Oh it's been such a long long time! I did start a draft about Abi's birthday party last month, but can't find it anywhere. I'm such a computer whiz. I was going to put photos of her cake and everything. Right now though I don't have all our photos due to tedious computer changing which seems to have been going on for about six months. I even use a Mac operating system now which is mostly the same, but sometimes has some unexpected differences, so I am still a bit suspicious.

Anyway I just can't be bothered trying to catch up, so I'll start with today. Today we went to play at a friend's house and the kids had lots of fun. Abi took her usual 30/45 minutes to warm up but then was dashing around with the other two having a great time. She is always very keen to report back to me about what ever happens, so there was a lot of "Mummy? Ryan noise! Vreya jump bed! Baby fall down, aaahHAHhahah, baby dry, baby have mi Abi." Not a real baby, I hasten to add, just another in the long line of babies that Abi feels she must take care of. Then as we were leaving "Mummy tie shoes, Abi tuddle Mummy" Dear little voice, how I love it.

Holidays, holidays la la laaa. I have already eaten too much chocolate, so I hope no-one else gives me easter eggs. Abi enjoyed her first easter egg hunt at my work, I took an hilarious series of photos which I will also add when I can. That's all I can write right now as Abi is awake again after a late nap and needs my attention.

Sucker parents

Yesterday DH and I took Abi to a toy shop because we are insane loving parents who want the best for our child.

The impetus for the toy shop visit was that we had just taken back a bathable baby to the toy library which Abi adored and kept asking about. She was also quite taken with an extremely creepy looking doll in a cafe, which of course she also had to leave behind. So we decided to go and buy her a new baby. I had seen little cheapy ones at this nice shop that she liked so we headed up to Sassafras to go shopping.

Well, I watched my daughter fall in love in that shop. And not with the little cheapy doll I offered her either; no, she went immediately for the gorgeous, newborn-sized, $70 baby on the shelf above.

She held this doll and gazed lovingly into its eyes while patting and stroking its cheek. She stopped gazing only to kiss it and snuggle it against her face. She looked like I must have looked on the day she was born. I tried a bit of bait-and-switch, but after playing with some trains for a while she turned huge blue eyes on me and said "baby?" in a quivering little voice.

That was it, DH was gone. He said, as he watched Abi cradle the doll, "There's no way I can take it away from her now" so we bought it. And she loves it. Just adores her new baby.

At the moment, her old baby is definitely second best, but I think she'll come around to both of them. She's also getting a bathable baby for Christmas from my brother which makes it especially silly that we bought the expensive one, but we have a bit of extra money and it was so lovely to through caution to the winds and get her something she loves so much. I must say, it's a gorgeous doll. I'm quite partial to cuddling it myself.

My baby and her baby

Welcome to the house of germs

Yes, sickness rears its ugly head once again in my house.

Both Husband and Daughter are leaking from several orifices and in the case of Daughter, are insisting on being carried around and cuddled at all times. I took Abi to the doctor yesterday to discover that it is just a virus, no ear infection, no chest infection and it will hang around for at least another three days. Can we give her anything? No. Oh, except fluids. Lots and lots of fluids. And when Abi hears 'drink lots of fluids' she hears 'remain clamped to Mummy's boob all night and most of the day'. Sigh.

Abi and DH have been getting sick every second weekend since about, oh, the Middle Ages, it seems. We've had a variety of colds, coughs and just to shake things up, gastro over Cup Weekend. I have caught none of it, thanks to my early-childhood worker Immune System Of Steel which is good, but also bad, as no-one ever feels sorry for me or makes me soup.

Surely this is the last of it for the year? Surely.

My mum is selfishly in China at the moment gallivanting around teaching English. I miss her and so does Abi who keeps saying "Nanny?" whenever we are going in the car. She has now started following it with "Nanny" said while shaking her head and screwing up her face.

Ooops, child has woken up. I'll just record what I think is the cutest thing ever: Abi has started telling us stories and she now has her most understandable one yet. It goes like this; "Ma[n] ee[r] ee[r], ne[ck], che[st], Mummy Mummy [said with crying voice and face], mi[lk], [s]i[de].' This means - 'the man looked in my ear, then my other ear, then at my neck, then he listened to my chest. I cried 'Mummy Mummy' and then I had some milk and the other side' This is exactly what happened at the doctors and she came up with that story all by herself. Genius.

Letter from Daddy

To my darling Abi,

Today you turn 20 months old. In my last letter I talked about what a big girl you seemed, and since then you have continued to leave your baby self behind. Your hair is getting long (it’s just down to between your shoulders) and Mummy and I have started putting it in a ponytail sometimes. You look very cute with your hair up: older but also more cute.

You’ve continued to add more words to your vocabulary, although you also like to say, ‘Dwai, dwai, dwai,’ sometimes. Sometimes you say it happily, sometimes sadly. You also like to tell Mummy and me stories about things you’ve done. Because you don’t know grammar, yet, your stories can only be things like pointing to your top with a whale on it and saying ‘Nanny’, or saying ‘ma’’, then ‘puppy’, then ‘ba’’, then ‘ta’’. But Mummy and I can understand that you’re remembering how we bought that top at Red Hill market with Nanny Didi, and how you and Daddy saw a man throwing a ball for his dog at the park, and then later they left in the man’s car. I’m glad Mummy and I can talk to you even though you still can’t say a lot of things; you seem to like telling us things, and I’m sure when you can say more you’ll tell us all sorts of stories.

You’re also very affectionate, now. Considering how miserly you used to be with your kisses, Mummy and I are spoiled now. You give us lots of cuddles and kisses, and always kiss us when one of us is leaving the house. You also give lots of kisses to Harry and your toys. You also always eat dinner at the table with us, now, which you have more patience for than at breakfast. You like to make Mummy and me do things, like shake and nod our heads and wave our arms, so that you’re entertained. Probably your favourite word at the moment is ‘mo’’, whenever Mummy or I do anything even remotely entertaining, you keep telling us to do it more, over and over. You also like the candles we light for dinner, and are getting pretty good at blowing them out when we’re finished.

You also like your shoes, now. For a long time, you refused to wear anything but your poor, old, worn-out (second) pair of black Dunlop volleys, but then one day you started wanting to wear your slippers, your blue gumboots, and even your red squeaky shoes. Now you choose which shoes you’ll wear, saying ‘boo’’ for your gumboots, or ‘noi’’ for your noisy squeaky shoes. You’re also very interested in Mummy and Daddy’s shoes, and like to put them on and try walking around in them. You also often take shoes out of the wardrobe and put them in the bed while Daddy’s trying to get you to go to sleep in the evening; you especially like some thongs with a hyacinth pattern on them, and often hold them up, saying ‘ma’’ and laughing a lot. I’m afraid I’ve never been able to work out what you’re saying, or why it’s so funny.

In any event, you’re always laughing a lot, and always making Mummy and me laugh with the things you say and do, and you especially like to entertain us by running around naked when we’re trying to give you your evening massage, or by shaking your bottom when there’s music playing. Mummy and I are very lucky to have you.

All my love,

Daddy.

Knew it

Which L.M. Montgomery Heroine are You?

I'm Anne, although I had a secret hankering after Emily. Who wouldn't want black hair and purple eyes?

taggy tag tag

MamaCass, consider yourself tagged!

Oooh! I've been tagged by Averil!

1. Where is your mobile phone? Don't have one. Ha! Weren't expecting that, were you?

2. Where is your significant other? Putting our darling child to bed. I can hear her chatting about puppies and the bath as I type.

3. Your hair color? Light brown. It needs a cut.

4. Your mother? Is loving, funny and brave. She's my mothering model and one of my favourite people to spend time with.

5. Your father? Is wise, kind, fair and brilliant. He is the most determined and competitive person I know. Also quite the pessimest, Old Mr Worst-Case-Scenario we call him.

6. Your favorite things? Hmmm, well I do love our new enormous television. How shallow of me. I also love my espresso machine, my Ipod (both gifts from my beloved) and all my books.

7. Your dream last night? I dreamed I left Abi at the park and forgot to tell anyone to look after her and bring her home. Woke in fright to be relieved by the sight of my sweetly sleeping girl on the pillow next to me.

8. Your dream/goal? Right now it's to open my own Montessori child-care centre. Also to raise a happy and healthy family.

9. The room you're in? Our shared study is a small darkish room with a big desk, Husband's books everywhere and an Ukiyo-e print that I love of the Kamo river in Kyoto.

10. Your hobby? Reading, running (well, jogging), talking. Previous hobbies include belly dancing and taiko drumming, just to make me sound more interesting.

11. Your fear? Someone I love dying.

12. Where do you want to be in six years? I want to have completed another degree, either a BEd or a Masters in Education and have started working towards opening my centre. I would love to be a mother of three, but realistically I think it will be two.

13. Where were you last night? Tired, oh so tired after a less-than-perfect day at work. TV helped sooth the pain.

14. What you’re not? As smart as I used to be. My memory has definitely taken a beating since my nightly sleep average plunged dramatically around the time Abi was born (coincidence...?)

15. One of your wish list items? A horse.

16. Where you grew up? In an outer suburb of Melbourne. And here I am in the outers suburbs of Melbourne. How far I've come.

17. The last thing you did? Breastfed my girl her nightly feed and waved her off to bed.

18. What are you wearing? Old ratty tracksuit pants, a black shirt and an almond-oil stained tracksuit top. Hornbag.

19. Your TV? Off.

20. Your pet? A slightly neurotic cat who I forgive everything due to his extreme patience with my daughter. She loves him, but sometimes her love expresses itself in tail-pulling and squeezing.

21. Your computer? Built by my brilliant husband six years ago. Needs replacing.

22. Your mood? Tired. A litle weepy, my period is coming tomorrow.

23. Missing someone? My brother, who is in Rome. A friend in NZ. Other friends I haven't seen for too long. Mothering, working and living so far away is hard on friendships.

24. Your car? Is old and needs washing.

25. Something you’re not wearing? Jewellrey.

26. Favorite store? Borders.

27. Your summer? Smells of sunblock and family.

28. Love someone? My boy, my girl, my family.

29. Your favorite color? The blue of Abi's eyes.

30. When is the last time you laughed? Last night watching the Adventures of Tim

31. Last time you cried? Can't remember. Probably in the middle of one of our bad nights.