Happy Birthday Helena!

I am really excited because tomorrow is Ellie's birthday! She is 1 year old! I wasn't here when Ellie arrived, but Mum says it was exciting because it meant I wasn't far away. Mum remembers that Ellie was very small and very beautiful... and she is still small and beautiful, but I think she can do a lot more stuff now.

Left to right: Ellie, July '08, Feb '09, April '09.

So what this means is two things. Firstly, tomorrow I am going to my first ever birthday party! Mum and I are making some cupcakes today to take with us. I don't actually know what cupcakes are but it sounds fun anyway.

Secondly, my birthday is only five weeks away!! We are having a party too, at Grandma and Grandad's house in Emerald Beach. It's supposed to be a low key affair, but if I know Mum she'll get carried away and make it into the social event of the year. Willow and Ryder are coming with Aunty Bec, and Aunty SJ and Coco are coming too. Josie will be there, of course, with Uncle Sam and Aunty Jodie. Oh my goodness, I can barely contain my excitement!!

In the meantime, I have a lot to keep me busy. I have to practise my crawling some more. I don't want to... crawling is SO boring! But Mum says you have to learn to crawl before you walk... or is that walk before you run? Well, either way, apparently there is a procedure I have to follow. All these rule, pfft! The most fun thing in the world is walking around the house holding onto Mum and Dad's fingers until they turn blue. Those silly parents of mine try to refuse, but I manage to convince them every time.

The other day, they brought in a wooden trolley on wheels. It was very nice, I'm sure, but they kept putting it in my way when I was trying to walk. I couldn't understand what they were doing. Why would I want to walk with a trolley when I have them? Weirdos. Dad ended up pushing me around in it for a while which I put up with to keep him happy.

Talking is fun too, though I haven't ventured past "Mum" and "Dad" yet. I just wanted to master those two before I moved onto more complicated vocabulary. I do however make lots of squealing, yelping, cat-with-furballs type of noises, all with their own meaning. Mum and Dad get me, so that's all that matters.

Lots of love,
Amelia Joan.
xxx

Bathtime

Hi everyone,

Crawling is my main focus at the moment. I can commando crawl across the lounge now. I still don't really like it, and complain when Dad makes me crawl instead of picking me up, but I am starting to realise the benefits. For example, I can now get my hands on that wine rack I've had my eye on, and all the cords behind the TV are no longer a pipe dream!

A couple of weeks ago we went up to Grandma and Grandad's for Easter. Uncle Sam and Aunty Jodie were there with Josie and I was so excited to see her. I also saw Willow and Ryder and Aunty Bec. We had a lovely time. It was a bit strange being somewhere new, but I tried to be adaptable. The best thing was that Mum, Dad and I all slept in the same room, so I tried to wake up as early as possible so we could all play together. They were really happy about that.

Last week, Mum and I went on a (very small) plane to a place called Broken Hill, which is where Mummy lived when she was a baby. I met a LOT of people, who all seemed to love me a lot. Grandma and Grandad were there too and we had a great time.

I missed Daddy though. When I saw him at the airport, I was so excited! I didn't say anything except "dad, dad, dad" for the next 24 hours so he knew how much I missed him. I now can say "mum, mum, mum" too, which Mum is very happy about!

On Sunday, we had a great day! Mum and Dad took me to a place called a playground and I went on a swing for the first time. What an amazing invention that it!!



Hope you're all well and happy.

Lots of love,
Amelia.
xxx

I know I've said this before, but the past month has been an incredible developmental stage for me ('mental' being the significant part of that word!). In looks and abilities, I have changed so much, so quickly, Mum and Dad can't quite believe it. Probably most significantly, my hair has grown and people are not calling me a boy as much any more. Lucky, as Mum had started to get a complex and began dressing me in pink! Thank goodness that didn't last!

OK, so I am not quite crawling, but I am certainly giving it a good shot. I still get quite frustrated on my tummy, especially when Dad is using the iPhone as bait (boy I love that iPhone!), but I can pivot around and sometimes even drag myself forwards.

What I can also do, is say "dad!". Dad is very pleased. Sometimes it sounds like "dead!" but perhaps I am channeling a NZ ancestor. Mostly my soliloquies go something like this: "Dad! Dadadadadad (raspberry), bubububub, dead! dead! Dad!, aaababababaaaaa, yyaaaaaaaay (squeal!!!!!!)" I am very eloquent. I also like to sing along with Mum when she sings songs to me. I bounce up and down and hum along to the music. Sometimes I even play my piano. Perhaps I am channeling Mozart?

I get to play music and sing when I go to Babies Into Books (BIBs) at the local library with my friends. Ellie comes too, as do most of my friends from mother's group. We have so much fun! Although people often come up to me a steal my bells when I am ringing them. I am being bullied because I can't crawl, but mark my words, there will be vengence. Just give me a few weeks!!

Happy days... and nights!!

Hello friends and family,

Hope you are all doing well. We are all fantastic here! I have discovered something called sleep! Mum says not to get too excited - things do change - but I think secretly she is celebrating the fact that I am sleeping from 7pm until 7am every night. It has been lovely for everyone. I am still managing about 3-4 hours of naps during the day too, so Mum is enjoying some time to do things other than hang out with me. I don't know why she would want that, personally, but hey, each to their own.

I have nothing else too exciting to tell you right now. Life is just a happy blur of swimming, eating, going to the beach and playing with Mum and Dad. Oh, and saying 'bababa'. That's my activity du jour. So instead of writing you a long blog, I thought I'd add a long video of me... just being me. If it doesn't play below, click this link to watch it on You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8l419ApZbk

(Yes, I know, I am only 8 months old, but I am very tech savvy!)

Lots of love,
Milly
xxx

PS: If you are wondering about the picture above, yes, it was that cold in Sydney a couple of weekends ago. We've had the full spectrum of weather this summer!

Water Baby!

With up to 40 degree temperatures here in Sydney, there really has been nothing worth doing except getting in the water. I have been loving it!! Mum first took me in the pool at my friend from mother's group Charlie's house. Mum wasn't sure if I would like it, but what's not to like? It was like a giant bath, plus all my friends were there. Fantastic! Since then, we have been to the pools at Colloroy and Dee Why nearly every day.

Of course, not all my water experiences have been fun. I was having a wash in the laundry sink a few nights ago (saves Mum and Dad's backs!) when I slipped under the water. Daddy grabbed my arm but it slipped and I was under for about two seconds. Mum said it felt like a lifetime, which seems a little dramatic to me. Anyway, Dad pulled me right out of the water and tipped me upside down while Mum whacked my back. I don't know what they thought they were doing!! I was fine! Cold and dizzy from being upside down of course, but otherwise fine. I got back in the sink, gave them both a reassuring smile and got back to the business of sucking on the flannel. My parents can be very strange sometimes. The next night when I got in the sink there was a rubber mat under my bum. A bit uncomfortable, but hey, as long as there is a flannel to suck on, I don't mind what I have to endure.

To calm nerves and build confidence (Mum and Dad's, not mine!), we started swimming lessons today at the Brooke Withers Swim School. There were lots of kids in the pool, most of them with their daddies. Mum thinks it's nice that it's a 'Dad' thing to do, and I think so too. Our instructor, Rosemary, was very nice and liked to have a cuddle, but she also liked to push me and my new friends under the water! It was a bit bewildering, but I didn't mind it too much. Dad was a bit scared and tried to only pretend to put me under when he thought Rosemary wasn't looking, but she saw him and made him do it properly. He is such a scaredy-cat, but Rosemary and I made him feel brave and we did it a few times. Mum just sat on the side of the pool, taking 106 photos when she wasn't covering her eyes during the scary bits.

I am off for lunch and a nap now. I am exhausted!! All this swimming really takes it out of you.

Happy New Year!!!

Well, there is really no excuse for not writing for so long, except that I have been particularly busy, what with growing and developing this past month. But with a new year upon us, I resolve to blog regularly! I have lots of pictures and videos to share with you, so I hope that makes up for my negligence.

(See? Look how cute I am in this picture. Doesn't that just make you want to forgive me immediately?)

A while ago now, I made the amazing discovery that I can control things! If I kicked my legs in my bassinet (my old bed - I'm in the big cot in my own room now!), I could make my mobile move. If I swipe at my turtle toy hard enough, it sings a song. And if I cough like I am choking, Mum and Dad will pay attention to me. I can forsee lots of fun with that! I am now able to grab things nearby and pull them towards me (like Dad's teacup) and pass objects from one hand to another. Life is becoming so much more interesting!

I have been having lots of fun with Mum and Dad lately. We like to tickle each other and slobber on each others faces. OK, well, they tickle me, and I do the slobbering, but it's all good fun. We lie on the floor and laugh and joke around. I love it! We also do some serious stuff, like rolling. I am very good at rolling from my front to my back. I can get from my back to my front, but somehow manage to get my arm trapped every time. Very frustrating!

Recently, I have learned to sit up on my own. Mum and Dad have to stay close to me, because sometimes I am still a bit unsteady but I am getting pretty good at it. Lucky, too, as Mum bought me a highchair, which is much more comfortable if I am able to sit up! When I am in the highchair, Mum and Dad, and even Grandma, have been giving me some weird stuff which goes in my mouth. They said it's called 'food'. I am not sure what to do with it, but it is not unpleasant. In fact, I quite like it. Mainly I just move it around my mouth and stick my fingers in it. It's messy but fun!

Last week, we went on a plane again, this time to see Aunty Jodie and Uncle Sam in Brisbane. They had a great surprise for me: a cousin!!! She is called Josie and she is much littler than me, but apparently we are the same age and everyone seems very happy about that. I thought she was beautiful, but she didn't do much. She seemed to just sleep all the time. I think maybe she was tired from working a lot, because I heard her mummy say something about long labour. Anyway, I think we will be the best of friends soon.


While we were in Brisbane, we stayed in an apartment with Grandma and Grandad all week. It was great to go for walks with them every morning. One day, we also went to see Mum's aunty and uncle, Chris and Dave. Everyone kept saying 'merry Christmas', and wearing silly hats, I think to keep me entertained. The best thing was I was given lots of pretty paper to grab, tear and chew. It was a fun day.



Hope you are all well. Mum and Dad and I wish you a happy 2009. Keep checking the blog - I promise there will be more regular updates from now on.

Love,
Milly. xxx