victorious ashen & amon-ra

A slice of life...

2010-06-22T08:17:00.002+10:00

Asha: "Mum, I have toilet paper stuck up my bum!"
Mum: "Well, pick it out!"
Asha: " I have, but I have saved the last bit for you. Won't that be special?"...
Mum: "Ummm, I guess it will be..."

I have to add that I was also changing another babies bottom at the same time! Ahh, the joys...

Lots of changes happening at the moment. Asha is preparing to say goodbye to her old preschool and start another. She has a new lunch box and I am waiting on the delivery of a new school bag as bribery. I am a little sad that she is leaving her old preschool. She and we love it there....but this is for the best....

Oh, and Eamon can sit! And roll over, mostly. He is quite pleased with himself. But he still wakes up once a night...anywhere from 12am to 2am, so any achievements that he undertakes are null and void until he can sleep through the night...hehe.

Eamon also can't eat solids. We tried, explosive poop commenced. We stopped....must start again soon....

cx

Where is all my time?

2010-06-09T12:11:00.004+10:00

Asha at KindyFarm. She absolutely loved it. She was only supposed to be there for her session of 30 minutes....however she loved it so much that she stayed for the same session four times...we left her preschool two hours later...groan...

Eamon: Age 5 months
In the Bumbo

I don't know where all my time has gone....I have suddenly woken up and the calender tells me that Eamon is nearly 6 months! Next week to be exact. Eamon is a smiling, laughing boy with huge big blue eyes and a ready grin.

Eamon is able to roll from one side to the other and he can roll onto his front, but he can't get back and is often found head first in some mat somewhere grunting for attention.

We are supposed to be feeding him soon. I must admit, this one is getting sooked far more than Asha. He is picked up a lot more (probably to avoid hearing him scream, and so I can hear Asha!!) and is generally a lot more shy than his big sister. And he refuses point blank to drink from a bottle.

Asha came out of the womb ready to be held by anyone, talk to anyone and generally have an audience of willing clappers...this one...a little bit more shy. He is ready to smile straight away, but is a bit more tentative when seeing people he does not know.

We are on the move again. I think we like the drama.

Asha is enjoying her role as a big sister. She is a gentle soul and for that I am very grateful. He always is asking where he is and when I was taking her out the other day and Guy was looking after Eamon, she turned around and sternly told him "Look after Eamon well, Dad".

I was looking at what Asha could do at Eamon's age. It is so hard not to compare kids. Eamon is a funny one and tends to go rigid when he does not want to do something. His godfather calls him, "The Plank" or "Plankie". Consequently, when we are trying to practice sitting, he will shoot his legs out and go as stiff as a board and crash down on his back.

We are struggling with flu's and colds again. It seems like we get through one and then catch some other dreaded thing.

We have been slack on the photo taking of late...will have to get back into it after the move....

Dear Asha

2010-05-25T12:23:00.004+10:00

Dear Asha

Thank you for waking up every single morning and asking, "Where's Eamon?"
Thank you for remembering that Eamon REALLY likes "What shall we do with a drunken sailor?" when he is screaming at the top of his lungs.
Thank you for being excited about tofu and buckwheat pankcakes.
Thank you for being adaptable and excited by change.
Thank you for patting Eamon gently, giving him kisses on his enormous cheeks and enjoying his laughter.
Thank you for the light that you place in our eyes.
Thank you for the joy that you bring your extended family.
Thank you for the fact that you can now blow your own nose, sort of.
Thank you for your banana and carrot toe's (ballet talk).
Thank you for your ability to make me evaluate and challenge myself daily.
Thank you for your patience with me.
Thank you for being totally excited by the post man and brown paper packages.
Thank you for your "I love you to the moon and back's".

and Thank you for being the best big sister ever.

You are amazing. And we love you.

Time

2010-04-20T19:45:00.002+10:00

I have been reading back over this blog the last couple of days...looking at when Ash was Eamon's age etc....It has been really fun, actually and inspired me to write more for Eamon. I am sure in year's to come, he and Asha will enjoy looking back over it...

Eamon is doing really well. We have been on a whirlwind tour of the east coast of NSW and southern QLD and also down to Wagga Wagga and Junee in the last couple of weeks. We drove and the kids were amazing. Asha has always been a good traveller...Eamon is abit patchy, however on the drive from Sydney to Wagga (around 5 hours) we did not hear a peep out of him...the same could not be said of dinner that night. Whoah...screamed that pizza restaurant down...actually he screamed at dinner the next night too. I was walking the streets of Wagga with a screaming baby...finally went back into the restaurant and Guy said...I will take him for a bit...and he was as good as gold...little brat..

We are thinking of moving Asha and Eamon into the same room. Eamon is still abit hit and miss with sleeping, so will probably wait a couple of months, but Asha is keen....I think it will be nice for them to share a room for a while...

Eamon is very strong....he goes as stiff as a board if he is not happy with something. He goes so stiff that you cannot bend him in the middle, it is quite challenging, especially if he is not comfortable with someone! It is so amusing to watch someone who does not know him well try to hold him through one of his "moments"...

Time is flying as it does with kiddles...I can't believe he is 4 months old this week.

Eamon and Asha are very very alike physically. In fact, it could be the same child in some photos...

Speaking of photos...more to follow...Blogger is SLOW again...

Trying Again....

2010-04-12T19:52:00.005+10:00

This is Eamon, age 3 months in the bath at his grandparents....He is a lovely child. Happy, and smiling most of the time, although he does a great bemused expression. He is very strong and loves to sit up and look around at the world. Eamon arrived in the world as a loud, grunting child...the grunting has all but stopped only to be replaced by "weeeeeessss" and "ahhh booooo's". He is such fun...

And here is Asha, aged nearly 4. She is smart and funny, with great comedic timing...Asha is a lovely big sister, although most of the time she is ambivalent to Eamon...although, lately she is speaking to him more and laughing at his chuckles...

Here they both are, on holidays....

Note bemused expression on Eamon's face...

Sometimes I actually have to pinch myself that we have two children....I remember this time with Asha, I knew every milestone, every smile and every minute...this little one has just smoothly become part of our family with his chubby grin and even chubbier thighs...He is the spitting image of Asha..and follows her around everywhere trying to get her to look at him and constantly smiling at her and her antics...

It is like he was always meant to be there....

Trying to post...

2010-03-03T20:00:00.000+11:00

I am trying to post some photos up....BLOGGER IS SO SLOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Ballerina and the Bruiser

2010-02-23T17:22:00.005+11:00

Here we are on holidays in Orange. We decided to go and visit relatives at the last minute on Friday night. We had a great time...all 4 of us shared a hotel room. It was quite an exercise in sleeping arrangements. Eamon slept in the kitchen area in the bassinet and Asha in a single bed and us in a double bed....We had a very amusing 3am nappy change which involved having to change the double bed sheets and Guy having to have a shower...I will leave the rest to your imagination..

Tuesdays are ballet days around these parts...

Asha loves loves loves her ballet. She is sure that she is going to grow up to be Angelina Ballerina...or a dinosaur..she has not decided yet.

Asha has grown so so tall...

Eamon had his injections over the last couple of days. He was a trouper...can't say the same for his bowels...see paragraph above..

All is going well around here. We are getting into a routine of sorts. Asha is not really sure of Eamon at times...the permanency of him is starting to settle in...Asha and I went to ballet on our own today. Eamon stayed with Guy. She loved it! I expressed some milk and left it in a bottle for Guy. I expected there to be issues with him taking the bottle (as he had never had one before), but no...he gulped it down, did man size burps, and settled down to sleep...I am officially obsolete...at age 7 weeks...

And then there were two....

2010-02-14T20:32:00.013+11:00

He came on the last day of 2009, one of the worst year's on record, bringing a little ray of sunshine to an otherwise pretty ugly year.....His name is Eamon Gregory...

He burst into the world very quickly, with a frown on his face....and a squeaky grunt that continued for 3 days...slowly forcing the amniotic fluid from his tiny lungs..

All measurements were perfect....at least a kilo bigger than his sister, Asha...

There were no bits of his back missing, thank goodness...

The very proud big sister Asha...note the frown firmly attached to Eamon's face...he was still spewing amniotic fluid at this point...

Less than 48 hours later, we are leaving the hospital...

It has been an interesting adjustment having two little ones. The first 2 weeks, we had NO IDEA what we were doing. There were many a failed bed time attempt and sad faces all round. Asha tended to vibrate with excitement/anger when she kissed Eamon in the early days...

In cot, with frown firmly in place.

When they were handing out babies, Eamon lined up with all the other babies and said "Please can I have reflux which will make me cry, and fart, and belch constantly...ohhh and can you please add in explosive poos? Thanks"....

Ahh, but the level of cuteness that this one has is hard to deny. He is a lovely boy who is much loved...

Bath time at home

I was not going to start writing this again....I stopped with Asha as life got very hectic...however I do really enjoy looking back over the early years with Asha...and am sure she will too...so now I will write about the two of them...

Notable moments from the past 6 weeks:

- Asha sitting around with her hands over her ears saying "breastfeed him Mum" or "put him to bed"
- Being weed on constantly...who knew that it could go so far
- CONSTANT cuddles from this one. Direct opposite to Asha...
- Confusion and wonder at trying to master two kids...
- In the last couple of weeks, Asha wanting to "look at Eamon" and have "Eamon next to me"
- THE REFLUX: oh hell it is bad. We are still in reflux hell. He is is so much pain at times...his little eyes look up at you pleading, but alas, there is nothing that can be done
- Watching the osteopath wrestle with Eamon when he has his treatments
- Having a cup of tea when they are both in bed asleep....

So, I will attempt to write here often....Stay tuned...

I love it

2009-08-15T18:39:00.002+10:00

I love it that you call the toaster, the "toast burner"...
I love it when you scream at my stomach, "hi baby, its your big sister here"...
I love it that you are not that coordinated and that you try so hard at ballet, it makes me want to cry...
I love it that you are able to sit through almost anything, as long as you have got a plate of fruit in front of you...
I love it that you can recite pretty much every book that you own, word for word...
I love it that you have found that, in fact, you can hop, even if it looks like you are hardly lifting off the ground...
I love it that your drawings now have a body, arms with hands and legs with feet...
I love it that you still think I am the most exciting person in the whole wide world (except maybe for any of the Disney princesses)....

I love you.

Conversations with Asha...

2009-03-24T09:20:00.003+11:00

Sunday morning, Asha and her Dad in a cubby house (made expertly with a large sheet)...

Asha: Dad, your friend's name is Yoshi.
Dad: What is your friend's name, Asha?
Asha: My friend's name is Bingo.
Dad: What is Mum's friend's name?
Asha: Mum's friend's name is Vacuum Cleaner...

Hmmmmm.....

Looking back

2009-03-10T11:32:00.002+11:00

Currently, I am without my normal computer and am all out of whack with posting, but will be retrieving it in April....Actually that is no excuse, as I have 3 other computers that I could update on....

I have decided to continue. I looked back over all the past months of information and I thought, Asha will like reading this...and even if she doesn't, I like it...

Conversation with a nearly three year old....

Mummy: Asha, what are you drawing on the chalkboard?

Asha: A circle.

Mummy: Why don't you draw a man?

Asha: I don't have any man chalk.

Touche...Love it.

Our days are full of these conversations. Her best friend is now Miss Jo of Kinda Dance fame. Asha is quite the tiny dancer....

More to come, promise.....

Should I stay or should I go...

2009-02-24T20:47:00.004+11:00

I am having major issues deciding whether to leave this blog.....

Whilst I spend infinitely too long deciding....a picture of a blue eyed girl...

This picture, and other special treats are coming your way, Aunty Kate and Uncle Tom...

In other news, I am going to Wangaratta tomorrow....where is that, I hear you ask....Well, I don't know either, but it will be a fun trip from Albury, I am sure...

I will keep deciding about what to do with this blog....maybe Wangaratta will give me some inspiration...

Tootle pip x

wordpress is coming....

2009-02-19T13:40:00.001+11:00

I am in the process to changing to wordpress....

Link to be posted soon....

Yay...

Problems with Transmission

2009-02-08T13:08:00.002+11:00

I have officially tried to post our pictures around 10 times now. My patience with Blogger has reached critical mass.

I am thinking about changing to Typepad...

Anyway. All is well, it is very hot and I am annoyed at not being able to show you all lots of pictures.

I will try again tonight.

Asha is growing up fast. She has mastered the wearing of undies (I am crossing my fingers behind my back), loves The Gruffalo, and can have a reasonable conversation with anyone.

She goes up to strangers at the pool and asks them "What's your name?" and before they can respond, she says "I'm Asha Victoria". It is quite endearing. Although some of the kids are a little shocked...she is prone to giving random people hugs. Bit of a worry really....

She loves telling stories about princesses and queens and is obsessed with ballet and dancing. It is strange really, as she has never been encouraged to love all the pink stuff...

Photos will follow as soon a I have finishing ranting at the computer......

Disaster................

2009-01-06T18:38:00.002+11:00

We are having an amazing time. Dreamworld was hot, but we had a great time..only counted 2 minor tanties....but I think our camera has officially had a major malfunction. We were poised, camera in hand, Asha lined up with a suitably cute koala....and Error 99 occurs on the old EOS350d...Ahhhhhhh....

After my initial cursing (well, a major bout of intense swearing, really)....I whipped out the camera on the phone and continued snapping away...

And a word of support for my mum...

MBT suck..

Enough said...

We're all going on a summer holiday.....

2009-01-05T19:57:00.003+11:00

First fish caught ever....
State Library QLD ROCKS....
Fun activites at the library...

Qld Museum....

Too much fun for one 2.5 year old....

Tomorrow we are braving Dream World....

The rise of the sugar plum fairy

2008-12-17T19:12:00.012+11:00

Asha at top of stairs before bed..

TIP TRIP!!!!

Off to see Dorothy the Dinosaur complete with handbag....

Sunglasses....

Horse...and Dorothy...

In her "pool".....oh I am glad she is 2 and not 12....She loves anything with water and never complains that we put her in the drinks bucket...

Blue eyes...

Sugar plum in action...

Look at that leg...lovely pointed toes..must be genetics...

Awwwww....

The girls....

Two little cousins.....

Happppppy Asha....

I will update more about what she has been doing lately. I would do it now, except she is sitting next to me naked, wet and waiting for her bedtime....

Oh Lordy...

2008-12-16T19:35:00.000+11:00

I have just realised how long it has been since I updated this! Is time in fast forward?

I will update ASAP....

There are many folks out there relying on me!!!

Sorrrrry......

The Simple Things

2008-11-09T19:19:00.007+11:00

The thing that I truly cherish about this age is that everything is fun for Asha. She had the best time on Friday, washing the car.

She had her own sponge, and copious amounts of soapy water...

She worked really hard, until she realised that it was more fun to soap up the surrounding plants. Then she gave up and I had to finish the task alone. The bottlebrush looks beautiful though...

Saturday morning's tiny dancer...

Check out the matching Volley's..

Don't you wish that everything was this fun? One of the joys of motherhood is to hear the shriek of a 2 year old thinking you are the funniest thing ever. I am sure in 3 years she will think I am a total loser, but for now, I am the Queen of Cool...

Asha has never looked like me...She has always looked like a clone of her Dad or Aunt, and now, she officially looks like my mother, aged 2....crazy..I am sure that eventually she will look somewhat slightly like me. Or I will wait for the next one...I am sure it will be short, olive skinned, with dark hair...

I was wondering if Asha will read this thing, or will I be scrolling through it in 15 years time, thinking that she was the perfect child...As this whole thing is really positive...Asha is on the whole a fantastic child, but she is not perfect. She has big teeth, and when she is really really frustrated, and when she does not want to share with her friends, she will occasionally bite. As a parent, it is the worst thing. You feel like your child is the devil and will be still biting at 12. I know it is a phase, which thankfully only occurs rarely, but still, I spend more than my fare share of time thinking about it.

We had a lovely visit to Chon and Dan's today. There baby girl (so Asha reckons) is nearly here. Excitement.

Annoyances, Snoring and Heart Beeps...

2008-11-02T12:30:00.004+11:00

We have had some very strange weather of late. 35 degrees then 20 degrees the next day. It is murder on Asha's hair! I actually thought that her hair would have straightened by now, however, it appears to have gotten curlier of late.

Asha impersonating Walter Walrus out of letter land. Yes, they are two plastic eggplants, or aubergine's for our UK brothers and sisters...

Asha has been enjoying making cakes and things of late. She is quite dramatic with her play, making enthusiastic chatter for her purple horse and long legged lamb.

Asha: Do you like your cake?

Lamb: Silence

Horse: Silence

Asha: Oh, I am so glad you like it.

She honestly sounds like a 40 year old most of the time. She was watching a boy play on one of those hideous contraptions at the shops yesterday and she loudly exclaimed, "He's fantastic"!

Verrrrry long legs and large footed girl..

Last night, I was bemoaning my husband about something or other, and Asha proclaimed wisely in the bath, "Daddy, you are annoying Mummy"....oopps, but it was so funny we were both in stitches.

Also last night, Asha and I had a night alone. Which in our very busy household is a rare thing. All other members of the extended family were out. I had happily sewn many rows of my quilt (don't laugh, Ops...) and was retiring to bed at the rather civilised hour of 11pm. And then I heard it, the regular rhythm of snoring. Initially, I thought, geez, the next door neighbour, Vince, is a loud snorer...and then I realised. It was Asha!

And lastly before I sign off for today...

Asha (holding a pretend stethoscope): Can I take your heart beep?

Too cute...

1208pm...nine words

2008-10-31T14:34:00.002+11:00

Mummy, I have done a poo on the ground...

groan.....

back from the dora brink....and these photos are all back the front...

2008-10-29T20:21:00.003+11:00

So this was supposed to be the last photo. Asha with her favourite sometimes food...chippies. We have been busy. Lots of family dramas...Asha's great grandmother died. We were all so sad. Asha asked the other day on the way to see Grandpa Stan where Grandma Moo was...Aunty Kate has gone home and is sorely missed. Asha walked around in a daze for three days thinking that Aunty Kate had gone to the gym for a reeeeealy long time...

Here she is in the mini farm thing...she loves it...all those animals. She was a little dubious when they started shearing the sheep, however she now gets her sheepskin out at home that her little Nanny gave her and makes us all lie down and be shorn....

And here she is Dora...at the local Apple festival...

Patiently waiting for Dora. She waited for ages...

Sunday afternoon sitting on the floor of the kitchen, waiting for some pineapple.

Up close with the teeth...
Merino sheep shirt...

Well, we had a sleep over in the city with Mima the other night. We were in this loft style apartment and Asha was upstairs in a cot...no walls/no door...Mima and I were hiding down stairs whispering with a bottle of wine...good times.

I have gotten 2 job offers in the last few days...and excepted none. Sometimes you have got to know when you have got it good.

Asha sings it's a "raaaainy night in Georgia"...and is obsessed with hearing the story of how we got married and had a baby....and tonight she had us in stitches saying that she had "biiiiiiig boobies, not little ones"...where do they learn these things? On the plus side, she doesknow the whole Letter Land alphabet....that is a good sign, better than boobie obsession anyway...

hmmm...

Sickness, fun times and more sickness

2008-09-22T19:12:00.013+10:00

Blue faced Smurf....
Asha at the Blue Mountains....at the biggest koala in the WORLD!!!!!!
The three sisters....
Asha at the Blue Mountains....looking through Makka Pakka's house....

Asha in the Blue Mountains.....sitting at the table at Makka Pakka's house...

Asha finally got her very own Makka Pakka.....Aunty Kate and Uncle Tom have been a major hit. Asha is really going to miss them...

Asha at Macquarie Uni, waiting for her pony ride....the face painting line was REALLLLLLY long....

Asha on her horse....Billy...

On Billy...

We went to the Zoo.....so much fun was had...

View from the giraffe's....
Asha has grown, grown, grown....

We have all been so sick. First Asha, then Dad, now me.....it is so awful....but we are soldiering on....

I am going to open a Photobucket account for all our photos....including one's with all our face's.......family and friend's only.....so email me if you want the details....

oh she talks

2008-08-27T19:05:00.002+10:00

Asha talks a lot. Since she first started talking, she has not really stopped. Today she took out her extreme verbal skills on an unsuspecting magpie at the park.

Asha: "Go away Magpie. This is my park. I'm playing."
Magpie: Steely silence
Asha: Running towards the Magpie.... "I said, move on Magpie".
Magpie: Complies with screech and watches us for the duration of the park session.

I am fearing Magpie season in around 3 weeks.....We are getting bombed, for sure...

Excited is building for Asha. She is so excited that her Aunty and Uncle are coming to stay. Today in the car, she pointed to the seat beside her, saying "Aunty Kate sit there" and then pointed to the other side, saying "Uncle Tom sit here"....I don't even think Tom could fit in the back of our car, it is not the biggest car, and Tom is very tall....but, like the Magpie, I am sure he will comply.

Asha is also saying hello in a variety of languages...and then saying "Clever girl" after she recites it.....nothing wrong with her ego.

We are off to see Dean and Luke tomorrow. Excited, as they are in the new house...

I have been very poor at doing the blog. And I also am having trouble taking photos. I have been blaming my (very good) camera...but in truth, the poor quality of the shots lies firmly with me. I think I will do a course.

Tootle pip
xc

The Chef

2008-08-18T19:31:00.003+10:00

Ahh, we are back, better than ever! We have visited the doctor FAR TOO MANY TIMES...Asha can pick out her doctor in a crowd and is totally obsessed with checking everyone's heart beat, throat and chest....But the good news is, the "glue" ears have gone down...Here we are, pumpkin pasta smeared all over her face with a doctor's throat checker thingie. Asha has a collection of them now...and notice, Peppa Pig is still insitu, even though her birthday was...ohh, in May....Asha loves Peppa nearly as much as Makka, but not quite....

We have given up swimming for this semester though, which is a shame, but I really am worried that she will get more infections in her ears...so she will sit out until the Summer...

So, we have our sunny girl back....thank goodness. Although, she had an absolute shocker on the weekend at Nelson Bay...for a minute, I was sure the devil injected a small dose of crazy toddler tantrum...but it was gone as quick as it came...and we are back on the happy train...Asha had a wonderful time with her Mima and BaPa...

I am sure that Asha is SLOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW but daycare has started asking for me to bring in...undies....she only goes to daycare once per week...so maybe they can work wonders in 7 hours?

Time is in fast forward around here. Already mid August....I am thinking about my December holidays....crazy times...

Quote of day:

"Don't want dinner anymore. Enough. Grandma made jelly and custard". Asha 1815hrs

2008-08-08T19:44:00.003+10:00

We have spent alot of time like this, lately.
Asha has middle ear infections in both ears. We are holed up with anti-biotics and a few tears. All in all, she has been tolerant and surprisingly cheerful. There have been trying times with increased aggression from the young one, but she is on the mend, I think! We have been going to a fun playgroup on Fridays with all our friends and Asha has managed to attend and enjoy it all despite feeling shoddy...Much excitement has begun for Asha. She overheard a whisper about Makka Pakka and his friends coming to visit in a few weeks...she cannot stop talking about it. We were over at Asha's great grandparents today and they said "Where is Aunty Kate and Uncle Tom?"...Asha pointed to the photo and shouted at the top of her voice..."Makka Pakka coming too!"....oh dear..the last I heard was that the weird little guy was sold out...we live in hope.

We are off to Nelson Bay to see Mima and BaPa next weekend.....will be tops...

Asha has taken to saying I love you ALOT! It is very cute, however I am pretty sure she is saying it to get her own way....manipulation of the heart strings at 2...love it!

Photos have been scarce lately. Will start snapping when Asha is feeling tip top...

Asha and Victor

2008-07-27T21:46:00.003+10:00

I looked through the photos, and they are all not so good...so will update the photos at a later date.

Hmmm, just looked outside, and it is hailing. Excellent. The car is outside...

Asha is going well. She talks ALOT! Non stop, about anything and everything, but mostly about Coffs Harbour or Makka Pakka or Victor (the boyfriend at daycare)...

Asha and Victor are firm friends. The only English word that Victor knows is "Asha". They hold hands most of the day at nursery and Asha bosses him around (just how she likes it)....

Asha stands up for Victor, but apparently he is her hired private muscle...He may not be able to say things in English, but apparently he has a mean shove on him...

Quote of the week:

Asha and Mummy sitting on the front wall, surveying the street whilst waiting for the postman....

Asha: Its a beautiful day, Mummy
Mummy: Why is that, Asha?
Asha: (extended pause) Love you Mum...

Ahh, beautiful day it is...

Tiny Spook....

2008-07-21T20:01:00.002+10:00

Here are some pictures of Asha. She is loving adventures at the moment..and pretend. Here she is pretending to be "Tiny Spook", her favourite book character........

We had a lovely trip to Coffs Harbour, with great photos...but they are still on the camera...tomorrow...

i wish i had a teleporter

2008-06-27T20:54:00.003+10:00

I wish I had a teleporter....Asha revealed today that she would like to be taken to her BaPa....

Here is what she said...

"BaPa, Big Banana, take drink bottle, walk through...".

Now that is a whole sentence....which stabbed a small pin through my heart...

Why have they not invented machines that take you approximately 700km north in 10 seconds....

Only 2 and a bit weeks to go...

Asha is counting down, although she thinks that we are going on an aeroplane....we are trying to tell her we are driving...for 8 hours....hmmmm.....

Were all going on a...summer holiday...

2008-06-25T20:24:00.002+10:00

Ahhh, cute lady in the bath tonight. We are all very excited because it is confirmed that Asha's Aunty and Uncle are coming to stay in September. Asha is very excited. She has decreed that she will be taken on a boat by her Uncle and swimming with her Aunty. Should be fun times....Asha has been having a funny time of late. She has developed a healthy dose of "mummmmmmy" and also she is developing a pretty keen sense of time. She has started to have a little whimper around 4pm before I go to get her at daycare on work days...She has tried to bite a couple of people. I know, shock horror! Look at that face....Hmmm, she hides her little Lucifer side well. Fortunately, she only pretend bites.....thank goodness. Asha is smiling all the time...she LOVES dramatic play, pretending that she is cooking a bbq or "going on holidays". Every time we get in the car now, she says we are going to Coffs Harbour and then proceeds to tell us about the "big nana" and "porpoise", as well as Tammy Dog. Thank goodness we are heading up soon, otherwise, it would be abit trying...

My server is so slow it is painful.....

2008-06-23T20:43:00.002+10:00

Here she is, the swimmer....she is LOVING being in the water....

Here she is with a couple of random people at the pool. Please ignore them....

I would write more, but the server at home is SO SLOW....we are obtaining the whole back catalogue of children's music...legally of course....

More Birthday Fun....

2008-06-12T19:36:00.004+10:00

We headed up North for Dad's graduation and more 2nd birthday celebrations..

Another day, Another cake..

She was so excited and totally loved the Dorothy carrot cake...

The cake was really nice and Asha ate a whole slice with obvious hyperactive effects...She was climbing out of the travel cot and no sleep was to be had..

The little traveller and Dorothy's.....She fell asleep in the car on the way home from the plane.....It was a great weekend. So much fun...Asha had a complete audience...

Ahh, more English presents....excellent. Peppa Pig...a clear winner from Uncle Ads and Aunty Sar...

The absolute last cheezy 2 year old shot....

Asha has started swimming lessons...in the middle of winter....Oh well. It was her first one last week. She loved it....Under water and she has seal googles. She is very fetching. I promised photos for the family, but they will have to wait until the week after next as I am on my own again this week at swimming....We are desperately trying to finish up in the house in Newcastle....It is dragging on like a bad smell......

The tiny dancer turns two...alert....exceptionally long post containing a large amount of photos...you have been warned.

2008-05-21T20:45:00.018+10:00

15th May 2008. Asha is 2! That is right...I am sure that there are a number of people out there who have been thinking, what a strange name, Ashen. Well, introducing, Asha Victoria...I think it is about time I used her "real name". We started the day in Newcastle....and went to Sydney to find....

Whistling Hippos!!! If you are in the UK, go get em. They are fab...more photos of them in action later....

Standing posing with her super special card. Yes she has no pants on...

Out of control at lunch. Zoom in on those boots....all Dorothy. What more could a girl ask for, no pants and Dorothy Boots and blankie...These are from her boyfriend's Deany and Lukey...

Oh the tiara...the large present with Air Mail Stickers....

OK, butterfly wrapping paper, this is looking good....

If you zoom in on her face, you can actually see her little mouth is totally agog...

And there was another brown paper package with MORE zoo animals...

LOVING the duplo....

VERY expensive blueberry muffin....please see previous post for large overblown Dorothy cake...I am not a bad mummy...

Insert gaudy Dorothy the Dinosaur beanie...

Hippo's in action...

Back with the Mother's Group Gang.....

And here she is...age 2! What a fantastic year ahead!

The Night before the BIG day!

2008-05-14T19:10:00.002+10:00

Ashen's 2nd birthday box. Please ignore the packing take.....

Ashen had her birthday party at Daycare today...she had a lovely Dorothy cake. It was low sugar, no nuts carrot cake. It probably tasted awful....but the kids apparently loved it. These two photos are care of the daycare teachers...

Well, the little lady is 2 tomorrow....She is quite excited. I don't think she quite knows why...but she is still running around the cot at 7.20pm and that is a record for Ashen....

We are off to Sydney tomorrow. Ashen will see her Dad and open Aunty Kate and Uncle Tom's pressie all the way from England....on her actual birthday. Well done, Aunty K....way way organised....

Tootle pip....

Mum

2008-05-11T18:53:00.004+10:00

Little did I know when I was lying in a hospital bed two years ago to the day, yellow with jaundice due to that dodgy gall bladder, that I would sit down and write this little note...

I was completely blind to what lay ahead...the sleepless nights, screaming for no reason, immense fear and joy and not to mention, the numerous shades of poo.

Ashen is nearly two. She is a feisty one. She has a mind of her own and I see the defiant streak that I had in me reflected in her. I see her stubbornness that she got from me, but did not come from you (we will blame that on BaPa)...

I never realised the extent of what you both did. As I chase a nude toddler around her room ever night, attempting to dress her...and a wrangle her into her night attire...I think, you did this for me..

And for that, I thank you.

Happy Mothers Day.

May Day Morning Painting...

2008-05-01T14:44:00.007+10:00

The Art...

The Hands...

The clean up...Well, actually, the cleanup required a bath, complete with front and back floating...

We seem to have gotten over our little tantie of yesterday, although there have been some requests for an icepack, which I had roundly ignored.

It is a little gloomy and dark here today, no rain...but a trip to the library is in order this afternoon, me thinks....

Probably the lamest playdough dog and cat....

2008-04-30T19:03:00.004+10:00

Dog and Cat...Ashen and Mum style..

Ashen thought they were lovely...

Cheeeeeeeeeese...

Ashen had her first ever tantrum tonight. It lasted for a very short time, but it was powerful...little feet stamping, hands failing, 10 decibel screaming...all for........

AN ICEPACK!

Remember the bee incident...well the drama drama princess has arrived. She said she had a sore finger and needed an icepack. I was madly getting dinner, so I gave her one....and taking it off her...not a good thing...

Note to self: Do not give her an icepack EVER, unless gaping bleeding wound is present...

The Unluckiest and the Luckiest

2008-04-27T20:00:00.003+10:00

This is Oscar. He is the Unluckiest. He is the dog next door. Ashen loves him. She squeals at 10 decibels every time he comes anywhere near our fence. Poor little fellow. This was the closest I could come to him. He absolutely bolted after I took this shot.

Well, here she is, in all her fashion splendour. I looked out the back today, and there she was....riding her big girls bike. With a basket on her head. I asked her what she was wearing on her head, and she looked me directly in the eye, and earnestly said...a beanie...

I am the luckiest.....

The Bee and Me....

2008-04-25T13:13:00.003+10:00

We arrived at daycare on Wednesday afternoon to Miss Sarah saying..."I was just about to fill out an incident report...". Hmmmm...Ok..."Ashen has been stung by a bee". We walked out into the playground, and there the big brave girl was, sitting down with her pulsing, cartoon thumb placed on an icepack...She was telling all who would listen that she was "brave". There were large tears ready to drop, but she was holding them in, until we said that she was brave..and then the floodgates opened...On the upside, if she bumps herself at all she wants an icepack. She sat having dinner last night with one hand on the icepack saying "beeeee". That would be fine, if it was not Thursday night. We may have a little actress on our hands. We are off to stay at Darcy and Maya's again tonight, before heading down to Sydney tomorrow, dropping Dad off for work. Ashen and I will return home to Newcastle for a few more weeks....

I have been meaning to...

2008-04-13T18:38:00.007+10:00

I have been meaning to post these for a week. Ashen playing with her friend Elijah....

Ashen running.....

Little Aisling...

Look Aunty Kate...I love wearing my beanie now...and mittens...can you pretty please send over some more beanies....for big 2 year old girls...I have a big head.....

Ashen sitting on her couch. Packing boxes at the rear...

Write more soon...

a weekend in the bananas.....

2008-04-10T19:01:00.010+10:00

The highlight of the weekend...up front...The Pet Porpoise Pool. Ashen got a seal kiss, dolphin kiss, fed penguins and totally loved the show. Definitely worth going along to...for any age..

First morning at Mima's and BaPa's....Very exciting-tick...large hair-tick...

The Big Banana...She loved it..it is totally pez...nothing there..but Ashen walked through that banana at least 10 times....thanks to BaPa for the banana drink bottle...I can now get Ashen to drink water no problem....Ashen, would you like some banana juice?...hehehe...

Toooo cute...

Botanic Gardens...great spot also....

Loved the bridge...

Ashen is funny at the moment...she was so clingy today...wanting "up up" all day...except when we go out on any road and she is determined that she does not need any hand holding...

She met a new friend today, Cliffie....the ancient dog down the road....she was screaming in his face..."Clllllllllllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiffffffffffffffffffffeeeeeeeeeeeeee". Cliffie looked very non-plussed...and his owner told me he was stone cold deaf...perfect combination....

Tomorrow...off to see the beautiful Steph, Elijah and Aisling....we are very excited...and then...a sleep over with Darcy and Maya...tops start to the weekend....

We are still off to Sydney...the buying of the place is off....too much going on...we will rent away for a while...our time will come...

And anyone out there who is remotely interested in art and kids....check out this super smart friend of mine...we went to school together..and she puts me to shame daily...lawyer, art historian and amazing mum....I am having a hard time inserting links in blogger...

http://www.artandkids.blogspot.com/

Jump everybody Jump...

2008-04-02T18:54:00.011+11:00

Well, here we are at the Wiggles Playland...Ashen is totally obsessed still. We are slowly weaning her off saying Dorothy CONSTANTLY....We are actually going to see the Wiggles on May 29th...it will be huge. I don't know if I am prepared actually...Enmore Theatre....screaaaaaaming 2 year olds...and me..alone...with a SUPER excited Ashen...ahhhhhhh....

Driving a spaceship at Wiggly Land place...

Ashen waiting for a swim with Poppa Greg...I swear the two of them would swim allll day. Poppa Greg would swim to the moon for her....

Twinkle Twinkle little star at the Royal Easter Show....

Ashen is totally excited because...............

The Banana's in Pyjama's were there....they are officially her second close favourite. She danced and did may dance moves...

Our happy Easter bunny..

Stalking a poor old magpie...

Playing with her cousin, Georgia...

Her official new boyfriend, Darcy...Darcy is the little boy of some very old, good friends of ours. Instead of going out, we go to their place for sleep overs...great stuff...

Well, the big move is on...we have hopefully bought a unit....exchanging contracts and all things involving large amounts of cash (or bank credit...). We are excited to get down there, start living a normal family life...should be good.

Ashen jumped for the first time tonight. She gave us a look of utter amazement. The feeling of leaving the earth independently for the first time. The most fantastic thing about having a child is experiencing all their firsts...Jumping was such a treat for Ashen. She has been trying to perfect this for MONTHS...Although, we had two perfect jumps and the third, straight on her bot...but to compensate...she can count to 6 and knows that you have 5 fingers...so I guess it evens out.

One of the things I am MOST looking forward to moving back to Sydney is...all my lovely mother's group friends....I have no idea at how Ashen is going compared to other nearly 2 year old's...so it will be so nice to see all her old little friends..and their mummies, of course...

We are off up North for a 4 day long weekend...should be great. Seeing Mima and BaPa and little Nanny...ahh, Ashen bliss...

Ashen will be going to a Montessori day care school in Sydney....Gwyn, of course, has been a wealth of information....thank you, my friend...

Moving....on a Sunday afternoon...Part II

2008-03-19T12:30:00.001+11:00

This is not a joke.

We are moving again.

This time for real...

And for a long time.

I would say for good.

More to come....

Proud

2008-03-06T19:04:00.002+11:00

Everyone is proud of their child. I am no different. Ashen is one of the most friendly little girls I have met. She runs up to strangers and hugs them around the legs, grabs their hands, says "sit down" and they are friends for life...

Today I took Ashen to my work. It is my new work, by the way...some people I have known for a very long time...some I have only just met. Ashen rang up to everyone, grabbed their hands and won over the most standoffish people in the room...

I am now popular thanks to my smiley curly haired girl....

Not that she does not have her faults....she is in a new room at daycare...with the 2-3 year olds....Ashen is only 21 months..so things are a challenge for her in there at times. They are bigger, stronger and can say more words...On Tuesday, our smiley girl administered two small bites to two unsuspecting 3 year olds....Completely normal, they assured us...don't worry...My husband and I have always tried to have no aggressive play or behaviour, but is seemed our little empress was so frustrated that someone had "her" dinosaur, that chomping was the only option.

Of course, I had her diagnosed with a personality disorder by 7.40pm...but she returned on Wednesday...managed the day without any cannibal action...and I live to tell another storey...

We are calling her Hannibal now...

A day in the life of...a small girl child...

2008-02-23T19:15:00.005+11:00

Painting....

Concentrating...

Check out that grip...it is the occupational therapist in me...the finished product is hanging up in the lounge room....

Swimming....

With Dad....

Happy Days...I sort of feel bad showing these photos...as it it miserable in the UK....but it has been a terrible summer here...rain, wind...but today....bliss....

Ashen is having alot of fun at the moment. She is talking so much more and looking forward to lots of visits from family in the next two weekends...

A sign of things to come....

2008-02-18T18:57:00.002+11:00

They say that if you measure a child's height at two years and double it, you will get their rough adult height...

Ashen measured in at nearly 90cm on the Wiggles Height Chart....

You do the math..

Yep, that is 6ft even...

Oh boy....

Ashen Updated.....

2008-02-17T18:28:00.007+11:00

Well, we are back. Ashen has been sick, sad and looking rather festy. She is back to here happy happy self...

Check out this Joey...how old is this little things face?

The great white hunter....at the zoo....

Average bathtime for Ashen...

Ashen has really had some major busters this last week..I am not sure if it is because she has been sick, tired and generally miserable...but today in Ikea she fell over a see saw (whilst singing see saw margery daw) and then fell over AGAIN and smacked her lip into a rocking horse...there was blood people...in Ikea...not a great look. And then, just this minute..I was reading her a book before bed (Where is the Green Sheep, of course..) and what do you know, she lent over to look for more books and smacked the side of her head....

Playing at Maxamillian Thunderbolt's...

These next two shots were taken just before the onset of the dreaded sickness. We have had WEEKS of rain here in Australia (unheard of around these parts). We have been stuck inside, bored...and are resorting to some interesting fashion choices...

Ahhhh, poor little thing...

We had an old mother's group dinner out in Sydney last night. I was SO good to see everyone again. Just like I had never left....good to see good friends.

Ashen is learning how to jump...with this weeks history of falling over, I am a little worried..

Ashen has started to talk on the phone. It is a one sided conversation, but exciting for the caller, all the same....

playing house

2008-01-29T18:29:00.000+11:00

We have arrived. Back in the house we started in three, or was it four years ago..Most of the rooms are complete....our bedroom looks like an Aldi store, but otherwise, we are settled in..I hate to admit this, but Ashen has developed an obsession with the Wiggles...it started innocently enough, but it is now a full blown obsession....she dances up a storm and requests them at every small break in the day. We have limited her to 20 minutes before dinner...damn those four men and their skivvies....My husband and I are constantly singing...here comes the chicken, or hot potato hot potato...or toot toot chugga chugga big red car....groan...

A beautiful new little human, Ellanor was born last Monday in England...All is well and Ashen sent a suitably cute gift at the post office today, proudly telling the postman (who she called Pat...after Postman Pat...), "for Janey baby"...well it is not strictly Janey's baby...but she is the grandmother, so I figured that was close enough and applauded her dutifully...

Potty training is going along swimmingly. Ashen is constantly going and getting new nappies and asking to be changed...

It is nice to be back. We walked into the local pub on Saturday night after four years and the publican said..."Your'e back"...now I don't know if that means we spent WAY too much time there before we had Ashen, or he just has a really really good memory, but it is nice to be somewhere where people know your name.

It was horridly hot today...Ashen even kept her hat on all the way to the park and shops, which is a record...

I am toying with leaving blogger...A dear friend of mine and my husband set up this great wordpress account last February...and I have not used it once....If anyone knows how to import this whole blog onto wordpress....send me an email, otherwise...I think I will keep writing...sometimes I think I should stop...that Ashen is getting too old, and people are bored....and I am lazy, and don't write enough....

A slight breeze is finally picking up...

Moving...on a Sunday afternoon

2008-01-06T21:08:00.000+11:00

We did the move this weekend. We are not living in our old house just yet...we are still up the coast..We left Ashen with her Grandparents and drove down on Friday afternoon...following the removal van. The weather was appalling...there was driving rain, flooding and a 2 hour delay that did not have a viable reason....

The removalists were a "special" three....definitely just out of jail...but our worldly possessions (which fit in half a garage) are all safely in our little cottage.

Ashen on all accounts had a great weekend. She bossed around some animals (her favourite past time) and appeared to have an all round good time.

We move permanently in 2.5 weeks. I know a few people around these parts that are going to be very sad to see Ashen go...She has started to really form her own little fan club and has basically everyone wrapped around her small fingers. She is getting great use out of her wedding frock. Is coming in handy for dress up's most weekends...

We spent much of the 5 hour drive back from down South discussing whether it really is possible to travel around Central Europe for 3 months with a 2 year old in a campervan driving on the wrong side of the road...sounds like a challenge to me....I think we are destined to keep moving....did I not say a while ago, I wanted stability...hmmm....

Happy New Year.....

2007-12-27T20:45:00.000+11:00

Here she is....in her special dress....at home in Australia. Complete with Arrowroot...

I hope all of your festive seasons have been really special. We are off on holidays for a few days down south...we will be there over New Years. Times have changed...my husband rang up to make sure that there would be no "noisy" people at the beachfront apartment we are staying at....we were assured, they are "all families, except one couple who are honeymooners"....so it will be just screaming kids and bedroom noises for us this New Year's....Hah..

Have a wonderful New Years...I know all of us in Ashen Land will.......

15 days, 360 hours.....

2007-12-19T22:00:00.000+11:00

Here are some of the photos taken on the trip....above is Ashen sleeping soundly on the plane to Seoul....She slept so well and managed the travel over really well...

Jetlagged small girl child in Korea. We arrived at 10pm Korea time; 12am Sydney time. Ashen was so tired she actually fell asleep in our arms...this is not a normal thing....Ashen is not one to sleep without a bed...

Here she is playing at Incheon Airport Seoul...waiting to get on the plane to UK.

This photo is taken at Salisbury Cathedral....the candle on the left is for Ashen...Thanks Poppa..

Here we are...Poppa, Aunty Kate, Ashen and I walking in the Cathedral...

Here is Ashen and I on the farm in Dorset...the little white thing is Fluff...Ashen and Fluff were firm friends with a healthy amount of squealing and excitement between them...We stayed on a beautiful farm with the most hospitable hosts in the Kingdom...Ashen was very very spoilt...as were we.

A cow in the semi-darkness of 430pm....

Ashen in her duffel coat....wide eyed...at an animal farm..the weather was exceedingly cold..especially for us who had stepped onto the plane in 30 degree weather...quite a shock really..

Ashen going craaaaaaaazy before the wedding rehearsal...She managed to pull it together just in time...

Long days were had...there was plenty of snoozing in the pram...

Back in Korea...Ashen is seriously loving herself at the moment. She spent alot of time kissing herself in this mirror...

Ashen had a great day at the COEX Mall and aquarium. It was a fantastic place just made for small people...Ashen was the only blond haired blue eyed small person there....

Asleep on the plane from Korea to Sydney. Ashen had 3 great flights...and one shocker....it happened to be the last flight...back home...she did not sleep...whooped and chortled for 8 hours and crashed 1 hour before the end of the flight...we were VERY glad to hit the ground.....

Here we are back home...Ashen needed a haircut so so badly.....this is her first ever cut...I was very sad to see it being cut...but it did need it..

The finished product.....it is quite short now...and very very curly....

Swimming in the pool at home....

Back home...with her Dad....

We had a terrific time while we were there.....Ashen looked amazing at the wedding...she walked down the aisle like a little cutie...the babysitter was AMAZING...thanks Laura...and Aunty Kate and Uncle Tom had a ball. As did we...

Seeing friends and spending time with family was fun...

I am back at work now....and planning the move back to the Steel City...we head back down there in late January....I am very excited. Back to a bit of calm...it has been a busy year...

Victorious Vomitorious

2007-12-13T12:10:00.000+11:00

How good is it when you are sitting in a rather posh apartment complex in Seoul, having breakfast, and your child projectile vomits everywhere and simultaneously gets a bleeding nose?

Classy...and right before a 9 hour flight...oh yeah..........

Annyong...

2007-12-11T20:35:00.000+11:00

We are in Korea. The wedding is over. Ashen was amazing and walked down the aisle all by herself. She stopped off half way to discuss matters most important with a total stranger, but was soon ushered down the right way...

The bride was radiant and lovely and is now sunning herself in the British Virgin Islands...as you do..

We caught up with dear friends in London. It made me miss them more...

Ashen has seen and done so much in the past week. She has grown in leaps and bounds and seems to have aged an eternity...

Seoul is amazing. Ashen and I went wandering this morning. Her jet lag took over, but we walked around the streets....both old and dazzingly new. Technology is the currency here...Ashen is somewhat of a B grade celebrity here. Her blond curly hair and blue eyes make for very very interesting viewing for the locals. She is constantly given free food, lollies and is having her photo taken around 50 times per day. I was amazed today when a group of sharman monks stopped, whipped out their mobile phones and started snapping...I thought that they were supposed to shun technology and sinful western ways....apparently not.

Tomorrow we are heading off in search of records.....yes yes, I hear all those who know my husband well...we are in search of the one record store in the whole of Korea. If any of you remember our adventure in Bangkok doing the same thing...it could be abit risky with an 18 month old...although, I am sure that we can get away with murder with Ashen, as long as we are ok with mobile phones constantly snapping perfect "cutey" baby shots of the small girl child...

By the way, if any of you out there with babies are considering flying from UK to Australia...or the equivalent...a stopover is MANDATORY....a must. The jet lag is a killer. We are currently in the middle of playing for around 1-2 hours at 1am....it is very very draining...so all you travellers out there...TAKE A STOPOVER....

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, england england

2007-12-04T07:26:00.000+11:00

well, then...here we are, as my father inlaw would say...and has said in the past few days..

we are here. fine and ashen was a marvel on the 24 odd hour flight to uk. all good. much wedding planning and organisation. dresses arrived intact and we are staying with adam and sarah on wednesday night...yay

we have been to salisbury and stonehedge...well they are only up the road...and down to the isle of wight tomorrow for a makeup run....ahhh, the important things in life...

there is much high tea...supper and pudding...

korea was great! can't wait to go back on the way home....

on the eve...or should I say edge...

2007-11-28T14:44:00.000+11:00

I have been a terrible poster. I have been terribly busy...

Ashen is 18 months. We have moved. We are moving again (I KNOW!) and now we are about to get on a plane for the UK. Those of you unfamiliar with how damn remote Australia is...it takes 24 hours. That is not in one hit, of course. We are doing a tour of South Korea in there for good measure.

We are all so excited to be going to see Aunty Kate and Uncle Tom and Ads and Sar...and Steph, Steve, Elijah and Aisling... The wedding is all planned, our dresses look amazing....we just have to get there.

Ashen does amazing things. She leaps, jumps, stumbles in mad attempts at running and has an amazing command of language. Too many amazings...she is a great friend though...

Yes, we are moving again...this time for a while, I hope....for those of you in the know...we are moving back to our little house in a coastal city with a penchant for steel...for all of those who will be around...except us in around 2 months...put the kettle on, I am coming over.....

I managed to survive the lack of husband, only just. I was unaware of how much I relied on him. Is that a good thing....I think so......

More to come from England.....

We are still here....

2007-11-03T21:54:00.000+11:00

I promise....

I run, or should that now be, we run...

2007-10-17T15:08:00.000+10:00

Some of you may or may not know, but I run pretty much every day. In the morning, early, when the rest of the town is asleep.

I love it. It gives me a wonderful sense of achievement. Like the day will be ok. Ashen's dad has gone away for 5 weeks. No, I have not had the huge tanty that I have been threatening for 9 months, he has just had to go away for uni...

Now, back to my point...I used to run on my own, at 520am....in the quiet, cool part of the day...now...I have a friend....

She sits quietly, hair all over the place, milk firmly in one hand, rusk in the other (I know, I know...she is nearly 18 months and should have moved on from rusks...)....and surveys the cool morning in her jarmies in the jogger pram...

The first morning I took her..she sung the whole way around...I usually do the singing when I run, but Ashen has taken over. I thought I was fit, but pushing around 13 kilos in a pram adds at least another 40% effort...

This morning, she slept in...we did not hit the road until 630am. I was uncharacteristically annoyed at this. Like my day had somehow fallen out of rhythm...

And then I saw him...Elvis...my Nemesis. Elvis is a 2kg fluffy white dog. He is evil. He spots me two blocks down the road and starts barking and biting. I am telling you, he is a force to be reckoned with...I have been bitten and have murmured not so subtle threats to his owner about calling the RSPCA and getting this 2kg midget declared a dangerous dog...

This morning was no different. I jogged on, determined not to instill some irrational fear of small 2kg dogs in Ashen...he puffed his chest out at 50 paces...and then he saw her...in the pram...and bolted...

I laughed out loud. Ashen thought it was great! Elvis, my friend, I have conquered....

Too bad we are moving...now, my morning jog not only makes me happy...but the dog is scared witless...

We leave this little town on Friday. I am not sure when I will be able to post more photos of Ashen. I have many...she loves the beach and looks really fetching in her hot pink (I vowed never to do it..) all in one swim suit...

Tootle pip....

oscarthomas...what a great name...

2007-09-23T19:50:00.000+10:00

Oscar Thomas arrived on Thursday...his mum and dad took three days to name him...thank goodness it is a good one...

She's an artistic, wild-haired bikeriding duck walker..

2007-09-18T18:42:00.000+10:00

At rest....

Ashen has spontaneously started to draw. Initially, she thought that pen's were only meant for drawing on herself (thanks Dad)...however over the past few weeks, she has initiated picking up the pens around the place...and starting to draw with a remarkable grip (I can't help it, it is the OT in me...)....bravo!

OK, this is to demonstrate to those overseas....note, the wild, untameable small flowergirl child uncontrollable hair....the ringlets. No flower arrangement is going in that baby. We can't even get a comb through it...

This is Ashen's new bike. Complete with steering. She absolutely loves it. A bargain at $25! When I picked her up at daycare today, she was in the process of challenging a smaller boy to a duel over the daycare bike...a warning to any visitors...Don't touch the bike....ever...Her Dad tried to sit on it the other day. There were tears, let me tell you. Real, toddler screaming tears...

I LOVE MY BIKE!!!

And finally, a free walking picture, just to prove she CAN actually walk. Now we all know that Ashen is "challenged" in the walking department...Witness, the duck foot....oh yeah....

Walking Shots are coming...

2007-09-16T19:43:00.000+10:00

Oh yeah, we have lots of photos...

Tomorrow...too tired after weekend.......

Oh yeah....we are moving...

2007-09-10T20:26:00.000+10:00

We had a great weekend. Down to Sydney for APEC...and a 90th. The 90th was far more important than the American Prez...Ashen is on the move. Like actually properly walking...She has sneakers and everything. She is totally excited with herself. I was silently convinced that she had some hideous balance problem...so now she is walking...I am so happy...Above is a gnome in Grandma and Poppa's garden...He was an entertaining little fellow..

Walking on the especially made for grandchildren (with cyclone proof pool fence safety railing) back deck...

Walking around the back yard with Dad and Great Grandpa Stan...

Before bath/shower every night, Ashen sits on the potty. Most nights, she makes a wee wee sound, she might do a little tinkle...and off we go...Tonight, wait for it, it was the real deal...a No. 2! Ashen was shown her hard work, to much rapturous applause from Mum and Dad...Ashen was totally agog as to what she had done...looked very bemused as the No.2 happily made its journey down the toilet....ahh the joys...

Home

2007-09-02T20:48:00.000+10:00

We are babysitting my parent's house each weekend at the moment. They are away, overseas...lucky buggers...

We spend time with my grandmother (who rocks) and also spend time looking at the beach..

We had a wonderful walk over Muttonbird Island (btw, the birds are finding a mate at the moment)...both my husband and I puffing and panting with our respective illnesses which require antibiotics..

Being at my parents is strange. I find myself straightening the tea towel the way Dad would like, making sure everything is locked 500 times and making the bed, just like my Mum..There is something very very calming about being in the house you spent so much of your formative years in....there are are the stickers on my old bed (circa 1988); the woodwork project from Year 8; the familiar smells; the plastic seagull my husband and I stole somewhat inebriated last New Years...funny though, it is very still at the moment...there is no clumsy dropping of large items in the kitchen whilst Ashen is having her sleep, no frantic cleaning...there is no Mum and Dad....we miss them...

Ashen spoilt her Dad today...he got lots of choccie...lots of laughter and a healthy dose of tears before bedtime...

Happy Father's Day....

Add...

2007-08-30T18:28:00.000+10:00

A healthy chest infection...

Oh yeah, I am pretty...

Imagine...

No voice and trying to hack up a lung..

I sound something like a small cow being throttled....

Glorious...

Here we go...

2007-08-29T18:14:00.000+10:00

I have lost my voice, literally.

Ashen has not....

Exhaustion

2007-08-28T18:51:00.000+10:00

Ashen and I are sick. I am managing to string two words together, however our small girl child is miserable. I honestly cannot explain the feeling I have when Ashen is sick. I would gladly take on every sniffle, hacking cough and whimper if it could be taken from her. She is coughing so much when she is put down at night that she cries after each cough. That is hard to hear, let me tell you.
I am sure that this is the worst winter for flu I have known..or maybe it is because I have a child now and am acutely aware of every bug that is spreading its evil tentacles everywhere...and we had just gotten over the last bug.

Consequently, Ashen has gone back to hardly eating a thing. Tonight she had a piece of tofu. Yep, that is it. Oh, I lie, she had a bite of freeze dried mango too...

She has settled down now, the coughing has ceased for the moment...her little humidifier is going ten for the dozen...and I am left exhausted, to prepare for another day...

The mantra....tomorrow she will feel better...repeat after me..

Ball Pit

2007-08-23T19:22:00.000+10:00

Missed Call on the mobile at work...the Daycare Centre. Heart stops. Never a good sign....then I thought, maybe the Jacaranda Queen Entrant at Ashen's daycare wanted to speak to me URGENTLY about my fundraising efforts...but no, Ashen had come a buster and had taken a tumble getting out of the ball pit. The Ball Pit is just as it sounds..a great big pit of balls. Ashen loves it, but apparently her massive head finally got too big to hold up, and gravity finally won the war of attrition...

Frantic fingers moved over the mobile to call them...she was fine, however protested loudly about the icepack. When I went to get her this afternoon, there is was, in her PJ's (it is teddy bears picnic week), crawling into the ball pit. No harm done...however she does have a nice shiner on her head, which I will take a picture of when I get my camera back.

I felt that Ashen deserved a really big treat tonight after her tumble...so while dressing her after her bath, I belted out a wonderful rendition of "My Heart will go on" by Celine Dion. I absolutely hate that song, and Celine Dion for that matter, however I will do just about anything to get Ashen from base jumping off the change table in the nude with half a nappy on...

In other news, the husband is back in the land of the mobile phone reception, and will be home tomorrow. I am still prowling the corridors late into the night and am killing the planet with all the lights I have on all evening...

Only the Lonely

2007-08-21T19:17:00.000+10:00

Ahhh, here we are, Day 2 of "Operation No Dada"...These photos were actually taken last week after a day time sleep...Ashen misses her Dad. I miss him too, but Ashen, she really misses him. I am awoken to the soft calls of "Dada Dada", interspersed with "nighnigh" of course. Mum looked after her today, and a door slammed downstairs, and she bolted off to the top of the stairs, saying Dada...very very cute..

Ashen had her last day with her Mima for 2.5 months. Mum was devastated. She will miss her heaps. I am sure a world trip will soon wipe the found memories of wiping Ashen's snot away!

I am not good when my husband is away. The anxiety reaches fever pitch (hi Kate and Ryan!) and I imagine every creak and groan of the house to be an axe wielding pedophile..as you can imagine, I feel quite rested.

Ashen is now convinced that 530am is THE time of the day...and I must admit, it is kind of handy that she is waking up then...I am NEVER late for the day...yes, I am delusional from the nightwatchman role I am currently undertaking. Excuse me while I go and check the garage is locked....

15 months + 2 days

2007-08-17T20:39:00.000+10:00

Ashen was born 15 months + 2 days ago. She is still as humorous to me today as she was the day she was born. My husband and I burst out laughing when we first saw her..and we still are really.

She now says "Phew" and holds her pants...very amusing.
Her hair is getting thicker and longer, however is a mass of curls and sticks out all over her head at crazy angles...amusing.
She can climb on things....mildly amusing.
She is really really good at waking up and saying "Nigh Nigh" at 430am...not amusing at all..

In other news, Ashen and I are going to be on our own for a week. This is good preparation for when we are going to be on our own for a month+ later in the year. Wish me luck. Tash, I might call you for advice!

No photos...I am saving them up as I will not have a camera for a week.

Here Comes the Sun...

2007-08-12T18:52:00.000+10:00

We ended the month looking like this...

Moved on to looking like this.....Ashen's mum and dad had to test many things they never thought they would have to take a sample of...

And then, around my birthday...things started looking up. Ashen has stubbornly remained on her bottom for the past 14.5 months, however......she has taken 6 consecutive steps on about 8 different occasions....Amazing. She careers from person to person and has decided that she is very clever..

Although, whilst we were praising her stumblings, she has developed a temper. She can really really screech. It does not happen often, however, it is a very big shock when it does happen. My Dad was in the back of the car with her on Saturday when her infamous temper erupted. The tears were flowing, 1000 decibels of howling...complete with furtive glances to my Dad to make sure he was appreciating her efforts. Thank goodness it is gone as quick as it starts..

Ashen is very expressive. The above look is a common one...

Ashen is really really tall...

Here she is, back again...happy, shiny Ashen. Little Isabella joined the world on the 7th....She took her time, but she arrived perfect, just the same...

View out the back of our house...Sunset over the Northern Rivers...Complete with an old stink pipe...No, but seriously, it is a beautiful part of the world...and it does have amazing sunsets...and unfortunately, we are seeing too many of the sunrises also at the moment....but to make up for it, Ashen can say "butterfly"..it actually sounds like "butterbye" but I know what she means.....

I must admit, I have found it hard to write on the blog...I think Ashen being sick, us getting it, busy at work, trips to Sydney....Is that enough excuses? No, I think not also.

Rough Trot

2007-07-29T20:22:00.000+10:00

Absent we have been...Ashen has been sick for quite a while. She has had many many doses of vomiting, all the lovely bits coming from the other end..and today, a rash! Excellent...we have all been sick...with the same thing...except the rash. I trip to the hospital later, and...we have "a viral infection". So descriptive...

Hat wearing is not too bad now. This beanie stayed on her head for...around 5 minutes. A record.

We have had a good time, despite the illness, however we have all been too wiped out to go anywhere...and did I mention that Ashen gave this virus to my Mum AND my Dad...

Ashen does not really eat anymore. We are surviving on watered down juice and water...we managed some creamed corn today...

Today at the hospital, she had to have her blood pressure taken...She was sitting on her Dad's lap and I swear I nearly cried, she looked so adorable. Big eyes looking at the nurse, she looked over the nurses shoulder and said....Beeeeeowwww...which is Meow for those who do not speak Ashen...there was Garfield, distracting her from the increasing pressure on her left arm...

In other news, our town bridge turned 75 the other weekend....here is a piccie from the day...

We are back to Sydney next weekend. A flying visit...Seeing some old friends..

I will try to update this more often...it has just been so hectic...Sickness, work, early mornings...you name it...no valid excuse....

Bed Head and Buckets

2007-07-15T15:15:00.000+10:00

Ahh, here we are, back from the self enforced break from posting. The computer is going back to HP (insert swearing and cursing) and I am relegated to the cold downstairs room to bring you this post. The above shot is a shocker. It is to prove that pure, healthy, small 14 month olds have bags and bad hair at 530am. Not showing you a photo of how the Mums and Dads look at that hour, hey Gwyn?

Ashen has decided that walking is for the birds, however she had starting climbing into things and on things at random. Toy boxes, buckets, couches...the girl is a pro. Now just have to master bipedal transport and she is on track.

We have had lots of visitors and done alot of things in the past month. Ashen's grandmother came to stay and totally babysat and we went camping! It was freezing, but we had a great time and even caught a movie!! It was great to see her being able to play with Ashen and the visit coincided with Ashen speaking around 15 new words....The vocab is amazing...we have random words like turtle now...crazy stuff.

We have a new little person in the world. Hannah has arrived and we can't wait to see her in the UK....

I have not really taken alot of pictures over the last month. Will start back again now...

We are off on a special OVERNIGHT visit without baby to Sydney in August...We are saying farewell and bon voyage to our special buds, Ads and Sarah. They were the ones I blubbered like a baby leaving in Sydney. Well they are moving to England and it is there turn to blubber...Positive side is we will see them in December! Yay.

Wellll....that's all for now. Ashen is being a delight at the moment. She laughs, throws her head back and chatters and is a hit with the over 80's set. I am very very lucky to be me....

Till next time...

open wide, come inside....

2007-07-09T21:07:00.000+10:00

we are currently down for maintenance in AshenLand. the computer is broken, and the only other computer that i can use is located downstairs in the cold. lame excuse, but i am sticking to it. will post in the next couple of days...lots of games and stories to tell....

And finally she sleeps....

2007-06-24T19:17:00.000+10:00

After 1.5 hours of bed singing...the small girl child went for a bikeride...

2km's in...she looked like this....we stopped several times to put her head right....no luck, she was out cold.

We are going to take a strap next time, if she falls asleep...we will be able to strap the large watermelon helmet to her seat to keep her head upright...poor little thing...needless to say, she is asleep now...fast asleep...

Mornings, Tears and Bikerides

2007-06-23T18:31:00.000+10:00

Ashen, in the mornings is a cute thing. She has taken to dragging around an old wrap of hers, though...not so cute...

Tear placed on cheek for affect...

Ashen has been really mixing up her sleeps during the day at the moment...we go from 2 sleeps, to no sleeps to one massive sleep in the middle of the day. Very hard to plan anything....she is quite happy to stay up the whole day. She has also not really shown any great progress on the walking front. She has had 3 major falls this week...so I guess that means she is getting better? Or at least more adventurous. She is so happy sitting on the ground, reading a book, that walking seems like too much of a hassle...

Here she is, the happy angel, on her bike ride on Saturday morning..

These shots are quite deceiving, she LOVES the bike....hates the helmet, but loves the ride. Anyone who has met Ashen for 2 minutes, knows how much she hates anything on her head. And having a large pink watermelon strapped to your head is the ultimate insult. Big thanks to Poppa Greg for the bike seat....

a small fairy with wings

2007-06-19T21:37:00.000+10:00

I must admit, silly and petty, but I have always wanted Ashen to wear wings. You know, those cliched angel wings? Yeah, those...well our shiny shiny girl will get her winged, angel moment, courtesy of her Aunty Kate....I ran it buy her tonight, in between wedding dress talk, that Ashen would be wearing wings on her little flower girl dress....and she said that she would look so cute....totally totally angelfied...it is only for the reception, not the ceremony...but you never know...maybe I can sneak em in...

Ahhh, what a tops Aunty...

Shiny Shiny Girl

2007-06-13T20:25:00.000+10:00

Backwards sliding is the new black...

2007-06-10T18:36:00.000+10:00

Morning Tea...Saturday morning...

Diva girl child...Look at that little ear...

This is the park that we go to all the time. Ashen loves the slide. She will continue to slide down it all day. Here she is sizing the slide up from the bottom...

Ok...her she goes....

Half way up....going well...

Got some real traction now...

Ok, so a bit of help was needed.....

VICTORY!!!!!!!

Was a good day today. Ashen has decide that sleeping in the morning, is for the birds only. No more morning sleep it seems....But, she also decided not to have an afternoon nap...so was a long day, with 3 walks...and a trip to the park....Long weekend, so technically, tonight is Saturday night, not Sunday night...yay! Hope all that have the long weekend are enjoying it....

Trucks and Toads

2007-06-09T20:29:00.000+10:00

My computer has died again. I am beginning to think that it is officially a dud. You know those type of large price items you buy that are never quite right. I believe the technical term is a "lemon".

So, no photos, but I do bring you some tales of country Australian life. One from our little town, and the other from that far flung place at the top of Australia, the Northern Territory.

Our tale involves trucks, horns and small girls tears...We were out for our usual Saturday morning stroll to "get the papers", when we here from outside "ShoppingWorld" (yes people, that is the name of our shopping plaza), a honking and a hollering coming from the main drag. Some excitement, some action...the three of us hot footed it to the main street, stood under the clock tower, to be greeted by approximately 50 semi-trailers doing laps around the two roundabouts in town. I must admit, we were puzzled. There were actual people in the middle of the street clapping the semi's as they drove on by. As we stood outside the shop, which some call, the best pizza shop in the whole world....a massive truck let off a booming honk. As I was staring at the locals in amazement, I happened to cast a glance down at the small girl child...whose small bottom lip was quivering, a big tear was welling..the honk had scared, as the locals would say, the living daylights out of her.....As I sit here posting tonight, I have NO idea what 50 semi-trailers were doing honking and doing laps between two roundabouts of a small country town. I have the feeling I will never know, or clearly understand.

Now, on to the Northern Territory...This comes with a little help from ABC...

Residents in Darwin's rural areas will be swapping cane toads for ice-creams today as part of an incentive to rid the Northern Territory of the pests.

Over the last two weekends Territorians have been exchanging cane toads for beers in Darwin and Palmerston.

Territory Frog Watch Coordinator Graeme Sawyer says this morning's toad drop in the Darwin rural area of Freds Pass is focusing on a younger audience.

"The 'Beer for a Toad' thing has been happening over the last two weekends and finishes at Freds Pass this weekend," he said.

"Some of the people were thinking, well it's not really fair for the young people, because they can't take advantage of the beer.

"One of our members has tried to organise something for the kids and has come up with this scheme for movie vouchers and ice-creams. So it will be great for some of the younger brigades."

I rest my case....Photos tomorrow...

Whiskers Percentile Update

2007-06-01T18:57:00.000+10:00

What we assumed is confirmed...

Ashen's Whiskers (Head): 97th percentile

Ashen's Height: They don't have a percentile range for Ashen's height...somewhere in the giant range...

Ashen's Weight: 60th percentile...

The needles were very very traumatic. She had one in each arm and one in her left thigh...She wriggled so much that she got jabbed twice in her left arm..She smiled and babbled perfectly for the doctor, but once the nurse came near her with the shots...the look of hatred in her eyes was unsurpassed...The poor nurse tried to bribe her afterwards with a cute toy ringworm (hmmm)..she was having none of it..

She is sleeping quietly now...but it looks like she has inherited the most ridiculous of allergies...band aids....Great....She has three nice little welts on her arms and leg. The true trauma of this will only be apparent to the immediate members of my husbands family. Trust me, the allergy sounds like it would not be too much trouble, but it is pretty deadly. I am waiting to see the carnage tomorrow morning...

Ashen Whiskers

2007-05-31T18:56:00.000+10:00

Ashen has whiskers. Like a cat. She uses them to feel her way around the house. If she needs to get through a tight spot, like under a chair. She uses them...Ashen's whiskers are her head...Ashen has a large head. And she uses it well...

Here she is with one of her favourite birthday pressies...the slide whistle...oh yeah. She is a master..eat your heart out Kenny G. Thank you so much for all the wonderful pressies everyone...they are so appreciated. You all really made her first birthday very special. I PROMISE the thankyou cards will be worth the wait...they will include Ashen art...

Aunty S and Uncle A are moving to the UK. We are all very excited for them, but will miss them HEAPS. But it is so so great for them and we will visit them when we go in December...

Injections tomorrow....groan. I am so dreading it. I will be back tomorrow to bring you the exact height of this little giant!! And not to mention, the exact percentile range of Ashen's whiskers...

Thankful

2007-05-24T19:01:00.000+10:00

Got some good news today. Really good news. The type of good news that makes you feel so grateful that you go weak at the knees. When I heard the soothing, familiar sound of, "G'day Mare" (family nickname, long story), I honestly thought my heart had stopped. But when the reply was "Good"...I thought I would cry...that is a lot of emotions in 2 seconds, at work, with 6 people around you...

Needless to say, I am so grateful.

Everything seems a little lighter, Ashen's funny little ears seemed a little cuter, and I am totally excited cause we are all going on a car trip tomorrow to celebrate an 80th birthday. Doesn't get any better than that...

Big thanks to Gwyn, Angie B, Ally, Em, Bel, Fiona and Nic for always being supportive....Cheers, my friends...So so appreciated...

Drinking Wars

2007-05-20T21:02:00.000+10:00

Since Ashen turned one and all, I have been reading about all the things I should have done with Ashen by now. One of which is drinking from a cup. This, of course, is not the only thing that I should have done....but, it is the most pressing at the moment. I have, as you can see, obtained pretty much every cup made at the Tommee Tippee plant. Ashen has tried em all....

AND THE WINNER IS...................

THE BOTTLE....Well, at least it is still Tommee Tippee...

Morning Tea at the Ashen household. Carrots, sultanas and cheese...

Oh yeah.....this is the stuff...

Now, just don't think about taking that bottle away from me, you hear?

Since turning one, Ashen has decided that she has a temper...don't know where she gets it from (hmmmm)...

Now, this temper conveniently comes out usually at one of the following times:

1. At the shops

2. In a line (usually at the shops)

3. Anytime she sees my purse (yes, she is starting early)

The same said temper is quieted easily, however is quite a shock when it surfaces...Apparently it is a trait shared amongst all Ashen's....Yes, the only other Ashen we know, has a temper too...so there it is, scientific proof that all little girls called Ashen are stubborn...excellent....

0609

2007-05-16T19:19:00.000+10:00

0609am...The morning after the big birthday! Here she is...wandering up the hall, calling dog dog to all that will hear..that is me, at the fridge...getting ready for the breakfast run.

It is amazing that Ashen was one year old on the 15.05.2007...I had this whole idea that I would do this photo montage of the whole year...but time got away, and now the technical one has gone away for 2 days....so, you will not be seeing a collage of her last 12 months any time soon. I had idea's for a post, but they have left me...

Suffice to say, that these last 12 months have been gratifying, humbling and totally, totally cherished. Ashen is a funny, happy little girl, who loves nothing more than being tickled and having a great big belly laugh on her mum and dad's bed before her nightly bath...and that sound is more than enough for us..

The Party

2007-05-13T19:17:00.000+10:00

THE CAKE...Oh yeah....Ashen LOVES dogs. She says dog at every available opportunity...What do you reckon? We were MOST impressed...

Candles were a real hit..

The first taste of chocolate....EVER! Can you imagine that?

Look at that face. She had it behind her ears...all over....

We had a lovely day. The party was a huge success. Ashen had a spectacular time and got lots of great pressies. And considering her birthday is not until Tuesday...she is doing well..

Here we are today, Mother's Day...We had a quiet day after driving back from Mum and Dad's this morning. Ashen and I went to the shops...nothing special, but it is still great to spend time with her. She is now able to say Mumma...although she actually usually saying it mainly when food is produced. This leads me to think she is actually saying Yumma...but we are getting there...

Today, having her afternoon tea. More "sometimes food" as Elmo would say (who is still guarding the cords, by the way!!). Look Aunty Chonny...they are Arnott's...that makes it OK, doesn't it?

She is such a sticky beak...actually she is looking at Elmo in this shot...Poor little thing...I took her down the Elmo aisle at the shops today...Her eyes were totally bugging...He is kind of like a baby's version of Chucky....I felt mean, but I think immersion is the way with old Elmo...although, not sure what I will do with the cords though.....

The Sentinel

2007-05-12T08:46:00.000+10:00

Elmo...the great red sentry. Ashen is terrified of him....note his position...right near the cords. No way she is going near those babies now...She loved Elmo at 6 months, however has developed a disdain for the cute little red dude lately. She walks around the table and will freeze like a tiger stalking its prey...stare at him, and bolt in the other direction. She actually punched him in the head this morning..That is progress, people. Prior to that she would sit on an available parents lap with tears welling...My little girl, from tears to flashes of violence, all in 24 hours. None the less, Mr Elmo is staying firmly by the cords. He is the best deterrent we have found yet. Note: Yes we are renting this house, and yes, those curtains were already here.

Ashen's little family birthday party today. The cake is soooooooooooo good. We have really done a sterling effort. I am most impressed..Will post up pictures of the party tomorrow....

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!

Bunny Bath Time

2007-05-09T18:54:00.000+10:00

Bath Time in the Ashen household.

She is loving bath time at the moment....

Who says the bunny rabbit is not real?

Damn that Bloody Matilda

2007-05-05T20:29:00.000+10:00

Ok, some poor girl is murdering the great old Aussie bush ballard, "Waltzing Matilda", at the showground. Last night, this horrid little dittie, heralded the start of the fireworks.

I have the phone on speed dial to the Council if they wake the baby....

Saturday

2007-05-05T18:50:00.000+10:00

Minnie comes in handy. Here he is, moonlighting as his alter ego, the pillow...

It has been unseasonably hot this last two days. Ashen has been getting red cheeked during nap times. Here she is after today's afternoon kip...

It is Ashen's first birthday in 10 days. It is funny how time goes into fast forward. I hate it when people say that and I know it makes me sound old, but really, how quickly has this year gone? We have accomplished many things as a family in that time, handled things well, and not so well. I remember someone saying that the first year of your child's life is full of change. I think they meant for the child...but this year has been full of WAY too many changes for this little bear...I am ready for calmer days...

Ashen had some well wishers for her birthday today...as Fee said, there is a 5 in today's date...Ashen was left wondering where all the pressies she has been hearing about were....

The local country show is on here at the moment. On today's walk we ambled past cows, pigs and horses in floats...as apposed to the usual cows, pigs and horses we walk past, that are not in floats! The horses we saw today were a little more pampered than the usual horses we see...

Oh yeah, the fireworks show was great at 830pm last night. I was ready to call the local council for waking my child...How times have changed.

I think we will go to the show tomorrow. How can we resist trooping round sideshow alley, aiming for a crazy clown's mouth....all with the alluring background aroma of manure to spur us on? Sounds like a tops Sunday to me!

Minnie and Mini Minnie

2007-05-03T19:12:00.000+10:00

This is Mini Minnie...He is the younger, more virile version of....

MINNIE......Minnie is an old friend who has been Ashen's pal since she was 2 weeks old. Minnie is the surrogate counterpart of a black labbie who lives across the seas. Yes, I did say black...Our Minnie is not black, obviously...

Mini-Minnie is a tolerant little fellow...face chomping...

Ear chomping...

And hurling off the table...

I wonder if the real Minnie will be so tolerant?

Ashen has a crazy chuckle. Like maniacal chuckle...Before bed each night she is having so many tickles and flying around the bed that she is crazily laughing as she gets placed into her big girl's bath. Yes, after nearly 12 months, Ashen is out of her baby bath...and into the big bath!!! Way way too late....but she is there now, that is the main thing...

May Day

2007-05-01T18:56:00.000+10:00

May Day..Ashen had a good day. She did three laps of the yard (that is a long way for a small girl)...and is leaping from one unstable surface to the next. She kept my mum and dad on their toes today...

Still no Mumma. I have hoping that she will start saying it by osmosis...If I put my name on things....maybe it will sink in...hehhe

Hey Aunty K...these photos are just for yooooooooooooooooooooou....I am going to be the most prettiest flower girl EVER...

Just don't put ANYTHING on my head. I hate it...Actually, don't touch my face, or place anything with a 5km radius of the face....hmmm

Sadness

2007-04-27T08:54:00.000+10:00

This picture makes me sad. Not just a little bit sad, but that rip your heart out sort of sad. This is Ashen, in the ragged grips of bronchitis. Tears, snot and puffy eyes. Miserable.

I think she looks beautiful at the same time...

I went in to her the other morning. She had overslept. There is always this really irrational part of me that is sure there is something wrong if she sleeps past 7am. I lie in bed, listening to my husband breathe, waiting to hear the first song of the day...I do that EVERY morning.

And when I don't hear those comforting sounds by 6.30am, I must admit, I am in a horizontal flat out panic.

This particular morning, my husband and I went in to her at 7.10am. I was in a state of anxiety (but not showing it, of course), and she was fast asleep. I mean, not moving asleep. At 7.10am. Unheard of.

I lifted up one tiny arm. Nothing. No sounds, songs or other early morning chortles...

That was it, I was hysterically screaming..."This is it, oh no!" and many other ridiculous screeches. My husband shook his head as my first born rolled over with a sleepy morning smile.

"You have really got to get a handle on your anxiety levels", he said calmly...

Taking it Easy...Not

2007-04-25T19:28:00.000+10:00

I have not felt like writing or putting any photos up recently. I am not sure why. I think that blogging is really like a habit. If you get out of habit, sometimes it seems hard..We have had alot of things happening. More than I could really write down here. Feeling sorry for myself has been high on the list. Not founded in anything personally to do with me, just people surrounding me..Therefore, I have allowed myself to wallow in my own misery, using words like hate in relation to work...now that does not get anyone, anywhere. So we are on the positive here....Lot of positive thinking....The beautiful Teneille, running around ragged with 2 month old twins and a 20 month old has me writing down lists of 17 great things...It is working. I feel very self absorbed. I am very self absorbed. There are obviously lots of people that have many many many more problems than me....I am aware of how lucky I am...

Ashen is so so funny at the moment. She can say dog, duck, dada, bubba...no mumma. I am mortified. Why do I not get a run....I am waiting...I think she said mumba today, but really, I am sure I am making it up.

She learnt how to clap in 20 seconds...not kidding. We never really tried clapping with her...and then one day, we clapped, she clapped..and we have been madly clapping since. Now you only have to say clap and Ashen is off..

She is over the bronchitis. What a shocker. Coughing, Vomiting...not fun for her.

We are not going to Thailand any more....We are going to the UK...So we are working out how to legally place Valium in Ashen's bottle (I am joking)...but, boyo, 24 hours on a plane...Positive Positive Positive thinking....

Bronchisauraus

2007-04-18T08:18:00.000+10:00

Oh, the woes....

Ashen has had bronchitis. We have been off the air, surviving on very little sleep, working, listening to her cough and cry at the same time, and trying to get her to sleep past 5am.

She is over the bronchitis now, but refuses to sleep past 5am???? Any tips please!! My eyeballs are all gritty and red.

Other than that, my laptop has packed it in again. For a new laptop, it is causing me mucho grief. Hence, the lack of photos. We have the most amazing snotty photos for your viewing pleasure, however they are stuck in the computer....so you will have to wait for that pleasure...

Lot of things have happened whilst I have been whinging about my bronchy baby...

Angus was born!
Maya was born! Little M has been much sicker than Ashen...we are all crossing fingers, toes and every other available thing that she gets MUCH better soon...

AND...we are going to Thailand in January....Very exciting...

Photos will be coming soon....Just trying to extract them from the broken hard drive....

A Striking Resemblance

2007-04-05T19:15:00.000+10:00

Well, I am sitting here on the cusp of a four day holiday. The young folk (read early 20's) are over the road, pumping "Born to be Wild"...oh yeah, these country folk know how to parrrrrrrty.

Grandma and Poppa arrive tomorrow. We are going to probably go to the local HighLand games. Photos of THAT one, I promise!

Ashen is really finding life a tonne of fun at the moment. I called in to the local shops today after work (heaven forbid, the shops are shut for ONE day!) to get some final rations...she was picked up from daycare and off we went. As we were sashaying down the baby aisle (cause I really really need some more baby toys...) she squeals out DaDaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...to the unsuspecting gent with his pregnant wife. Sorry...I mutter, looking at my toes..."No worries, she is cute", he said in a jovial voice..I looked up, and low and behold, he DID look like my husband...as I walked away, chuckling to myself, thinking how on earth could there be another one of my husband in this tiny town, Ashen swivels out of her pram, yelling DADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, and laughing her head off as we barrelled past the formula....

Projectile Projection

2007-04-04T19:55:00.000+10:00

Poor little sickie...Ashen was unwell this morning...Projectile type of unwell...at 415am..Her Dad looked after her today, and she is much better now, thanks...Mum dragged herself through the day...thanks to caffeine and diet coke...

Practicing drinking through a straw....much practice is needed. Thanks to Gwyn for the cup...

Note the milk falling down the straw...

Trying the cup...

Here she is, the rhinestone cowgirl...standing up at the newly erected gate... She is such a trendsetter.

She spends heaps of time staring through the gate, looking down the stairs and squealing if anyone actually comes up the stairs.

My Grandmother says her eyes are like her father's....they certainly are not mine or her Dad's...so we tend to all agree with Nan...

Here she is, the ever stylish gal. Stripy bodysuit, baby beehind on the outside of black tights...perfect.

Ashen is so much fun at the moment. She is starting to become a real little mimic...

Grandma and Poppa arrive on Friday...

One Stolen Day

2007-03-28T18:54:00.000+10:00

Today was a stolen day for Ashen and I. We had a day together when we usually would not. I looked after her today, and realised why I miss her...she is such a fun little girl to be around.

Ready for the day. After I wrangled her into an outfit. Really getting difficult to dress her now. She squirms and attempts to leap of the change table...I usually bribe her...

Are we leaving now or what?

She often has the phone. Here she is listening to the phone on speaker saying, "I'm sorry the number you have called is not available. Please check the number and try again." That little game allowed me to pack our day bag, get some nappies and check I have got my mobile phone...

Look at that cute little butt...

Here is the, "I know I am not supposed to be here look"...

Hanging out in the park. This happy girl was in tears not 10 minutes before when I called into work after showing off her head stand prowess and smacking her forehead into the carpet near my desk...

Playing in the grass is a great activity is great for kids of Ashen's age. She loves it at the moment...We set up her little tent in the backyard when we returned home and she kept on crawling...in and out of the tent. She loves it. It is a little igloo and provides hours of fun..

Awwwww...

About to stand up on the back of the pram...

As we were sitting on the grass, an old lady walked past and told me she was from the CWA (Country Women's Association). This is their building in "The Settlement". The CWA provide a lovely devonshire tea, she told me, for $2 and they would make a vegemite sandwich for Ashen for $1...nice prices. Apparently the CWA is very active in our town..

Here is the tale of the small camera eater...Here she is stalking her prey...

Oh, there you are....I would love to give you a big kiss...

Incoming......This is a thinly veiled attempt at pretending to want to give me a kiss.....She draws her fangs at the last minute...

Ahhhh...here she comes a slobbery empress...

Today was great. I had a nice time. Ashen had a good time, good sleeps and plenty of standing, crawling and bouncing around.

Photos Photos Photos

2007-03-27T21:01:00.000+10:00

This post shows alot of pictures from our travels of late...there are alot..but we have been missing in action for a long time. Ashen is growing so much. It is one of the amazing things about watching life develop in your offspring, they do the coolest things every day. Ashen was once a small thing that could not roll over for ages...now she sits at the bookshelf and pulls all the books out! Amazing..

Ashen takes steps now, whilst holding on to someones hands. She is now able to stand up in the bath on her own. Although, she only does that to her mother..hmmmm. That is another thing, how do they get so smart?

This is the river down by our house. The town were we live had the unfortunate name originally as "The Settlement". Very very original..

Ashen hanging upside down with her dad...

In the river. One thing this girl loves is swimming...

And watered down blackcurrant juice...

Laughing Laughing. Ashen says "Dada" all the time. When I say, "Mama" she giggles and says, "Dada"...traitor

Walking Walking...Complete with Adidas trainers...

Thanks Aunty K and Uncle T for keeping Ashen in Adidas cool clothes. We are very excited, Aunty K and Uncle T are getting married.....Ashen is practicing throwing rose petals over her shoulder and flicking her head in cute fashion ready for the big day....

All is going well in "The Settlement".....We are managing everything well, Ashen is going so well in daycare and is loving all the attention from grandparents and her dad...

Definitely not at work

2007-03-26T14:00:00.000+10:00

Just for the record...I am definitely not at work....hmmm

Still here. Will be posting tonight...the computers at home are doing very very strange things...

OK..back to NOT being at work...

Dial Up

2007-03-15T20:45:00.001+11:00

Our modem has had a heart attack..We have no net access at home. I am currently using a dial up service that is connected to my husband university account....It is an STD call...so this is probably costing us around 20 dollars to post!

We are going really well. I have so many photos and stories to post. Am not sure when our disabled modem will return from Sydney (the joys of living in the country)....so I am sure that my next post will be MASSIVE...

Ashen is going well. She got bopped on the head by a plastic ten pin at day care today, but lives to tell another tale....poor old Jess thought the bruise on her head was from the ten pin when I picked her up today. I had to inform her that, no, that bruise happened yesterday, whilst head banging the tiles to the music from her Baby Einstein...

The girl can't help it...she has rhythm...

The Latest Winter Small Girl Child Fashions

2007-03-06T21:03:00.000+11:00

No, there has not been a sudden cold snap...it is still HOT..but here she is in a hand knitted number...

My Dad is becoming quite the baby sitter. He has Ashen on a Tuesday afternoon. Usually Mum is there with him...today he drove to our place (an hour away)...in the pouring rain to babysit Ashen for 2.5 hours...Mum was in Sydney...what a total legend. He changed pooey nappies, feed the favourite watered down juice...and came to the door to meet me with a lovely fetching purple singlet (Ashen, not Dad), complete with complementary drool....perfect...Ashen was very happy...and had entertained him with her standing prowess, slobbery kisses, and glasses grabbing..Nice one, Dad...

The lovely Rosa rang me today this morning at work...I do miss her..She always has great advice, and the right thing to say...Before I had to bolt off to a meeting that I did not know had started yet (oooppps...), I meant to really say, thanks for calling...it was GREAT to talk to you..and I hope one day, that I can take you up on your offer of babysitting...and actually be back in the same city...

The routine has settled for us in AshenLand...we seem to be managing OK. Ashen is thriving...oh..apart from the great green boogers that have lodged in her nasal passages...