25 August 2008
23 August 2008
Hurt Paw
Julia absolutely loves playing with my parents' cats. 
And she is in heaven because they have 4 of them! One of them, Sprite, is still around from my childhood, and after the torture she went through with my putting her in doll's clothes and stuffing her into high chairs and my Cozy Coupe car, she's pretty tolerant now of Julia. Frankie, on the other hand, has never been around a child and doesn't really know how to handle being poked and prodded and chased. Frankie will do anything to get inside (and stay there) but the other day he opted to go out in the pouring rain rather than deal with the high energy 2-year-old indoors! 
However, Julia has been really sweet to the 'titties' as she calls them (I have to quickly say, "yes, that's a kitty-cat' when we're out in public, so there's no confusion to strangers), and when Frankie limped up to the door with a swollen paw, Julia was very concerned.
Poor Frankie was too hurt to protest her "doctoring" and sat in the chair while Julia put a towel full of ice on his paw (because in her world, ice is the cure-all...whenever she bumps or scrapes something, she says, "ice helps").
And she is in heaven because they have 4 of them! One of them, Sprite, is still around from my childhood, and after the torture she went through with my putting her in doll's clothes and stuffing her into high chairs and my Cozy Coupe car, she's pretty tolerant now of Julia. Frankie, on the other hand, has never been around a child and doesn't really know how to handle being poked and prodded and chased. Frankie will do anything to get inside (and stay there) but the other day he opted to go out in the pouring rain rather than deal with the high energy 2-year-old indoors! 
However, Julia has been really sweet to the 'titties' as she calls them (I have to quickly say, "yes, that's a kitty-cat' when we're out in public, so there's no confusion to strangers), and when Frankie limped up to the door with a swollen paw, Julia was very concerned.
Poor Frankie was too hurt to protest her "doctoring" and sat in the chair while Julia put a towel full of ice on his paw (because in her world, ice is the cure-all...whenever she bumps or scrapes something, she says, "ice helps").
22 August 2008
Afternoon at the Zoo
We had a great day out with Nana and G-da at the Jackson Zoo. 
Despite a sudden downpour in the middle of our outing that left us drenched, we were able to see lots of animals (which meant lots of new words for Julia!). 
The elephants were particularly popular and so was the gift shop where Julia picked up pretty much everyitem in the store and tried to convince G-da that she really needed it all while I tried to convince him that she didn't. 
My favorite thing on our zoo trip was not one of the animals but something I saw on the drive in. For those of you who don't live in or know Jackson, a note about the drive into the zoo. It's not in the best part of town (actually, it's in just about the worst part of town).
Driving there you leave the nice parts of Jackson, go through the slightly dilapidated parts, and continue into the really, really, bad area where every other house is boarded up (either to signal its status as "condemned" or simply to keep things out where windows have been broken and never replaced...or both) and house numbers/gang signs/"do not enter"/etc. are spray painted directly onto the walls of the houses. 
[I know y'all are now questioning my parenting that I would take small children through all this, but it is a fun zoo and we all went there as kids and somehow survived]. 
Anyway, on this wonderfully scenic drive to the zoo there is one building still fairly in tact that instead of graffiti is painted with big clowns & teddy bears. This building proudly announced itself as the "ROMPER FUNK FUNTIME CHILDCARE CENTER". Complete with bars on the window and a big smiling concrete teddy bear at the door.
So if anyone's looking for a new daycare centre...
Despite a sudden downpour in the middle of our outing that left us drenched, we were able to see lots of animals (which meant lots of new words for Julia!). 
The elephants were particularly popular and so was the gift shop where Julia picked up pretty much everyitem in the store and tried to convince G-da that she really needed it all while I tried to convince him that she didn't. My favorite thing on our zoo trip was not one of the animals but something I saw on the drive in. For those of you who don't live in or know Jackson, a note about the drive into the zoo. It's not in the best part of town (actually, it's in just about the worst part of town).
Driving there you leave the nice parts of Jackson, go through the slightly dilapidated parts, and continue into the really, really, bad area where every other house is boarded up (either to signal its status as "condemned" or simply to keep things out where windows have been broken and never replaced...or both) and house numbers/gang signs/"do not enter"/etc. are spray painted directly onto the walls of the houses. 
[I know y'all are now questioning my parenting that I would take small children through all this, but it is a fun zoo and we all went there as kids and somehow survived]. Anyway, on this wonderfully scenic drive to the zoo there is one building still fairly in tact that instead of graffiti is painted with big clowns & teddy bears. This building proudly announced itself as the "ROMPER FUNK FUNTIME CHILDCARE CENTER". Complete with bars on the window and a big smiling concrete teddy bear at the door.
So if anyone's looking for a new daycare centre...
20 August 2008
A few pics from around the house
Liam's almost figured out how to crawl...I'll try to post a video soon.
Tickle time!
Julia got a new Mickey Mouse DVD from G-da
17 August 2008
1st Foods
Liam is finally starting solid foods. I'd planned to start solids while we are in Mississippi. 
Julia started at about 5months, but Liam just didn't seem ready. But a couple of weeks, I took Liam in for a doctor's appointment, and she scolded me for not starting solids yet. So I dutifully followed her advice and started with rice cereal. Liam was not pleased. Three "meals" of rice cereal. Three spit ups of rice cereal. Can't say I blame him, the stuff is pretty blah. 
I thought he might like sweet potato better, so I cook, strained, & pureed some for him. Full-body shiver of disgust. A look of horror at the mushy orange stuff I'd just put in his mouth. And, of course, all of it was promptly spit up. Nearly a week of this reaction to every food I tried, so I abandoned the effort temporarily. Should have stuck to my instinct in the first place.
Yesterday I decided to try again, and Liam sat on the kitchen counter while I stewed and pureed pears, butternut squash, and apples in separate dishes for a smorgasbord of new tastes.
I had the rice cereal on hand, and decided to give him a little taste again. Full body shiver, but less spit up. We're making progress. The pears were a hit. I still got a funny look as I spooned the puree into his mouth, but instead of horror it was just a look of mild confusion followed by mild approval, "Ok, Mom, now you're on to something with this pear stuff." The squash, much like the sweet potato, was flatly rejected. Maybe orange vegetables just aren't his thing. At least this time we'd managed the whole endeavor (2 "meals") without regurgitating it all. Progress.
Late last night when Liam was awake (again) and seeming restless and hungry, I decided to try something new. The Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder (I'll get a photo later...for some reason Blogger's not letting me put in the web link). What a great product! I filled it with frozen banana slices, and he loved it!! Seriously, this is the same guy who actually looked offended that I had dared to give him a banana a couple of weeks ago, and last night he ate almost the entire thing. Great for teething too!
Julia started at about 5months, but Liam just didn't seem ready. But a couple of weeks, I took Liam in for a doctor's appointment, and she scolded me for not starting solids yet. So I dutifully followed her advice and started with rice cereal. Liam was not pleased. Three "meals" of rice cereal. Three spit ups of rice cereal. Can't say I blame him, the stuff is pretty blah. I thought he might like sweet potato better, so I cook, strained, & pureed some for him. Full-body shiver of disgust. A look of horror at the mushy orange stuff I'd just put in his mouth. And, of course, all of it was promptly spit up. Nearly a week of this reaction to every food I tried, so I abandoned the effort temporarily. Should have stuck to my instinct in the first place.Yesterday I decided to try again, and Liam sat on the kitchen counter while I stewed and pureed pears, butternut squash, and apples in separate dishes for a smorgasbord of new tastes.
I had the rice cereal on hand, and decided to give him a little taste again. Full body shiver, but less spit up. We're making progress. The pears were a hit. I still got a funny look as I spooned the puree into his mouth, but instead of horror it was just a look of mild confusion followed by mild approval, "Ok, Mom, now you're on to something with this pear stuff." The squash, much like the sweet potato, was flatly rejected. Maybe orange vegetables just aren't his thing. At least this time we'd managed the whole endeavor (2 "meals") without regurgitating it all. Progress.Late last night when Liam was awake (again) and seeming restless and hungry, I decided to try something new. The Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder (I'll get a photo later...for some reason Blogger's not letting me put in the web link). What a great product! I filled it with frozen banana slices, and he loved it!! Seriously, this is the same guy who actually looked offended that I had dared to give him a banana a couple of weeks ago, and last night he ate almost the entire thing. Great for teething too!
The Day After Jetlag
I jinxed myself. This is how I started this post....
[It's 7:40pm and both of my children are in bed (separate beds...without me in there too). It might not sound like much. In fact, it's exactly how the world should be for a 2 yr old and (almost) 6 month old, but after two horrendous nights of jetlag (complete with Liam's flat out refusal to even lie down for a minute in his crib, Julia's now-perfected 2-yr-old tantrums at 2am, and two nights of only partially sleeping while crammed in a double bed with both of the little squirmers and all of their loveys and dolls), it's an amazing feat!]
But then I stopped to have supper, the kids woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep till midnight, and 12 hours later i'm just now getting back to posting. Gotta love jetlag.
But onto better things...our trip so far:
Our first day was wonderfully relaxing just being at home, watching Liam practice his crawling (he gets up on all fours, rocks back and forth, then propels himself forward in a sort of belly-flop) while Julia re-discovered her toys here and played with her new ones too. Nana had a hair appointment in the afternoon, and Julia & Liam & I went to Broadstreet (great bakery) and had chocolate chip cookies and then played at Lemuria (bookstore with a neat children's area) while we waited for her.
Julia loved Broadstreet especially! We were sitting in a booth across from eachother, and she held up her drink and said, "Cheers! Party!" Liam liked crawling around the children's part of Lemuria but got frustrated when I wouldn't let him eat all the books.
Yesterday we had a great visit from my friend Katy and her daughter Annabelle. They live in Memphis but were visiting her parents for the weekend, and it was fun to catch up and see our little ones playing together. Well, not together really, but side-by-side. Annabelle's not quite old enough to be interested in playing with other children, and Julia wasn't keen enough on sharing to really get Annabelle involved in any of the toys she was playing with.
But cute nevertheless, and they kept busy around eachother while Katy & I got to chat.
[It's 7:40pm and both of my children are in bed (separate beds...without me in there too). It might not sound like much. In fact, it's exactly how the world should be for a 2 yr old and (almost) 6 month old, but after two horrendous nights of jetlag (complete with Liam's flat out refusal to even lie down for a minute in his crib, Julia's now-perfected 2-yr-old tantrums at 2am, and two nights of only partially sleeping while crammed in a double bed with both of the little squirmers and all of their loveys and dolls), it's an amazing feat!]
But then I stopped to have supper, the kids woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep till midnight, and 12 hours later i'm just now getting back to posting. Gotta love jetlag.
But onto better things...our trip so far:
Our first day was wonderfully relaxing just being at home, watching Liam practice his crawling (he gets up on all fours, rocks back and forth, then propels himself forward in a sort of belly-flop) while Julia re-discovered her toys here and played with her new ones too. Nana had a hair appointment in the afternoon, and Julia & Liam & I went to Broadstreet (great bakery) and had chocolate chip cookies and then played at Lemuria (bookstore with a neat children's area) while we waited for her.
Julia loved Broadstreet especially! We were sitting in a booth across from eachother, and she held up her drink and said, "Cheers! Party!" Liam liked crawling around the children's part of Lemuria but got frustrated when I wouldn't let him eat all the books.Yesterday we had a great visit from my friend Katy and her daughter Annabelle. They live in Memphis but were visiting her parents for the weekend, and it was fun to catch up and see our little ones playing together. Well, not together really, but side-by-side. Annabelle's not quite old enough to be interested in playing with other children, and Julia wasn't keen enough on sharing to really get Annabelle involved in any of the toys she was playing with.
But cute nevertheless, and they kept busy around eachother while Katy & I got to chat.
16 August 2008
We Made It!!
Greetings from The U.S. of A!! 1 mother, 1 grandmother, 2 children, 4 flights, 6 bags, and many, many, many hours of travel time...and we have finally made it back to Mississippi. It was certainly not an easy journey, but Julia and Liam (and Nana!) were real troopers the whole way. The kiddos even managed to get almost a full nights sleep on the long haul from Auckland to Los Angeles (albeit both of them were pretty much in my lap so I didn't get sleep, but I did get to catch up on some of the many movies I've missed recently).
When we finally got to Houston and were waiting on the plane for the final leg of the trip, the time difference had really hit. It was nearly 10pm there but about 6am (Julia's normal wake-up time) in Australia. We were sitting at the very front of the airplane, and as people boarded, Julia loudly and happily greeted everyone with "Morning!" That didn't bode well for my plans to get her to sleep as soon as we got home!
Both children were so happy to make it to my parents house. G-da (my dad) met us at the airport, and Julia was thrilled to see him! He had a whole array of toys waiting for her at home, including a new doll, and she was settled in in no time at all. We did finally manage to get to sleep at 3 a.m. last night, and Julia is still sleeping (it's almost noon!) Thank goodness I have a big bed in my old room here though! All routines went out the window last night in my jet-lagged zombie state, so Julia AND Liam and the new doll and the old doll and one of my dolls from childhood and Julia's "ningy" (bunny) all slept with me last night!
Pictures from Mississippi coming soon...
When we finally got to Houston and were waiting on the plane for the final leg of the trip, the time difference had really hit. It was nearly 10pm there but about 6am (Julia's normal wake-up time) in Australia. We were sitting at the very front of the airplane, and as people boarded, Julia loudly and happily greeted everyone with "Morning!" That didn't bode well for my plans to get her to sleep as soon as we got home!
Both children were so happy to make it to my parents house. G-da (my dad) met us at the airport, and Julia was thrilled to see him! He had a whole array of toys waiting for her at home, including a new doll, and she was settled in in no time at all. We did finally manage to get to sleep at 3 a.m. last night, and Julia is still sleeping (it's almost noon!) Thank goodness I have a big bed in my old room here though! All routines went out the window last night in my jet-lagged zombie state, so Julia AND Liam and the new doll and the old doll and one of my dolls from childhood and Julia's "ningy" (bunny) all slept with me last night!
Pictures from Mississippi coming soon...
13 August 2008
Back in Mississippi
Nana, Julia, Liam & I are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning to begin the long trek back to Mississippi (via Auckland, L.A., Dallas, many long waits in airports and over 24 hours flying time). That's over 36 hours total travel time with a 2 year old and an infant...anyone want to trade places with me? But it will all be worth it to see friends and family, and I can't wait to be back in the States for a holiday. We'll be there from Aug 14th to Sept 8th, so send me an e-mail or give us a call if you'll be around!
Daddy, we'll miss you!! Thanks for working hard to support us while we're away ;-)
Daddy, we'll miss you!! Thanks for working hard to support us while we're away ;-) Z is for...
Zip-a-dee-do-da, zip-a-dee-ay, my oh my what a wonderful day!! Today was my last exam, so I have officially completed my 1st semester at Bond Law School, and I managed to survive it all with a toddler, an infant, and very little sleep! Gotta say, I'm glad it's over (for now at least), but despite the hard work, I have enjoyed being back in school and now just have to cross my fingers that the grades are good. Thank you to my mom for being such an incredible help this semester!! I definitely couldn't have done it without you here!
10 August 2008
Y is for...
Year in review...now Julia's 2! 
On August 9th, Julia had her 2nd birthday! My baby is no longer a baby! We're having a whole month of little celebrations since we're heading back to the States for a few weeks, so more pictures from those, her party at school and her actual birthday coming soon....
Julia on the day she was born
Julia on her 1st birthday
Julia on the day she was born
Julia on her 1st birthdayX is for...
Xtreme go-karting. A couple of weeks ago, Matt had his 30th birthday. We spent many months trying to decide how to celebrate this major milestone, toyed with the idea of a fancy dinner or cocktail party in the city or some other such grown-up function but as is fitting for a 30-year-old who still loves Saturday morning cartoons, we decided to have Speed Racer themed party at Kingston Park Raceways. 
We had an
absolute blast! (so fun in fact, I completely forgot to stop and take many pictures). 
14 of us actually raced the go-karts (the rest of the people cheered us on and looked after the littlies), and the competition was fierce.
Kingston Raceways has a great set up for parties; they have it all organized with a practice runs and multiple heats, and they give you printouts with all the break down of your lap times and averages (by the end of the day everyone sounded like true race car drivers, talking strategy on particular turns for future races).
We followed the races with a barbecue and cupcakes (which Julia had helped me make that morning). Julia was so exhausted from playing all day that she fell asleep mid-snack on the way home. 
The actual day of Matt's birthday, we had a great family outing with Nana to the Children's Museum in Brisbane. 
We'd been before but Julia was too little to appreciate it, so this time was really fun since she really got interested in all the exhibits. I think Matt's favorite part was the dinosaur garden, but Julia was particularly cute going through the "Animal Size & Me" exhibit that had the animals lined up by size from tiny little bugs that she looked at through a
magnifying glass all the way to huge polar bears. When she got to the polar bear, she stared up at it with huge eyes, waved and said "Hello" in a way that conveyed how impressed she was with its size. We walked over to the children's part of the library next and then had afternoon tea at a nearby 
cafe which had a fantastic grassy hill right next door that Julia and
Daddy had fun rolling down. 
Then that night Nana was nice enough to babysit (and do all the ironing!!) while we went to dinner and a movie (thanks Nana!)
What a great weekend! Happy birthday, Matt! We love you!
We had an
absolute blast! (so fun in fact, I completely forgot to stop and take many pictures). 
14 of us actually raced the go-karts (the rest of the people cheered us on and looked after the littlies), and the competition was fierce.
Kingston Raceways has a great set up for parties; they have it all organized with a practice runs and multiple heats, and they give you printouts with all the break down of your lap times and averages (by the end of the day everyone sounded like true race car drivers, talking strategy on particular turns for future races).
We followed the races with a barbecue and cupcakes (which Julia had helped me make that morning). Julia was so exhausted from playing all day that she fell asleep mid-snack on the way home. 
The actual day of Matt's birthday, we had a great family outing with Nana to the Children's Museum in Brisbane. 
We'd been before but Julia was too little to appreciate it, so this time was really fun since she really got interested in all the exhibits. I think Matt's favorite part was the dinosaur garden, but Julia was particularly cute going through the "Animal Size & Me" exhibit that had the animals lined up by size from tiny little bugs that she looked at through a
magnifying glass all the way to huge polar bears. When she got to the polar bear, she stared up at it with huge eyes, waved and said "Hello" in a way that conveyed how impressed she was with its size. We walked over to the children's part of the library next and then had afternoon tea at a nearby 
cafe which had a fantastic grassy hill right next door that Julia and
Daddy had fun rolling down. 
Then that night Nana was nice enough to babysit (and do all the ironing!!) while we went to dinner and a movie (thanks Nana!)What a great weekend! Happy birthday, Matt! We love you!
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