Where's the time gone...

I thought I'd have so much time, what with it being the holidays and Molly having no swimming, playcentre, music, etc., for the next few weeks, but time is just flying by and before you know we'll be back into all her activities and I still won't have achieved anything I set out too... so what's new eh?!

So, it's been an interesting few days. Did I tell you all that hubby got promoted? probably not, my usual thing is to tell one person 17 times and then the other 17 people don't hear, so apologies to those who don't know, but here is the news... woo hoo! He officially started today, although unofficially he has been doing the job for a couple of weeks already and bought home the car last week so it doesn't really feel like a biggy. Although of course, it did this morning when he left for work looking all nervous and jumpy (and snappy, but I think that was just for my benefit... groan). Anyway, it's all going well. More money will be nice (although more would have been nicer!), the car, with fuel card, is a bit of a bonus too, especially living this far out of town, I'll let you know how the hours bother me when we get there... which I'm sure we will.

Molly has started to really speak to me, and it's kind of disconcerting (she has a tendency to backchat already!) but very, very cool. She toddled into the kitchen just this weekend and said 'what you doing?' clear as a bell. She seemed wholly unimpressed with my 'washing up' answer, and went off to ask Daddy the same thing (just for the record, I don't think he told her anything more interesting then I did). Routinely now when I shout for her, she'll shout back 'what?' without even looking at me!! Not sure what to make of that really. Her other favourite is 'there you go' as she walks towards you with something you really don't want in her hands - you know, dead bee, lump of cat food, credit card from my wallet - and also, 'choo choo, all aboard', at very high volume.

She's also starting to count, everything. This goes something like this, 1, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 9, weeeeee. I like it, I think it could catch on. But today, she managed 1, 2, 3 weeeeeee. Which I guess makes more sense, but wasn't half as cute.

On the downside of things, Molly seems to have developed an overwhelming fear of the bath, and I don't know why. She's such a water baby, loves the ocean, loves the paddling pool, in fact any water other then the bath and she's laughing.... any ideas, 'cause I'll be honest, 20 minutes of screaming every night is wearing a wee bit thin.

Everything was wearing a bit thin for me earlier this week, and I would have given my right arm for a cheese scone at Nan's or a cup of tea with my Mum. I didn't want to be or go home, but crikey was I homesick. It really threw me actually, I haven't really felt homesick since we moved into this house, but there you go. I'll put it down to exhaustion and hormones, and by the time Kris got home I felt a lot better but blimey, give me a teleporter and I'd have been off. I've got some great, great friends here and I do feel really well supported and cared for, but you know sometimes you just need your Mum (or your Nan).

While I'm here, I've got to apologise to my blog buddies, I've been having a shocking time with this new blogger thing (so glad to hear you were too DG, thought I was just being a ditz), and have tried to leave messages on all your blogs, but it won't post for me. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I'll try again after posting this one

Fun in the sun

OK, so it's not actually sunny at the moment, but crikey is it hot! It feels humid and sticky and not altogether comfortable, but I'm not complaining for one minute.

We've been waiting and waiting for summer to arrive and so a couple of overcast days are not going to get me down. It's warm enough to consider the beach (if Molly wasn't passed out from this mornings fun and games - coffee group, paddling pool, sand pit, all just too too much excitement. But I hope we got a really nice group photo of them all, I'll publish it as soon as I get it), so maybe when she wakes up... if it doesn't rain before then.

This weekend we went swimming at Purau, it was so much fun. Molly was having a whale of a time. After about half an hour she was coated from head to foot in muddy sand, but she didn't care one bit. She was in and out of the water for about 2 hours, being a frog and chasing after her Daddy (I don't know who was having more fun really).

She made friends with a couple of bigger kids, which was just gorgeous to watch. She's such a little chatterbox, she was nattering away and they just kept on listening and nodding (not that they understood a word she said), and then they'd run in the sea and fill up there bucket and she'd be chasing after them, trying to help, picking up shells for their approval and whatnot, soooo cute.

Best of all, she was exhausted and slept all night, like a log. Even those bloody teeth didn't wake her up, woo hoo! No lie-in though... bugger.

Who needs babydolls?

We found Phoebe asleep in Molly's new Winnie the Pooh pram, this was funny enough, but then Molly started to wheel her around the house.

Hubby and I were laughing our heads off until Molly told us to shush (finger to mouth, serious face), 'cause Phoebe sleeping... who's the boss here eh? But it was very cute, and we have the video to embarass her (and the cat) with at a later date.

New Year, New Me!

I actually heard myself say this the other day... shudder!

We had a couple of really nice days up in Hanmer Springs (as per normal, Molly got sick there - well, if it's not her it's me - so we've decided that that was the last time we are staying at The Press's house up there, this is too many times to be coincidental, could be the water, sould be the mice, who knows, but we're not doing it again). This pic was taken at Molesworth Station, it's awesome there, several hundred kms of nothing and no one, perfect.

Anyway, the whole 'new me' thing was bought on by desperation and exhaustion, ha ha. New Years resolutions are not really my thing. We don't really do new year in our house. Last year was the first time in forever that we did anything, and that was all on the proviso that we didn't actually talk about New Year at all, it was great.

This year I saw in the New Year with my husband sleeping on the couch and my daughter screaming in my bed - rock n roll eh?! So, as I was lying there waiting for the screaming to stop and for my arm to go completely dead underneath her, I planned my resolutions. On waking this morning, Molly is feeling much better and so am I, so I'm keeping only one as the rest are all a symptom of my own self loathing (hmmmm, aren't they always!).

This year (and always) I'm going to try to bear in mind that Molly is learning constantly and scarily most of it is by our example. We were talking the other night about how quickly she picks up and copies our speach - her best and cutest at the moment is 'are you OK?' accompanied by a little pat on the back or whatever she can reach, or one of her many animal impressions, we're not talking Jonny Morris, but they're pretty damn good! - it kind of dawned on us that it's not just our speach she's copying, and for a second I'll be honest I got a bit freaked out.

So, all those bits of my personality that I really dislike (you know, worrying, insecurity, hyper sensitivity, that kind of thing) are NOT going to be passed onto Molly, please God! She is such a happy, contented and lively wee girl and I desperately want her to stay that way. I figure as long as I don't give her all my crappy little foibles and 'issues' she'll be fine. If she doesn't see me stressing and sweating all the stupid and insignificant stuff that I waste so much of my time on then maybe she won't! Keep your fingers crossed for us eh... you never know... can you say 'awesome responsibility'?... how about 'waaaaaaaaah!'.

Yeah for Christmas!

Summer finally arrived on Christmas day, along with a small mountain of gifts for Molly and a fair few for Mummy and Daddy too.

We actually started opening Molly's gifts on Christmas Eve (as we watched the rain pour outside), we thought it might be slightly less overwhelming and a bit easier to cope with if we spread them out a bit. I think it worked, we had two days of a semi exhausted toddler, as apposed to one day of total meltdown. Much better for all concerned.

Plus I think I actually managed to keep track of who gave what, and whom to thank for which gift - thank you cards on the way I promise!

We did the typical Brit abroad thing and went for a couple of lovely walks on Purau and Port Levy beaches in the afternoon. Ate far too much food - well, we did, Molly wasn't keen at all, couple of mouthfuls of turkey and spoon of pud was about all she managed! maybe next year... - and went to bed happy.

PS Did I mention the drumkit? picture says it all, she's a rock chick and we have earplugs!