E is for...

Elizabeth (aka Mama, Nana). Here are a few miscellaneous photos from her visit so far...

D is for...

DADS.

In Australia, Father's Day is celebrated in September, but I wanted to dedicate this post to all the dads out there, my own dad in particular! We are missing you, Daddy/G-da, and we hope you can come visit us very soon! In the meantime, we're thankful for all your support from across the ocean!

Julia loves her G-da! She asks about him constantly, points him out in pictures,
and proudly shows us the toys and books he's sent her in the past months
(this picture was from Feb)

Since we're down the coast most of the week, it's a treat on the
weekends for Liam & Julia to get to snuggle up with their Daddy

C is for...

COLLEGE*
*A lesson in Aussie speak: College = high school, Uni = college/university

Pushing a pram around campus

As I've mentioned before, I'm back in school again at Bond University studying law. Being at law school in Australia is completely different. The legal system here is, of course, different from the US system but the law itself is actually pretty much the same since it all originated in the same place. The really drastic difference is that undergrads and post-grads (the JD students) are all mixed in the same classes. In Oz, you have to decide on your field of study before even starting college. You apply for that particular program at your chosen school(s) rather than just applying for the university (your high school courses and final test give Aussie students an OP score on graduation and each program and/or university will designate a minimum OP score needed to even apply for their program). The undergrads still have to do core classes, but for the basics of law like Torts, Contracts, etc. we are all together since in this country you can practice law with just an LLB (Bachelor of Law) rather than needing the JD. Bond is the only university in Queensland, however, that offers a true JD program, which means that when I get this degree, I'll not only be able to practice in Australia but also be able to sit for the bar exam and (upon passing) practice in the States.

Feeding Liam before heading to class

Anyway, despite being incredibly busy and still trying to figure out good time management, I'm really enjoying Bond and being back in school. Being down at the Gold Coast means a heck of a commute, but it's worth it for the interesting classes & professors, nice people, & the beautiful, sunny campus.

Hanging out on campus with Nana while Mama attends class

Top 5 things I never pictured when (5 years ago at Berkeley) I decided I'd like to go into law:

#5 Having two young children while going through law school...
#4 Studying in the library whiel one of those children (Liam) slept in the pram...
#3 Taking a baby with me to lecture too (Liam gnawed on his rattle while I took notes)...
#2 Wearing a wig to court....

But the #1 thing I never imagined....

Going to law school at a university where the bell tower plays "Waltzing Matilda"!

B is for...

BEDS of various types have taken over our house in the past 6 months. Between the house and the garage, here's our current inventory: A baby hammock, a snuggle bed, a co-sleeper, 2 cribs, a single bed, a double bed, a queen bed, an AeroBed, a camping mattresses, & 2 port-a-cribs... And the irony of it all? I'm completely sleep-deprived!

Long before Liam arrived, we bought Julia a cute single bed, set it up in her room, outfitted it with a safety rail, and tried to get her interested in moving out of the crib. It worked brilliantly...for about a week, and then it became a couch for reading (and a trampoline when mama wasn't looking). I decided not to push the transition then and went back to our usual sleepless nights. Note: When Liam arrived, Julia was 18 months old and had never slept through the night!

Two cute reasons for not getting enough sleep

By April, Liam was sleeping better than Julia on most nights, and it seemed that they had their wakings coordinated so that one would wake up just as the other went back down. And yes, there were bad habits that I knew we needed to break: Julia still got a bottle when she woke up (bad, I know, but it beat having to get up for the day at 3:30am!), Liam was sleeping in our room all the time and in our bed most nights, bedtime routines were...well...not routine. I was also convinced the crib was part of the problem...she seemed too big for it.

Snug as a bug in a rug

Anyway, I figured since I wasn't getting any sleep anyway, we'd just do a major overhaul. Liam slept peacefully through all the commotion (he's a great day sleeper!), while I tried to make it all into an exciting game with Julia. Taking a tip from The McNulty Quads (yes, 4 toddlers at once!), I got rid of everything in Julia's room, locked the closets, covered all outlets, and put a gate up in the doorway. Liam's room (previously the guest room) finally came together as his nursery and the former double guest bed mattress found its way to Julia's floor to become her new "big girl bed".

Julia liked Liam's new set-up

Then I called in a professional. Rene Rees, the Brisbane Baby Whisperer, helped us overhaul our routines (day and night), and four days later we were bottle-free with no baby in our bed, and Julia slept through the night (till 6am!) for the first time in 20 months! I can't say we're 100%...every now and then we still have a really early morning or no nap during the day, and Liam (at almost 4 months) has decided to shift his schedule around again...but it's been 2 months and Julia is definitely a big girl, even sleeping in a normal bed at Nana's 2-3 nights each week. Hey, one day I might even get some sleep too!

Before bed -- Night 1

"Can I come out now?"


Julia was a pacifier girl, but Liam loves his thumb!

A is for Alphabet Game...

and Attempting to get back into blogging.

A few bloggers I know have been playing the blogging alphabet game (i.e. posts themed according to a letter of the alphabet, going in order from A-Z), so I thought it would be a great way to play catch-up.

A is also for ATTITUDE! Julia has definitely got some of that! She loves to imitate people (we are definitely approaching 2). She mimics hand gestures and stances, and often I (and other people) won't realize I'm standing or moving a certain way until I look at Julia and she her mirroring me. My favorite though is when she stands with her hands on her hips and then grins real big...such attitude and so cute (unfortunately, she gets camera shy with it, and I've only been able to get a picture with her back to me)

Babes on the Beach

Sorry, boys...no scantily-clad sunbathers in this post! Just a few pics of the kiddos down at Burleigh Heads. Julia was particularly fascinated by her shadow.

"Whoa...this flat person down here keeps doing EXACTLY what I'm doing"


"I'm outrunning him now though!"


"Mom, you're blocking my sun"

Nana's Here!

My mom arrived almost a month ago now. I'm not sure she actually got a chance to get over jet lag because I immediately put her to work as my nanny, personal assistant, and everything in between, but she has been amazing about it all!

For anyone who's not caught up: I've started law school again (tale for another post) at Bond University down on the Gold Coast (a little over an hour away from our house), and my mom has rented an apartment at Burleigh Heads (less than 10 minutes from campus) and selflessly volunteered to take care of Julia and Liam while I'm in classes and studying.
A big thank you to my dad, too, for parting with her for these couple of months to help out while you toil away at work and home all by your lonesome-- we hope you can come visit soon! (He also sent these fun beach hats, leis and other goodies that were such a hit with Julia!)Julia is thrilled to have Nana here. Not only does she have another playmate around, but Nana now has a cool apartment and new area to explore too. Nana's place is fantastic with a heated pool (it's winter here, remember) and a balcony (Julia likes to talk to the birds who come sit on the ledge -- and occasionally come inside -- and to the people walking or riding bikes down below-- she doesn't seem to care that they can't hear her).The beach is just across the street, and Julia has gotten over her initial hesitancy about the waves and now enjoys playing in the water and sand and watching all the surfers.Julia has also become a frequent visitor to the many parks along The Esplanade (Nana's street), and she even has her own card for the local library! This is her at storytime (below).Liam is enjoying his weekday set-up too. His crib is in the living room so he can literally be the centre of attention, cooing and smiling and laughing and being his good-natured little self.