Cherub

Today I took a walk in my lunchbreak, through a park next to my work. It was sunny, but I could smell a familiar dampness emanating from the bush that signified that rain had recently fallen. The gravel crunched pleasingly under my sneakers and several tuis were warbling busily. I watched as one sang on, the cottonwool quivering beneath its beak, oblivious to my presence for a moment, before spying me and flitting to the safety of a further branch. To complete the tranquility, a hidden stream merrily babbled, as streams do. Felt quite meditative. I don't often do this without my children and it was refreshing to not speak to anyone.

It has been a while since I managed to get myself sorted to blog. I have celebrated our birthday since then, and my dear twin has spent 10 days here with me - oh what shopping we did do! Unfortunately for her, the last 5 days of her holiday Bella was ill with gastroenteritis and this consumed a lot of my time and energy [cleaning up all the vomit and poo...]. My twin was extremely good about that and just the most helpful person I could have asked for. A BIG THANK YOU!!! Now she has returned to the land of Oz and I am planning my trip to go visit her there later in the year. I have a few misgivings about leaving the kids alone with their Dad for a week though. Shall just have to get over it - what's the worst he can do??!?! [Don't answer that - I don't want to know!]

BTW, when I show Bella this photo of herself she calls it 'bubba' and looks quite bemused when I tell her it is herself! 

Counting down the days

Bella has survived her first week at daycare [all two days of it!] and I feel hopeful that she will be good from now on. Not that I don't expect angst from her at drop-off time of course. I'm sure she feels it is her duty to make me feel guilty at dumping her while I swan off on my own and do adult stuff.

Anyway I am hanging out to hang out with my Sydney sis - and she'll be flying in in only a few more days...yippee! Bella said her name quite clearly yesterday so that's cool. Bella is popping out all sorts of words now - she learned 'shadow' and now pipes up with this every time she spots her own one. So clever. I love the way toddlers have unique personalities - this never fails to fascinate and surprise me, cos they are so little and barely speaking [English that is] and yet they have so many little 'ways' already. Bella cocks her head to one side and raises her hands in a questioning gesture as if she requires an answer from me. People who don't know her often comment on how clever she is to be walking, etc, as if she is a lot younger than her 18 months. I know she's little, but not that little surely!?

Keeping Bell Happy

In a few days Bella will start officially at a local childcare centre, for two days a week [their minimum]. She has spent a few half-days there over the last week, to help settle her in, at which time she refused to eat the lunches they offered, nor sleep for very long. Not a promising start, but it can only get better, right?!? She was really pissed off with me when I left her each time, but was notably happier when I returned to collect her. Helps assuage my guilt at dumping her there and scurrying off to the gym... of course I'll be scurrying off to work instead this week.

In this photo she is clutching a bowl that she was banging with a spoon and nearby is her bucket which she fills with toys and carts around the house. She is nearly 18 months old now, and still has only 5 teeth...I look every day for more but no luck so far. A friend has pointed out [on more than one occasion] that she has quite large teeth, to which I reply that they fit her perfectly. When you think about it, a baby's teeth need to be a bit largish as they keep them for several years and a big 6-year-old with tiny teeth looks a bit odd. 

Sunday Fun Day

Lockie kindly let me photograph him on his brand new physio table. It's a massage table too, as the guy who made it mentioned when he dropped it off last week. That explains the face hole at one end [Lockie thinks it's pretty funny!]

He was real keen to have his physio for the first few days, and even wanted it more than twice a day. Of course, this hasn't lasted and he is back to moaning about it like normal. It folds up neatly and we leave it in the hall, although today Bella managed to pull it over on herself which gave her quite a fright. It's pretty heavy so I squeezed her limbs to feel for broken bones but luckily she was fine. Apparently babies are born with 300 bones, and by adulthood they only have 206. [Thanks to Libra for this handy info.]

Today Lockie's school had a fair ["Fun Day"] and he and I cruised down there and had a great time. He tried out several of the attractions - lucky dip, 10-pin bowling, merry-go-round, bouncy castle, gumboot toss, candle-dipping, jeeps [he drove and I helped and we both giggled a lot!], and tile smash - he knocked down all 4 plates and got several small prizes and was very very proud of himself. Later we had saussies from a BBQ and fudge from a sweet stall. All typical Kiwi school gala stuff and I only spent $20! Not that we came away with much, but it was loads of fun for both of us.

Later today Fraz took Lockie out for tea and they came home with "Maybe Tomorrow" single from Goldenhorse on CD. Lockie's school is learning this song and he sings it at home often. Now Fraz is going to teach him how to play it on his guitar. Gotta feeling Lockie is going to follow in his Dad's musical footsteps...