends' party, leaving Raema in charge downstairs. The kids struggled to stay awake but none of them made it. David and I were both in bed by 9 pm, embarassingly enough.