Swinging in the sun

Time as a family is doing us all some good. Check out the delight that swinging in the sun with Daddy brought this little girl...

Happy Leap Day!

Collecting sea shells

After a long walk to find the beach that we could hear around our accommodation, we finally found the entrance to Beach No 5. While AJ and I arrived a little tired from the long, lost walk (we had no map), Sienna arrived fresh as a daisy relaxing in her pram protected from the elements.

So after we had carried the pram down several flights of steep steps, it was a very excited Sienna that we picked up and planted on the soft cool sand. That is when the sea shells caught her eye...and it was a frenzy of collecting them from then on. Except for one small problem. She wouldn't relinquish any of the shells in her hands to free herself up to collect more - no matter how many times I offered to take them so she could. So with little smiles on our faces we obeserved as Sienna tried desperately to pick up that elusive fourth shell that she couldn't fit into her already full fists.

Stubborn and independant is this Little One. I have no idea where it came from...

Unwinding: with a little help from his girl

Who knew that 9kgs on your shoulders could feel so good?

Quick Escape

AJ has been feeling stressed of late, so I hatched a plan and we made a quick escape to Venus Bay for a few days of quiet family time. We slept, ate, walked, soaked up the sunshine, breathed in some fresh sea air, sat and observed nature and enjoyed watching Sienna explore her new surroundings. It was much needed bliss.

When I say we "observed nature" it is more that nature brought itself to our back door where we flipped out in excitement and trepidation to see kangaroos so up close. The pics tell the story.

She Walks!

Our little girl took her first steps today...and never looked back. She has walked all day. Aunty Alisa stayed the night last night to help me prepare for a family lunch we hosted today. While we were lazily eating breakfast and chatting on the lounge room floor Little Miss began to walk between us. Then passed us. Then around us. And into the next room. And so it was for the rest of the day.

While I am so happy for Sienna that she has achieved this little milestone...I am also very excited by the longer sleeps she's had due to all the new physical activity!

(photo taken a couple of weeks after her walking debut)

Feeling creative

I probably shouldn't say this for fear of jinxing myself...but I think I'm getting my creative mojo back. This is something I did for our bathroom wall. I felt it needed something colourful in an otherwise beige and white room.

Romantic getaway...

AJ and I enjoyed our first night away together since having Sienna. I was in major control freak mode ensuring that I'd anticipated Sienna's every need over the next 24 hours and provided for them. Her dinner was prepared, her breakfast was ready, snacks organised, general daily menu summarised for my mum's ease, post it notes on Tupperware containers in the fridge with what meal it is and how long it needs to be microwaved. Quite appalling how controlling it all was...but handing my baby girl over to someone else to care for her in my absence (even my own mother) was a bit of a wrench.

Fast forward to our arrival at Chateau Yering and all was nearly forgotten. The best suite in the place, Shiraz and aperitifs on arrival, the best table at Eleanore's restaurant, an extra entree to enjoy courtesy of the chef (his current favourite dish), dessert brought to our room after dinner. Biggest balcony and best view of the place (so we were told...and we believed them!). All this because AJ knew one of the families that owns the Chateau and I knew the Head Chef at Eleanore's restaurant - Mathew Macartney. Yay for us!!!

In short: we came, we ate, we drank, we made eye contact during conversations...we actually had conversations, we cuddled, we left. We loved it. Highly recommend the venue for anyone looking for a romantic getaway.

The Play centre

Today we ventured out to our first ever play centre. Hmmmm. Not sure about these places. Being a first time mum I naively thought it's a fun place where parents and kids play. You know at the "Play Centre". No. It's where children play and parents sit back on their butts drinking latte's and hot chips while I pull unsupervised 2 and 3 year olds off my child.

It took about 4 repeats of this sentence "I know you like her, but please don't drag her along by her arm. She can't walk yet" (picture Sienna lying on the floor with her arm up in the air...attached to a 2-ish year old) before a mother appeared - seemingly out of nowhere. Once we established that she doesn't mind me telling her child off when I become uncomfortable with what she's doing to mine ("She thinks your baby is her doll" - Aargh!), the mother left again, swallowed up by the sea of other mothers sitting at tables chatting animatedly.

Sienna had a ball. We both left the place a bit sweaty from all of the activity. I was less impressed.

Things that go bump in the night

I am getting weird looks at the supermarket at the moment...because Sienna has a black eye. Although I feel sorry for her, I refuse to feel bad about it because it happened so freakishly that I couldn't have anticipated it occuring.

Last night at around 6.30pm - Sienna's tired clumsy time - I was watching her crawl around the kitchen floor, as she does, and before my very eyes her arms buckled under her and she tipped forward and landed eye first into the pointed corner of our skirting boards. If I hadn't seen it myself I wouldn't have believed it. It is actually difficult to do. And my Sienna managed it perfectly. Black eye and all!