Babies Born June 2006 #50

[Smoke Jaguar]

Great news, Rory! Sounds exactly like what you needed for your mojo
Just had old friends over and it was ace to have people around again (Bath, we're emerging from CHAOS!), especially people I'm really fond of and haven't seen for ages. It was great to have them see Oscar, too - weird that people who mean so much to me have seen Oscar twice since he was born...it means I'm too busy! Time to scale back on some things and to do some hard pruning.
I took Oscar today to a riding club rally and he was delighted, saying 'horse' all the time and pointing them out. He's been such a beautiful little scallywag lately - stripping down to nothing, playing with playdoh, playing with the dogs, in his sandpit, in the utensil drawers. He's missing MIL, too - keeps asking for her...Tasmania is just not a concept he gets right now!
Soon enough my exam for the semester will be over and it can be me and him again, just enjoying each other. Some days he'll have a feed every couple of hours, some he'll go almost all day without one, but overnight he'll snack two or three times, so he's not self-weaning any time soon Man, I just love him, he's awesome.
Mel - how does it feel to be back in Melb?! We've got the heater on (solid fuel heater for those who didn't know that's our only source of heating!), aromatherapy throughout the house (as in, air fresheners, linen spray, dishwashing liquid, surface cleaner, electric burner) and I've been baking and cooking a few things from my Edmonds Cookery Book (a famous NZ cook book) and my Tupperware Cook Some More, so I'm loving this cool weather! And I'm loving looking out my window to see rain falling. I just need to finish this assignment and life will be peachy again!
Hope all mummies are well and that Mothers Day was nice. DP took us to the beach for a walk, near Hastings, cos that's what I wanted - fish and chips by the jetty, yum!
Oscar has really turned a corner with childcare - he waves me goodbye, says the kids' names at home, goes to sleep for them sometimes (!!) and doesn't throw himself to the ground when I collect him. They love him there. They're having a staffing change soon, which means the one lady who is there on both of his days (she works 3 days a week) won't be there on either of the days he's there She's the only one who's name he'll say!
He's also coming along in his Spanish - he understands a lot more than he can say. He says nouns here and there and he'll respond to instructions given to him in Spanish. I was reading a couple of great papers about bilinguilism and I've decided to extend my Spanish speaking beyond the 'home contract' and speak in public places, and even with non-Spanish speaking friends as much as I can. I'm doing this mainly because I'm the only regular Spanish speaker in his life. My mum doesn't even get to see him weekly and we have childcare on the day that a Spanish speaking playgroup is run in Mitcham. So, hearing it at home only is not going to be enough. My Spanish has improved heaps the more I use it, too - it's like all the language I absorbed from my mum and family friends while growing up is coming out of the vault in my brain that it was stored in!
Ok, better get some other things done before the kid wakes - he's having an increasingly rare day sleep.

[MelS]

I'm back!

I can't believe how quiet it's been since I've been away. Where is everyone????

Julie - sounds like a perfect mothers day staying in your pj's all day, love it! Party sounds like lots of fun, hope your fridge has more room now. Will sounds like he is getting the hang of TT pretty well, I think second kids get a good idea of what they are supposed to do. We've had Marley on the toilet and she thinks its hilarious. No action yet though. But everytime one of us goes, she follows us and says "wee wees". Gotta love ebay! I used to do that when getting rid of Chelsea's things and it was no use keeping alot of stuff as it would take far too long for her to fit into it. Have fun shopping. The nanny was awesome, wish I could have one.

Rory - Congratulations on the new job, how exciting and well done to you. Sounds like a perfect fit for you and the family. When do you start? How is Ollie going, haven't seen any new pics for a while?

Maya - coming back was a shock! Got home last night and just about froze getting off the plane. Marley has been in tshirts for 11 days so I think she got a shock too! I do love the sunny weather of Brisbane. I had such a good run, only rained 2 days and not for that long. Most days were 25 and it was beautiful. Back to reality though. Bet you can't wait for exams to be over. It's so great when you really enjoy your kids, I had the best time spending quality, fun time with Marley. Oscar is such a character, I know where he get it from lol!! Your mothers day sounds fun, your pics on FB were great. Sounds like the Spanish is going well, it's amazing how they can pick up another language so quickly. He'll be watching and understanding Dora the Explorer soon lol!!!

My trip was fantastic. Had a brilliant Mothers Day (apart from missing Chelsea), we spent it with my GF family and her DH's family in a beautiful kids park with chicken, champagne and prawns! The kids had a ball playing in the various playgrounds. Daredevil Marley was the only one game enough to go on the big slide. The nanny was fantastic, Marley thought she was wonderful and gave my GF and I a chance to go out and she showed me some wonderful places. We even did high tea, which I have been wanting to do for ages (it was so delicious!!!!). Went out for dinner twice and the other nights we cooked up a storm (both of us love cooking), and drank far too much wine lol!! It was so nice to be greeted at the airport by my beautiful girl who was shreaking when I came out the door, she ran up and just about bowled me over. Marley was going crazy when she saw DH and ran to him giggling her head off. She is now getting him to do everything, bath her and take her to bed. He did an amazing job of looking after Chelsea and the house, it was so clean when I got home and he said he enjoyed it so much that I should make the Brisbane trip and yearly thing! Gotta love him, he's amazing.

Back to work tomorrow and not looking forward to rising early in this chilly weather.

It's great to be back

[MelS]

Where is everyone?????

I've never seen it this quiet, maybe you are all hibernating from this freezing weather

[Jesswith6]

HAppy Birthday Pat

Well, I've been busy trying to get a 8 seater because I'm sick and tired of never taking the kids anywhere. Had their portrait taken today but wasn't very happy with it..

Hugs to all bubs and mums

[nickers]

yay Happy 2nd birthday patrick!!
did he have a good day?? i bet he got spoilt from all his brothers and sisters!

I think dh and i need to make a point of using pls and thank u more often then cause honestly if i sat there and refused to give Nixon something until he said it we'd never get anywhere!

just like at swimming atm. seems to have gone downhill, he likes going but then when we start doing things he carries on. he has become real clingly, apparently its a stage a lot go through but i would have to say its been going on for 6months now.
the last last week was diff and one pat they have to push themselves up to get out of the pool then walk across a mat and dive in to us.
nixon has never done it. he always ends up getting placed at the edge of the mat cause he drops on the mat and cries.
and getting out of the water nup. he just leans over the edge and watches the water going down the drain. she said to me that instead of helping him up i should keep him there.
ok so for how long??? we were there a good 5 mins ever other kid did the routine 3 times over and there is nixon still looking at the water going down the drain, refusing to pull himself out......

he has started saying a few more words which is cute. they are finally getting a bit clearer too.

house is coming along. well not really we've done all the ripping out and now getting trades in to work on it. we move in in about 5-6weeks.
she goes back to work tomorrow had 2 weeks off and then flies to Thailand for a work confrence for a week.

i better get to bed if i am got get up at 5.30am and go excercising....
good night

[Jesswith6]

Nic...I suppose he had a good day, it's so hard for them to understand when they are so young. He spent the morning playing with his new trucks with his brothers and sisters and then spent the whole afternoon up in Albury, as we had a professional photo done at the Portrait Place. I'm not really 100% happy with the photos, so I just decided to take my free photo and look elsewhere for another photo to be done. Lucky my next door neighbour is a photographer.

Mayaness- I noticed you left me a message on FB so I thought I would thank you for thinking about me. We are all ok, just extremely busy. Dh works every Friday and every second Thursday and well I'm always doing something around town.
It's coming up to Winery Walkabout Weekend here and the school is running a hot potato stall in the main street so I'll be working down there all Sunday, plus we have been organizing places for the MIL from hell to stay when she arrives on the 3rd June( can't you tell I'm thrilled about her coming!)

Pat is really good with his manners, I think it is mainly because the older children are always using their manners though. He has a wide range of words now but it mostly is still gobbedly gook. Tantrums are his specialty though, he manages to throw one nearly every time we get in the car and it usually takes two people to convince him that sitting down is in his best interests! Mum tried the throwing "snow" (rose petals) on him and that worked until all the rose petals disappeared and now we have to find something else to distract him.

The new house is fantastic. We look out over the hills and on a clear day you can just see falls creek.
I can't wait till the snow finally comes and I can see it just sitting on the mountains. Bangers loves it here, he has a much bigger yard and he spends 90% of his time outdoors.
Well, I had better leave it here as BugaLugs has just wandered out of his bedroom.

[Smoke Jaguar]

Birthday season is upon us! Happy Birthday Pat!
I spent the weekend with my parents in the country, for my mum's birthday. In two weeks it's my dad's birthday, then a barrage of kids birthdays, not to mention the kids in my non-BB circle!! Oh, and a small matter of an exam that I really need to study for...
I'm in a strange headspace ATM - partly because I'm really missing Ireland and all the emotional connections I have there. I think it's a 6 months-post-visit syndrome. I hope. And I hope it passes, cos it will be a while before I'm in a position to get back! Plus, I really want to go to Honduras and visit my mum's family again before we do another Ireland trip. I want Oscar to be immersed in Spanish-speaking life!
Jess - Oscar is starting to be clearer in his enunciation, too. His jabbering is becoming clearer so that sometimes I don't even realise he's been copying what I'm saying and I forget to pay attention - he was 'jabbering' away before I realised he was saying 'cool kid'...I was calling him that a couple of minutes earlier cos he was wearing his sunglasses!
He's going to take a couple of days to adjust from the weekend. He was awake the whole trip back last night, calling for 'Ma' and 'Bau' (he calls my mum 'Ma' cos I do! And he pronounces the Spanish 'Abuelo' to 'Bau') and their dog, Herbie, interchangeably with Daddy and Coco (Odin had come with us and was in the car, getting diggers thrown at him!). Dropping him off at childcare was sad. He was walking us both to the door to leave and talking about Ma and Bau
Also, have any other Junie babies started role playing yet? I imagine those with siblings would do that sooner than eldest children? Oscar was role playing putting my parents to 'bed' yesterday and tucking them in. I don't know if I'm too busy at home to notice, or if he was just starting to do it over last weekend, but it was definite role playing and imaginative play. I hope I haven't been to 'busy' to notice him role playing at home.
Better get back to study. Not long till my exam and there is so much to cram!
hope everyone is well and you all had lovely weekends, ripping down walls, celebrating birthdays etc!