Chasing ducks

watch out little feathered friends

Such bad blog admin, I've just realised that I never posted the video of Alex chasing the ducks at McLaren Falls back in New Zealand. It feels like a million years ago now but it's nice to look back and remember a less busy time... Personally I think Alex gave up the chase a bit to quickly (I think it was the gravel path that scuppered him).

More up to date news soon... I promise.

excuses excuses

note chaos of toys in the background

Well... the thing is... I've been a bit busy: moving countries (again), doing lots of admin, trying to get the internet for our new place... and there was all the unpacking and job hunting and illness. OK, so just insert any of the reasons above for why we've somewhat dropped of the blog radar during the past couple of weeks. Very sorry - bad blogger!

Anyway, lots to catch up on which I will do over the next week or so, but the recipe includes a dollop of Alex having his own room for the first time, a few drops of virus and fever, a cup of 'tough love' all on a bed of new routine which today resulted in the little man sleeping for 3 1/2 hours during the day! A world record by any standards - I realise this is probably standard for a lot of 11month olds but it's definitely a personal best for our little man.

So in all the aforementioned busy period I've hardly taken a photo of the little man - how things have changed. So in a fit of sudden guilt I took a few photos of Alex playing in our new lounge room 10 mins ago.

See you soon, won't be so long next time, don't be a stranger, you've changed etc. etc.

The balcony has been a bit too tempting already

Eating sand and other new tricks

What a more mobile Alexander has been up to of late...

Eating Sand

Tormenting the poor pussy cat

Destroying Nanna B's property

Chasing ducks (real ones this time)

The Littlest Hobaby

Dear Baby Alex,
I have something to tell you, you see, we're moving again. Please don't be sad. I know you might feel that your babyhood is a bit like an episode of 'The Littlest Hobo'. You arrive in a new place, bright-eyed, tail wagging. You make friends with the locals, you solve some crimes, everyone in the village falls for your furry charm and just when people are thinking you're here to stay you're gone again.

I know it doesn't seem fair to leave the lovely Nanna B and beautiful New Zealand but there's this thing called 'money' and these things called 'jobs' which enable you do pay this thing called 'rent' and eventually get one of these things called 'mortgages'.

Seems ridiculous to you I'm sure. Can't we just stay here and play all day and eat iced lollies and mush banana into the carpet? you ask. Well, your Dada and I would love to do that but alas the aforementioned money, jobs, rent and mortgages are calling and eventually holidays have to end.

I think you'll like Sydney... really.  

Love,

Mama xx

P.S
In case you don't remember The Littlest Hobo, this is sure to jog your memory:

There's a voice that keeps on calling me
Down the road, that's where I'll always be.
Every stop I make, I make a new friend,
Can't stay for long, just turn around and I'm gone again

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want to settle down,
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.

Learning to share

Try this for me will you Dada?

I'd like to claim credit for Alex's new found fascination with sharing. "Of course, we are a very generous, caring, sharing family, so it's only natural that the youngest member of the family has a natural instinct for these things" I might say ... except we really haven't done anything, and it's not like he's desperately sharing his toys with any little person who walks past.

No this sharing phase is mostly about food. He loves to take what ever he's eating and carefully plonk it in the mouth of anyone in reaching distance. I admit, it's very cute (see the video below) but now he does it with every meal - to the point where the family have become his unofficial taste testers. Lucky he usually eats whatever we're eating so I'm not having to develop a taste for apple, pumpkin, prune and chicken mush. Another thumbs up for this baby led weaning business.

Lovely visitors

Here are a few photos from our recent (ish) visitors. Theo, Rachel and the gorgeous Emily came to stay for just over a week and it was just fantastic to have them. The bubs seemed to get on well, although I think Em kind of tolerated Alex while Alex got very excited, sometimes too excited when he saw Em (see photo above where he decided to show his enthusiasm by whacking her on the head and Theo had to gently restrain him). But generally they are babies with very similar temperaments - which helps I guess. 

So we explored all that Mount Maunganui had to offer, walking around and up the mountain, visiting the beach, the hot pools and had a picnic on the harbour. We also went to Lake Taupo and enjoyed boat trips of the slow ferry variety and the fast jet boat type and developed an unhealthy obsession with honey ice cream.

We also proved that you can have a wonderful joint family holiday with two babies in tow. Hopefully this will be the first of many family trips together.

Rach & Theo embracing their 'inner bee' in Taupo

Em giving Alex crawling lessons
(he started a few days later)

Picnic at Pilot Bay - Mount Maunganui

Baby Swap

A special message