Do They Come With Instructions?

May 2010

2010-08-18T12:26:00.002+12:00

Oh gosh, now I'm struggling a wee bit, but I think we were mostly sick this month...

Seriously, we have had just a horrible winter here this year. The domino effect is in full force, we keep knocking each other down again with new and exciting illneses, get back up, get knocked down again, you know the drill... groan. Croup, flu, tummy bugs, hand foot & mouth (and bottom, don't ask!), uti's, back injuries (not the kids!), boring and tiring. Shall I just leave it there... hmmm probably best.

April 2010

2010-08-18T12:05:00.003+12:00

Back to reality at home.

But this month saw Molly's first sleepover with her friend Anna. OMG, who knew going to bed could be so much fun! (please, I am talking about two 4 years olds here!!) A fabulous afternoon of painting and making and eating and giggling. They were so exhausted that by the time it got to bedtime, they were zonked much, much quicker then I anticipated, so cute!

Molly and I also had our first 'girls weekend away'. We went to a friends bach at Lake Clearwater, it was so fabulous. The weather was atrocious, but we biked and walked and snuggled by the fire, ate too much, read a thousand stories and had the best fun. Molly loved it (so did I!). We missed our boys, but you know they managed without us - a little too well to be honest! - at least I got an amazing baby squeeze when I got home.

Our friend put together a little movie of our weekend, feel free to watch it (the music was chosen because it's Molly's favourite song of the moment. Nanny danced with her to it in England and Molly sang it to us all weekend), thanks Kat -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDcN25aorvM

March 2010

2010-08-18T11:33:00.009+12:00

The big news this month was our trip to the UK. It feels like years ago already. My lasting thoughts are it was sooo great to see everyone, and it was way, way to short! Just over two weeks, after that much travelling, is a ridiculous exercise and I have already told hubby that unless it's closer to a month next time we won't be going! Although to be honest, the next time we go the kids will be that much older that the travelling itself won't feel like such hard work.

Molly was beside herself with excitement about the whole thing. From 28 hours on a plane '('my own TV! awesome!'), to the busy, busy roads ('where did all these people come from Mum?'). But most of all the family, of course. Her cousins, especially Maisie and Mimy, her new best friends in the world. Being the centre of attention with everyone sits very well with our little princess. So much so in fact that she didn't even seem to mind sharing some of the limelight with Flynn - luckily, as he did have his own cheering section too!

Here are the Morgan children -

Molly is so like her cousin Rhiannon, and Ria is such a lovely girl, growing into a beautiful young woman. The thing I was most blown away with was how well they all got on and how they just seemed to like each other straight away. Its not like you can really explain to a 4 year old why these people are special and 'family' is a kind of abstract concept to explain, but they just get it, and they just connected straight away, it was lovely to see.

Another wonderful moment that sticks in my head is our wee man cuddling up with the oldest member of the family, Pops. Flynn instantly took to Pops (and I think the feeling was mutual!). Molly loves Grandma so much, and chewed her ear off about just about everything, from dinosaurs to knitting and cats! Grandma has the patience of a saint - and has proved it now!

A big family party (with some extra guests - expats from NZ that came along to join us - it was so great to see them and reconfirmed Molly's plans to marry Mr Hunter as soon as he gets back home!) was another highlight, lots of extended relatives we'd never met before plus all the ones we knew of course. Nanny did a wonderful job organising it all at the hotel that hubby and I were married in, and that Molly and Maisie had their first birthday party in. Such a special place, with such lovely memories, and now another to add on.

Coming back to NZ was simultaneously fabulous and heartwrenching, we don't want to be in the UK, NZ is our home and we love it endlessly, I just wish we could ship all the relatives out here and have the best of both worlds.

Previously on 'Do They Come With Instructions?'...

2010-08-18T11:17:00.003+12:00

OK, so trying to recap on 6 months of life in this house is a bit like trying to explain the last 2 seasons of 'Lost', in Latin, to a 3 year old. So please accept my apologies for the unscheduled sabbatical (I had no idea that you people actually read and enjoy some of this stuff!) and lets try this month by month. It doesn't have to make sense, a lot of it doesn't make sense for me and I live it!

But first a photo, just in case you've forgotten what my 'babies' look like -

Pretty gorgeous aren't they? I'm allowed too, they're mine x

New Ballet Shoes

2010-02-25T09:59:00.003+13:00

Well, what more can I say, the ballet bug has bitten hard.

Molly just loves her new ballet shoes. Daddy was smothered with hugs and kisses all evening after coming home with the parcel for her. And we practically had to pry them off her feet at bedtime.

My gorgeous girl. Even with her raggedy PJ shorts and mucky face! Look at that serious face and how hard she is concentrating, bless her.

When I grow up...

2010-02-25T09:52:00.004+13:00

I want to be a train driver...

This is the most ridiculous thing to have bought Flynn for his birthday (and we did it! can't blame anyone else this time!), an inflatable, ball pit, train. And he LOVES it! Molly loves it, everyone loves it - except us!

It is huge, gaudy, squeaky, smelly (think, new car, plastic smell, all through the house), and here to stay. Must remember to think before I buy next time...

But look at that face! It's so worth it.

Our beautiful boy!

2010-02-25T09:43:00.004+13:00

As promised, picture of Flynn on his birthday. One of many cakes, (cupcakes on 'the day', blue cupcakes at a friends place, because they couldn't make it on 'the day' and chocolate smartie cake at the weekend... any excuse eh?!). But this is the best pic of his happy, smiley face.

Happy Birthday Flynn!

2010-02-18T10:13:00.003+13:00

I can't quite believe it, but he is one! At the moment we only have a pic of him looking longingly at a cupcake with a candle in it, which is cute, but I want a proper 'cake shot' for the record.

Afternoon tea with Daddy and friends this weekend, picture to follow.

How can that be? This year has gone by in a snap, it's really shocked me, really. I've got to keep up, before I know it he will be in college. Ferris Bueller was right (in sooo many ways, but this one in particular) 'life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it...'

Mollyisms

2010-02-18T10:09:00.003+13:00

She is coming out with the funniest things just recently. Loving to practise all her new long words, and going out of her way to use them whenever (and however) she can. I'm going to try to remember them and jot them down -

'Mummy, these plums are too sour, they make my brain wobble'

'No Anna, you know you're electric to nuts!' - yelled across the table at preschool.

'We made a plan and then we implementationed it' - after learning the word implementation, she told us the story of planning to chase the boys.

And we're back!

2010-02-18T09:50:00.003+13:00

OK, so summer is almost officially over. Molly said in the car just the other day 'Mummy, I think the summer is broken', and I think she's right. I am sitting here watching the rain pour outside, I can't see the sea, in fact, I can't see the end of the garden today the clouds are so low! So, no more excuses to not sit down and blog like crazy to catch up from our long, hot (at times!), and good fun summer.

Molly is back at preschool and Flynn is just about getting used to her not being here again - although he does not like it at all and is ecstatic when she gets home in the afternoons, I am very concerned about how he will be when she starts school... not long now eh! waaah!

We had the best summer and Christmas was just lovely, here's a pic of Christmas day -

It was a glorious day. Flynn's first Christmas and he was totally baffled by the whole thing. But Molly made up for his bemusement with her absolute, unending excitement about everything! Her presents were mostly 'awesome' (very kiwi) and Flynn's - which she kindly opened for him - were 'just perfect for a baby'. Yes, I think it's safe to say this year she really understood the whole Christmas thing, it was lovely.

Hubby was off work for a whole two weeks, which was just great, a proper break together, first time since pre-Flynn, and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Such a Boy!

2009-12-16T06:17:00.002+13:00

Today Flynn was playing with his toy truck, chasing it around and getting quite excited about it all. Then the truck got stuck underneath his belly, when he'd worked out that he couldn't pull it out on his own (and Mummy was not going to help) he started to roll on it, really, like it was a little body skateboard! All the while laughing his very best Sid James laugh... it's genetic isn't it? It has wheels, therefore I must ride it!! So funny.

PS Molly was not amused. She has already perfected the 'Oh God, that's my brother' look. It's going to come in handy I think, ha ha!

Aren't they gorgeous?

2009-12-15T16:38:00.007+13:00

I'm so pleased with these pics. Our friend who took them for us is currently training to be a photographer... I don't think she has far to go! This was a preschool fundraiser - still waiting to see if I win the prize raffle and get a pen and ink rendition of one of the many she took. Just beautiful.

Back on Track!

2009-11-14T22:03:00.006+13:00

OK, we're back on track, at least that's the plan.

And then I realised that Christmas is just 40 short days away and I am nowhere near ready (even though I am not handmaking any presents this year or indeed building any - you know who you are, and yes, you make me feel quite inadequate!!! I just wish I had half your creative talents and needed half the sleep I am already NOT getting!), so maybe not so much back on track as running to catch the train, but ever hopeful!

So, a quick run down of the last month or so...

Nana has been here for a couple of weeks, we had a great time. The kids are sooo in love with her it's untrue. I got the same familiar feeling that I would never cope on my own again as she left. But, Flynn slept more then he had in the entire visit last night and I feel like a whole new woman now. Amazing what a block of four hours sleep can do for you! and to think I used to moan about not getting 8 hours a night - pah! I didn't know I was born!

We have booked our holiday back to the UK next year so we have something to look forward too (I think?! I am freaking out already about the journey, the traffic, the people, just about everything, you know me... I live to worry!), but I am so looking forward to showing off our two beautiful babies, it will be great.

We have found out that our dear friends in the middle east are coming home for a good month long visit in the new year and cannot wait to see them! So very excited.

Flynn has two teeth and is pulling himself up on the furniture (with a loud, weight lifters grunt, very funny!), not truly crawling yet, but getting about on his tummy, bottom and knees. He is enjoying his food - I don't think he has refused anything yet! and weighing in at a whopping 10.7kg and 77.5cm long already! oh yes, he is a big boy.

Molly is just adorable at the moment - and also terribly trying at times, of course! - loving her brother, making him laugh and egging him on with all his endeavours. She is really enjoying writing and drawing - her grasp of words and memory are a bit frightening to be honest, let's hope she keeps it up eh. And she is still totally into her ballet and dress-ups - where does she get this girly girlyness from?

Mmmm, not sure what else... wanna see a pic...?

Never too soon

2009-09-14T17:34:00.003+12:00

For reading together. Although this did quickly deteriorate into giggles and a squashed baby as he slid further down behind her...

Let me tell you a story

2009-09-08T11:45:00.002+12:00

Molly has started to tell stories, in a good way of course, not 'get out of trouble' stories, real stories. She makes them up on the spot and tells Flynn and I. Here is a really cute one she told us yesterday -

'Once upon a time there was a little girl who didn't have any colouring books. She had a chalk board instead with lots and lots of coloured chalks. She drew a picture of a house just like her house, it was pink with big windows. It was a good job. She had a rub-er off-er too, because she made a few mistakes. The windows were triangle shaped, not rectangle like hers windows. And the door was round, and that's not right! So, she rubbed and rubbed and rubbed and rubbed. But instead of just rubbing out her mistakes she accidentally rubbed out the whole thing, so she started again. She drew another house. It was yellow.'

I see a literary future!

Why so Serious?

2009-09-02T15:30:00.002+12:00

Our boy has two very different and definite sides to his character, so far.

This one, very serious and contemplative, size you up and think about things whilst giving you his very best Paddington Bear stare.

And the other one is the little joker (hence the title), just like his Mum and big sister. I've got to say though, he is the most handsome little chap isn't he?

Waikuku Beach

2009-09-02T15:27:00.002+12:00

I just love this picture. Roll on Summer!

What just happened?

2009-09-02T14:57:00.004+12:00

In the space of about 3 and a half minutes I lost a month... It's taken me a while to realise that it is Spring (hoorah!), and that I need to turn the calendar over, again, and that I truly do not know my arse from my elbow and where the hell the last month has gone... Of course, in reality I do, it's gone on round trips to the doctor, over and over again it seems. At one point I managed to visit my doctor more times then there were actual days in the week, how can that be?

As I sit here typing I am only just recovering from a bout of labyrinthitis (middle ear infection, vertigo, whatever you call it, it ain't nice!). So I have the slight sensation of having drunk half a bottle of wine with none of the fun stuff and all of the dizziness and nausea associated - joy! I have managed to clear both blocked milk ducts - with help from my hungry little man. I am sporadically wiping the blood from the back of my neck, as another one of my Flynn inflicted wounds heals slowly - his nails are like little scalpels! My hair needs washing, I can't remember if I brushed my teeth yet today, and my sweatpants, well, that's enough. Who says motherhood isn't glamorous! Ha!

I tell you though, it is certainly not for the weak or faint-hearted as this month has shown (but now you have the image of me in your heads and you're thinking 'yep, she's on the edge' OK, OK, I'll admit it, I have had my weak and feeble moments and this latest sickness is all bought on by stress and exhaustion I know that, but hey, I made it through the worst bit so now... on with the show).

I can't even remember who or how all this sickness started. But in this short time, we (collectively, as a family, we're a team, we share everything!) have had hacking coughs and oceans of snot; sickness and the other unmentionable bit; fevers and viral infections, that led to one 3am dash to the medical rooms (that was my 2 doctors in 1 day); eczema; 5 month and 4 year vaccinations; croup; and a small nervous breakdown, haha.

But, despite the lingering vertigo and slightly grumpy kids, it is Spring and it feels like it! Warm and sunny and bright. I am so over winter and am pinning my hopes on a disease free season - what are the chances of that happening eh? well I can dream.

There, you see...

2009-07-23T18:01:00.003+12:00

I told you she was grown up didn't I!

PS Not our baby on the bottle - yet!

Peace...

2009-07-23T12:14:00.000+12:00

is there anything more peaceful and blissful then watching a sleeping baby. How about one that grins and giggles in his sleep?

My Favourite Things...

2009-07-23T11:29:00.006+12:00

Yes, it is his favourite toy, but still it's much more fun with a big sister attached to it too!

Luckily Molly seems to find the thing just as much fun - even better, when she squeaks and rattles things it makes Flynn squeak and rattle... too cute.

So, things are going pretty good. I've had laryngitis (and possible viral appendicitis - what the hell is that eh!?!), great fun for the family - what noise is Mummy going to make next? who cares, they're all hilarious! Oh ha ha ha - for everyone else!

Flynn is growing like a weed, such a horrible saying but so true. (We have begun working on our veggie garden and I do appear to be somewhat of an expert in growing weeds, it's a skill.)

He's babbling away and starting to really get the hang of eating solid food. It's all happening so fast. It feels like 2 minutes ago we were doing this with Molly and then I look over at her twirling her pasta round her fork like a pro and asking Daddy how his day was... oh my God, she'll be in college before we know it...

Our little bruiser

2009-07-04T07:24:00.004+12:00

His favourite thing at the moment - apart from Molly, obviously...

So...

2009-07-04T07:10:00.003+12:00

Almost two months with no blog, this is an all time worst for me I think! If memory serves I began to feel a bit more human and a bit less 'milk machine' around the 6 month mark with Miss Molly, so I'm really hoping that in about a months time I will know my arse from my elbow and will be able to string an almost coherent sentence together again (one that doesn't involve contents of nappy, sleep deprivation, etc., etc.) for your reading enjoyment. But, of course, I can't guarantee that will happen, but that's the vague hope I have.

Anyway, what about a photo of the most gorgeous girl in her new hat from Grandma, she loves it! the matching cardy is just perfect too (we're so lucky Grandma is such a great knitter. The kids are warm, toasty and in designer duds most of the time, thanks to her nimble fingers! thanks again Nan xxx).

Couldn't Decide...

2009-05-20T19:40:00.003+12:00

Look at those curls!

2009-05-06T11:15:00.004+12:00

Yes, she looks grumpy as hell. Yes, she has red eye (I don't know how to photoshop that well). No, she did not want her photo taken. But look at those gorgeous curls! The longer it gets the curlier it goes, even ringlets on a good day! And fortunately she is quite vain and will allow me to mess with it... sometimes!

PS She wears this dress up fairly constantly now - luckily I have persuaded her that it is an 'at home' dress, and not a preschool, grocery shopping or park dress anymore (too cold now!).

Gorgeous boy

2009-05-06T11:03:00.001+12:00

well, he is, isn't he?

Bathtime

2009-05-06T10:49:00.004+12:00

One the best fun times at the moment. Flynn is finding his kicking feet - much to Molly's amusement. Good job the bathroom is going to be redone - eventually!!

Waaaaah!

2009-05-06T10:26:00.003+12:00

Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Well now you're just showing off wee boy! OK, OK, I know you have the world's finest vocal chords but you really don't have to demonstrate their capabilities all the time....

Oh my God! where is the off button? I stupidly thought I had found it just a couple of weeks ago. Flynn decided that being swaddled was the absolute business and would instantly fall into a deep and satisfying (well, for me at least) sleep. Now, not so much, it sometimes works, this morning it does not.

I know it's because I stupidly planned to get some things done while Miss Molly is at Preschool, but all he needs is a sleep and all he wants is to scream at me and tell me how tired he is - which is sort of slowing things down a bit. Now I know if got into the car and drove he would be asleep in seconds, but I am so knackered that driving in this howling wind and rain is probably not the brightest of things to do...

It's a phase right? it'll pass right?

So, anyway, you'll have to make do with some pictures, and I will blog again as soon as I get the chance.

PS we are really all fine, just a wee bit jaded x

It's been a long week...

2009-03-14T10:55:00.003+13:00

For all of us. But this is how we finished our Friday. Molly snoring by 8pm, Mum & I having a chat by the fire and baby Flynn and Daddy zonked on the couch. Blissful.

Of course, by 4.30am after the kids had played 'keep the parents awake' tag for 3 hours or more, we weren't quite so relaxed about it all. Oh well, these things are sent to try us eh?

So far, so good

2009-03-07T18:30:00.006+13:00

I've got lots more pictures of my two gorgeous children together, but since I am trying to get this on and published before dinner and Flynn has just started to cry (as he does approximately 10 minutes before dinner every night! who says three weeks is too young for a routine, ha ha!). These will have to suffice for now.

As you can see, Molly is deeply in love with her baby brother and loves to kiss and cuddle him as often as she can.

Her thing at the moment is to ask us to 'tell baby Flynn' everything she says, I don't know if she thinks he can't hear her, or only understands us, who knows. The other thing she says a lot is 'show the baby me', so we have to make him look at her and tell him what she is doing. Pretty cute.

I still don't know my arse from my elbow. But have managed to persuade my Mum to stay another week, phew. Not that she took too much persuading to be honest, but I am more then a little relieved at the prospect of another pair of hands for one more week. I'm not convinced I will ever be ready to go it alone with two of them, and am well aware that I am just delaying the inevitable but for now I am pleased. Ask me again in a week...

Presenting...

2009-02-20T20:51:00.005+13:00

Flynn Michael Thomas Morgan. Isn't he just gorgeous?

Born, rather rapidly, Monday 16th Feb at 7.45am. Weighing in at 8lb 14oz.

Luckily we made it to the hospital before he arrived, just. I had to get in the back and concentrate hard on NOT pushing about 10 minutes before we got there and I'll be honest I thought we were gonna have him on the side of the road in Tai Tapu! But we made it, and got in the birthing pool with all of 15 minutes to spare.

Shocking, terrifying but perfect really and certainly much better then labouring for days - although I think I was, and just did a good job at pretending nothing was happening - you know me!

So, let the fun begin! More soon.

Calm before the storm

2009-02-05T19:46:00.002+13:00

I'm sitting here watching my wee angel (in her fairy costume) dance and spin with her dolly, as Daddy plays slow songs on the guitar. Everyone ate all their dinner, the sun is shining and I don't think I'll be going in to labour this evening but who knows eh?!

'Mummy my head hurts...'

2009-02-03T09:54:00.002+13:00

'I think it's a fairy from my dreams banging around. I better make sure I dream her out tonight eh?'

How gorgeous is that! I wish my brain still worked like hers. Her imagination is just amazing at the moment. Last night she told hubby her own bedtime story, a very, very long and complicated one (another delaying tactic I know, but when she's being so damn cute what can you do?).

So, this morning was her first day back at Preschool, after a 6 week holiday. I was much more nervous then she was! She was so excited to be going back I could barely get her dressed for all the singing and dancing and general goofing off! Brief kiss and cuddle, 'see you at mat time' and off she went. Let's hope she keeps this up even after bubs arrives...

Speaking of which, it really feels like it could happen any day now. Due date is the 17th, Mum arrives on the 10th, so lets see who gets here first... watch this space!

The Clan

2009-01-17T10:50:00.004+13:00

1. Rest camera on precarious outcrop of rock on a windy day.
2. Arrange family dangerously close to precipice with sheer drop straight into the bay.
3. Run like a mad thing to beat the flashing light and rejoin your family without dislodging anyone from frame or falling over.

Fantastic! You're always laughing, and they are always the best shots!

The new house

2009-01-17T10:29:00.004+13:00

It's so purdy! Well, I think it is. I love that Art Deco look, and amazingly, all the light switches, fittings and door handles, etc., are all original. So now I just need to win the arguement with hubby about modernising everything and keeping it in period - well, as much as we can you know.

The sleep out at the back was originally a bach on this section and then the family decided to stay and built the house bit by bit through the 40's and 50's. This is the first time anyone outside the family has owned it. Feels like buying a car from 'one careful owner'. Daft I know, but I think it is going to be a great family home for us. Come and see us, tell me what you think!

But, give us a wee while, the entire house (inside and out) needs decorating and the kitchen is an ant infested wreck. The fruit trees and veggie patch are a gardeners dream, but I'm no gardener and have no idea where to start - apart from picking and eating, but hey, that is a start right! But this will be a labour of love. I see us living here for a long, long time.

Finally, a santa pic!

2009-01-17T10:18:00.006+13:00

OK, so I couldn't get her to actually sit on Santa's lap, but hey, it's closer then we've got since she was 6 months old!! And she did manage to tell him she wanted 'a kitchen set' and that yes, she had been a good girl all year. And luckily, he bought it for her, so all's well.

The second picture is from Molly's preschool party. Another santa she was a wee bit scared of, but at least this one didn't want her to stop and chat. He practically threw the presents at the kids, not that she cared much, it's the 'coolest bubble blower in the world' in that parcel, and she was very pleased with herself for 'being brave' and going up to see santa on her own. Look at that face!

Right, where were we...

2009-01-17T09:55:00.002+13:00

I can't believe it's been close to 3 months since my last blog. Then again, when I think about what we've been up to over that time, it seems more then reasonable that I have not been able to sit and chat with you all online and keep everyone even half informed of what's going on.

OK, so last time we spoke I was six months pregant, and as you probably guessed I am now just about ready to pop. I am HUGE! Seriously, can't get through doors sideways, belly button straining under the pressure, that kind of thing. Luckily (and God only knows how this happened again), it does all seem to be bump, the rest of me is flabby and soft but then it was beforehand so no blaming baby for that! I am more then ready to have him right now. The last few weeks we have had several 35 degree plus days, which have not been pretty... Thank goodness it seems to have been cooler the last few days and I am much happier for it, but I'm still waiting for that 'nesting instinct' and last minute burst of energy to kick in. Which neatly leads me to our next bit of news...

We finally sold our lovely little house and moved into a lovelier, bigger house just round the corner - WOO HOO!! And of course, not a moment too soon, as bubs is due in 4 weeks now. I would definitley NOT recommend moving house at 35 weeks pregnant, oh no. Hubby was amazing and Molly has been just awesome, she love, love, loves her new house - it has stairs she can bodysurf down! and her new bedroom is just her own little heaven. Especially her dressing table (where she 'fancies up' everyday - seriously, make up brushes and everything 'just like Nanny'), and her enormous wardrobe 'the best hiding place ever!'. Bless her, so much change and she has coped so well - better then me in fact, but then I'm not coping with anything that well at the moment, oh well.

Just before Christmas we had hubby's parents visiting for three weeks, which was just fantastic. Molly was in her element the entire time, a whole new bunch of people to entertain and play with. She learned a lot more tricks from Bampy, and loved Nanny so much. The added bonus being that hubby was off work for their entire visit so it felt like a proper holiday for everyone. Lots of hooning around the country, daytrips, eating out and being spoiled - just what I needed, don't know about the rest of them! - we had a fab time. We managed to find a little bach at the next bay over which worked perfectly for all of us (our last house was too small for us, let alone with visitors), so next time any of you fancy a visit we'll book you in.

Then came Christmas! Every year I promise that Christmas won't sneak up on me, and yes, every year it does. But for the first time ever I put my foot down - and who's gonna argue with a heavily pregnant behemoth like me, eh! - and insisted we have a quiet one, not too much running around, not too much entertaining, try to keep it all a bit low key. And you know, it worked and we had a lovely, relaxing Christmas time. Perfect.

OK, I've just realised that none of this is chronological, and possibly none of it makes an awful lots of sense. What can I say, it's been a while since I've been able to sit and think and write and I'm not sure I've quite got the hang of it again yet. So, I'll post some pics (above - see, it's confusing) and write more soon.

I don't do politics, but...

2008-11-05T18:42:00.003+13:00

(I mean on this blog! In my real non-mummy life I do). But, since I feel like this is a big deal in Molly's life (and mine, maybe everyones), I just want to say how happy we are that Obama won!

I grew up in a country where it was completely normal for there to be a woman Prime Minister, I even remember discussing how weird it was when a man was elected! Molly is in the same situation here in NZ - for now...

But for a black man to be President of the USA, that feels like such a massive step forward for America and subsequently the world. Whether we like it or not they are the leaders of the free world, and this can only be a good thing. Aside from the politics thing - how could the Republicans possibly win another term after their disastrous last 8 years, OMG doesn't even bare thinking about!

Anyway, I just think as a kid I knew I could be whatever I wanted to be, simply because as a little girl I saw a big girl who appeared to be in charge. I guess it was empowering for me, definitely a good life lesson. Just think what Obama being the boss could/should do for us all - equality for all, for real. Awesome!

Just for me

2008-11-05T11:41:00.002+13:00

I want to write this down before I forget it - to remind me in tougher times!

Molly will still nap with me most days (it's so great, especially now because I am so exhausted by mid afternoon) . Yesterday we snuggled in and she chatted away like she normally does. Eventually she was ready to sleep, she rolled over, shoved her bum into my huge belly and said 'cuggle me mama' full on sleepy baby voice and everything. So cute. I feel asleep smiling. Can't believe my baby is 3 and soon to be the BIG sister.

That's all, just for me.

And... We're back!

2008-11-03T10:56:00.003+13:00

A week in the sun was just what the doctor ordered, well, he didn't, but if I had asked him beforehand I am sure he would have agreed that a week in Rarotonga was a bloody good idea and should be undertaken as soon as humanly possible. So, on this fictional medical advice, we went, and it was fantastic!

If you get the chance to go to the Cook Islands, go! If you've been before, go again! We will.

We rented a beautiful little house right on the beach with it's own papaya and coconut trees in the garden. Plus the ever present wild chickens, just to make us feel at home.

The garden was maybe 6 metres long and then straight onto a coral sand beach, with the most awesome snorkelling and safe swimming for Molly. The whole island (all 32km circ. of it!) is surrounded by a reef, keeping lots of little fishes in and all the big fishes out, phew! I didn't actually do any snorkelling as the lagoon is really shallow in places and I have an extra foot of stomach to consider now, didn't want to risk any coral scratches on my bump. But Molly and hubby had a blast, hand feeding the fish - they like salt and vinegar chips?!? - and generally chasing anything that looked interesting until they were both exhausted! Molly's favourite thing was to scoop up sea slugs from the bottom and chase Mummy with them while they squirt - lovely!

Molly adopted our resident lizard/gecko (not really sure what it was to be honest), and named him Shirley. Every night Shirley would come and sit on the back door and 'striggle about a bit - that means Hello, Mummy', we have several dozen photos of Shirley at different angles and in different lights - thank God for digital cameras. The night that we found Shirley's Mummy in our bedroom was very exciting. In fact I thought Molly was going to pee her pants with excitement (I know I nearly did, but more out of fear!). Eventually, she was caught in a colander and set free. Who knew they could move so fast! Well done hubby! and well done for Molly, she was a great help, whereas I just sat on the couch shouting instructions, like a big pink, beached whale - I would show you the photos, but don't want to offend!

OK, I won't go on and on, I don't want to be a holiday bore - although if we do see any of you in the next few weeks we will be forced to bore you to tears with photos and video of our week. Suffice to say a good time was had by all and we will be going back as soon as we can. Molly has already decided that her baby will love it as much as she did - but he may not be as quick as she is in her rubber ring!

I did it to myself...

2008-09-29T16:50:00.000+13:00

The last few weeks as I've grown increasingly huge, I have been saying to Molly 'watch out, here comes the big, fat, pregnant lady' she always laughs and scoots out the way (for fear of being squished!).

Today, while visiting friends, I walked into the room where the kids were playing and Molly shouts 'watch out everyone, here comes the big fat lady!'... she wasn't the only one that squealed with laughter today... as I said, I did it to myself...

Hormonal? Me?

2008-09-21T08:00:00.002+12:00

OK, well maybe a wee bit. Just be warned, the slightest thing will set me off, and I can't guarantee which way I will go.

Example; visiting friends for morning tea and I can't even remember what we were talking about but the last thing said was 'kids eh...' and all of a sudden (I am under no delusions that it was me who started the giggling) there were four grown women, crossed legged - we've all had kids! - and crying with laughter... so much so the kids started to look a little concerned. Poor wee things, are we supposed to be good examples of polite society I wonder?

The next day, yesterday, I spent mostly in tears, or blooming angry and about to be in tears, or sleeping - the best option, for all concerned, I think hubby and Molly were probably glad of the respite. It's been a long time since I had such a bad day and it was a bit of a shocker.

I'm feeling better today, for now... stand back!

I'm sure this will pass, like everything else, it is a phase or something. But I do feel a little bit like I am the textbook of all things that could afflict you during pregnancy at the moment. I know I'm not really and that all things considered I am doing really well, it's just the hormones talking so I'll shut up for a bit.

Many a true word...

2008-09-21T07:57:00.003+12:00

So, I said to Miss Molly 'how did you get so cute eh?' to which she replied 'because I'm spoiled, ha ha haaa!'. I don't know how she put the two together, or where the logic came from but it seemed to make perfect sense to her and who am I to argue?

Miaow!

2008-09-08T11:05:00.003+12:00

Our first attempt at face painting wasn't too disastrous...

She honestly looked much cuter in person (I know, the photo is a little spooky looking and not really helped along by a bad case of scary red-eye!). And she really enjoyed being a cat for the entire day - even though by the time we left the house she had smeared her whiskers and rubbed her nose off already!

I couldn't believe that she sat for almost 10 whole minutes without moving, well, 'not moving' might be an understatement... it's a relative thing for Molly. Even when we play statues she can't really keep still. 'Freeze' to her is more like 'oh, OK, bare minimum wriggling, if you must'.

But anyway, we did it and now it is one of her favourite things to do. I am not going to post the pictures of Mummy after having been face painted by Molly - I was a red elephant - yes, something about my ever increasing girth must have given her the idea...

And depending on how many nice things daddy brings me to eat this week I will decide whether his photo get published - not that I'm holding him to ransom or anything, ha ha!

Here we go again!

2008-09-01T10:05:00.008+12:00

Say Hello to the newest member of the Morgan clan! Due date is 17th February 2009.

This is our 12 week scan, isn't it amazingly clear - Daddy says he thinks 'he' looks like him already... what do you think?

So, I'm actually 16 weeks now (and I know that most of you all knew the news anyhow) but for some reason I've been delaying our big 'public announcement'. This is Molly's World after all! But since baby was giving me a good kicking all night last night and my plan was to have a wee lie down on the couch and relax this morning while Molly is at PreSchool, but she/he is off again, so, I thought maybe I should just do this instead.

We are over the moon! This time we've decided to find out what sex baby is, and since you all know that I'm absolutely no good at keeping secrets (and the chances of Molly playing along are fairly minimal too), all will be revealed as soon as we know.

Molly is being amazing. She talks to the bump and washes it for me in the bath 'so baby stays nice and clean'. Worryingly she has started to rub her belly in the same way as I do too!

She came with us for the scan and was kind of disinterested to start with and more concerned with me (cuddling me and a bit confused as to why I was lying down 'are you OK Mummy', lots of kisses, etc. very sweet), then she looked up and at that instant the screen was showing a perfect little pair of feet. From then on she was hooked.

So far Molly thinks baby is a girl, but possibly just because there have been a lot of baby girls born to my girlfriends here recently. We asked her what she thought we could call the baby and she said 'Oh, I think Baby will be fine', so there you have it and luckily it works for a baby boy or girl, great! Sorted!

I have no idea, no strong feelings either way. And since I was convinced Molly was a boy until the minute she came out, I don't think my instincts should be taken into account for a second do you?

All I know is that this pregnancy could not be more different to Molly's at all. I have been more sick then I've ever felt before, 24/7 (morning sickness, my arse!), and tired and emotional and most of all HUGE! I am about the size I was with Molly at 6 months right now, and growing rapidly, jeez! But at least it is just the bump at the moment, I can still wear my jeans (although not done up of course!) and if anything I think I've lost weight on my bum, it's just shifting northwards to join the party!!

OK, don't want to speak to soon, but I feel kind of settled, might go for a little sofa-time. More soon.

I've decided that I'll maybe just re-title this blog when baby comes. I thought about trying to run two concurrently but since you've all witnessed my complete inability to keep even one up to date that might just be a bit much.... I'm trying not to think too much about the logistics of two children at the moment, tends to make me a bit panicky and waaaaaaaaah! OK, off for a lie down now.

7.45!

2008-08-19T12:55:00.003+12:00

Just had to make a note of this in case it never happens again - who am I kidding, I know it's never going to happen again, cause I've jinxed it now by even thinking about writing it down...

Molly slept until 7.45 this morning!! That's right our chirpy little 5.30 sparrow slept in until 7.45!! I panicked and had to keep going in to check on her because, of course, I woke at 5.30 ready for her, and eventually I had to wake her up for Preschool... can you believe it?!

OK, that's all. Just wanted to share. You never know this could be that start of a whole new world where my days start with daylight rather then bleary eyed darkness, well, you never know.

Why Mummy?

2008-07-28T10:40:00.003+12:00

OK, I knew it was coming, I knew it was inevitable in fact, but OH MY GOD!

Molly is currently running at about 423 'why' questions per day, and the number is increasing - probably as I type (thank God for preschool, someone else can field those questions for 4 blessed hours!).

How long does this last? anyone? words of advice, please...

We watched Shrek (Molly's current fave movie, she will often only respond when addressed as Princess Fiona, and has told me that she will be marrying Shrek as soon as she finds the perfect dress, her party dress is good, but not quite right...) for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I don't think I heard a single word of the dialogue, it was drowned out by Molly's incessent why's, who's that? what happened? what did he say? why? why? I swear, I needed to lie down after it had finished, I was totally drained, now I thought I could talk, but this kid runs rings around me!

Good job she's so damn cute, and seems to kind of get when Mummy's had enough. Often stopping mid query to kiss me and say I love you before running off for a bit so I can quietly pass out on the couch... love her!

3! How can she be 3!

2008-07-28T10:25:00.003+12:00

Better late then never, pics of our gorgeous girl and her fabulous birthday party (Nana made the cake - bless her, it was beautiful!)

Long time, no see/hear/blog...

2008-07-23T09:55:00.004+12:00

This is officially the longest time I have gone without blogging and I am feeling very guilty about this huge gap in 'Molly's life story' so far.

I won't be able to make up for the lost time as I still don't know my arse from my elbow (and fear this may be a permanent thing now). Suffice to say the last 2 months - God has it really been that long - has been pretty full on!

So, quick summary -

Nana has been here for a month. Lovely, lots of fun and games. Lots of sleep-ins for me (hooray!), lots of date nights for me and hubby (bonus!) and lots of general family fun. Molly had an absolute blast and very quickly cottoned on to the idea that Nana was in fact just her personal play assistant - since there were no objections from either party I thought I'd let it go... and hey, it's only taken me a week to convince her that yes, she can in fact use the bathroom on her own, does not need me to supervise the building of every block house/tower/bath that she makes, and even feed herself a whole sandwich (without pretending that it is puppy treats - a favourite game for both of them!).

And, thank God for the school hols! Two weeks of no planned activiites was just what we needed to get back on track.

Molly is back at preschool now, and loving it. Without fail every time I pick her up now she tells me 'I had so much fun!' which is so reassuring for me. She misses me, but she doesn't need me 24/7, which is awesome and a bit handy too.... I'll keep you posted on our latest 'project' (ooh, what a tease!).

Can I have a scibuit please?

2008-06-04T10:02:00.002+12:00

We're loosing more and more of our mispronounced (but terribly cute) little words by the day now, and I just wanted to note them down before we forget.

Since the day Molly could talk biscuits have been scibuits (simple switch of the two sounds - so adorable), even when we tried the whole b b b biscuit with her, she would say b b b scibuit. But now it's gone. And she is so proud of herself that she will re-say it as often as it takes for us to congratulate her. E.g., 'Mummy please can I have a biscuit?... biscuit? bissssscuit? ummm lovely bbbbbbisscuit thanks. Great bisccccccuits Mum.' You get the idea.

Along with scibuit, goes skabet - not quite as cute, but funny nonetheless - meaning basket. Now we knew she really had the hang of this when she asked if she could put her BISCUITS into the shopping BASKET please. With a great big grin on her face, aaawww.

Budyful, as in, Mummy look at those budyful flowers, is now beautiful (more like beootiful, but it's all good). And more often then not this will be accompanied by a 'wonderful' too - she loves this word. So much so in fact that the other day she accidentally burped at me midsentence, after hooting with laughter she said 'hey Mummy, that was a wonderful burp!' I couldn't help but agree!

Pacpac is now back pack. She has two, one owl, one penguin. Both stuffed with all her essentials, mobile phone, hair ties, photos of her cousins (which need updating desperately, they must be at least 5 years old and said cousins would probably be mortified that she still shows them off!), her little people and, of course, cooty cat - she means cutie cat, her small white fluffy friend... not a cat with herpes! We went on the tram for a bit of a jolly the other day and she pulled her binoculars ('nocalurs') out of her back pack 'to see better' - I thought the conductor was going to fall off laughing when he saw her sitting there like a miniature bird watcher. Clever little thing.

She can now say potato and tomato correctly, but refuses to do so. Mainly I think because she knows how funny/cute she sounds when she says 'see you later sweet tatater' and 'bumato sauce please'.

You'll have to excuse my rambling on about this, but I don't want to forget all the funny little things she says, and this seems as good a place as any to write them down.

It's been a while

2008-05-14T11:47:00.008+12:00

Since I posted a picture of our very own sleeping beauty - excuse the dirty face, must have been chocolate sandwich day!

I was told about a parenting book entitled 'I love you, when you're sleeping' or something similar. I can see the logic, how could you not! Gush, gush. Isn't she just beautiful!

We've had a few weeks of school holidays, no routines, nice days out and also lots of nice days at home. Just me and Moo, we could do with more of these... must plan more. I forget how much fun we have just together, and I think she really needs days at home too.

Even with the outbreak of hand, foot and mouth last week (nothing serious, she's much better now), which made her a little grumbly. I was still gutted to leave her at preschool this morning. She was fine, kiss, cuddle, 'I will miss you Mummy' and off she went... so now you see why I'm all loved up with her right now... who wouldn't be!

Of course, I'll pick her up in an hour and she'll run riot around the house until she collapses in a heap, exhausted (and me!), too excited to sleep and I might have to re-write this. Ha ha!

Is it just me...

2008-04-09T11:27:00.002+12:00

Or is everything shit? no, no, no, wrong beginning (but a very funny book, if you get the chance to look at it, you'll laugh your head off, I did!).

Is it just me, or does time just go at the speed of light whenever you open your photo and video files on the PC? I've just realised I've been sat here for almost an hour trawling through pics of our MollyMoo, and now it's 11.30 and I've done nothing with my 'free' morning, but reminisce and ooh and aah at our precious girl. Which is no bad thing really.

Blimey (which is, incidentally, one of Moo's favourite words at the moment, very cute) we've got a load of stuff on here. I keep meaning to transfer some onto disk (although I think Kris backs up fairly often). Or even better, fill up some of our beautiful photo albums with actual pictures - should've been doing that while I was surfing through them eh!?

I'm so thankful for all our video clips too, digital cameras are just the dogs. All those forgotten little mannerisms and phrases, saved for posterity (or embarassing montages at 18th birthday parties, whichever). Like I'd forgotten how she used to say cuggly for cuddle, chis for kiss, gogapus for octopus, and dogfin for dolphin, and peepeela for caterpillar, and, and, and... I know the list is endless and very dull for everyone but us, but I'm glad all the same.

Right what can I do for the next hour... maybe look at some more photos...

OK, OK, OKAY!

2008-04-06T20:29:00.002+12:00

I can't believe it. My 2 and 3/4 year old daughter is becoming a teenager! In the last three days she must have said this (OK, OK, OK) at least a dozen times... what's going on? And it's not just the words (very EMO), it's the whole tone of voice and shrug of shoulder that goes with it. I'm sure I don't so this... oh hold on, there's always Daddy to copy... well, that explains that one then, sigh.

I wonder?

2008-03-30T07:42:00.003+13:00

Just wondering if there will be a baby boom in around 9 months from now?

It was awful dark here last night and it seems like Earth Hour was very well received and acted-on throughout New Zealand and Australia at least (haven't seen the news for the rest of the world yet).

Such a great initiative, but will we offset the potential good if we overpopulate because of it? ha ha!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T18:30:00.002+13:00

Chocolate, bunnies, sunshine, ice creams, trips to the beach, easter egg hunts, four day weekends, that's what it's all about eh!? oh yes, and the celebration of our Lord Jesus' "death".

Bloody Katie Morag!

2008-03-19T11:18:00.002+13:00

Don't get me wrong, I love that Molly is such a keen reader and I love when we get given books for her - they are a little bit pricey here in NZ that's for sure!

But this one book, (from her dear uncle and aunt in Scotland) is driving me slowly but surely insane!!!

Katie Morag has lots of great fun and adventures, with lots of very strange and hard to pronounce Scottish sounding places and exclamations in them. I'm thinking she likes this book purely because it makes Mummy and Daddy struggle so much and sound so weird when we read it to her.

Anyway, this photo was taken to celebrate the first time we managed to persuade her to read it to herself. Which she dutifully did, after finding her 'reading glasses' (just like Mummy, what an old duffer I am!). Isn't she just gorgeous? Our beautiful little bookworm. Long may it continue - but maybe with a bit more variety... now where's a good hiding place for bloody Katie Morag!

Am I ready?

2008-03-19T10:49:00.002+13:00

Are you ever ready for baby number two, three or four? just a hypothetical at this stage - no one get overexcited eh?! OK, well I won't either then.

On Monday this week I had an instant family of three. One three year old, Molly at 2 and a half and an 18 month old, from 7.30am until 6.00pm, now that's a full-on day! OH MY GOD!

But you know what, we coped. The kids were actually really great and even though it was more fun then Hunter and Molly could really stand I managed to get them all to nap in the afternoon - so I did have twenty minutes off, and drank a whole cup of coffee, hot! Woo hoo!

I don't know if we would have done so well if the wee one was walking already. She's still such a baby baby, not much hair, very few teeth and not quite walking yet, but oh my goodness can she talk! At one point I had all three of them on the swing set, and all three of them are screaming at the top of their lungs, 'higher, higher!' so funny.

One bonus being I certainly didn't need the gym after that, what I needed was a large glass of wine and a big bath. What I got was a grumpy hubby and an overtired and moody Molly... and then I collapsed on the couch!

Strange little girl...

2008-03-19T10:36:00.002+13:00

Yesterday morning, whilst Molly and I were having our wake-up cuddle and milk in Mummy's bed (such a lovely way to start the day, and even better because I get to stay in bed for maybe 15 more minutes!), Molly was looking at my t-shirt and asked what it said. This is the shirt that was gifted to us from our honeymoon hotel in the Seychelles, it has a palm tree and the name of the place, pretty dull, but this was hubby's gift. Mine was a beautiful red sarong covered in tropical fish that I still love!

Anyway, so we're chatting, and I explained that this was where Daddy and Mummy stayed after we got married, she was surprised that we were married too! 'I'm married to you too Mummy' she said, hmmm, I sense some confusion, never mind, we nattered on.

I told her that one day we would take her to the Seychelles too, and we'd all have a wonderful time. She said she'd like that 'as long I can go in my pink airplane'. Now I'm really confused, she doesn't have a toy airplane, let alone a pink one... We're hoping she's projecting to a future where we have won the lotto and given her her own pink jet... oh, to have her imagination!

Footnote

2008-03-13T10:15:00.002+13:00

Molly stayed all day at PreSchool. Not a whimper after I left and just a beautiful beaming grin when I walked in to pick her up.

She had a lovely morning, played with everything (she especially enjoyed the swings and trampoline), and she had drawn/painted two lovely pictures, one for Mummy and one for Bampy (it's on the way, a late birthday gift - someone must have been paying attention whilst we were ordering online eh?!).

The teachers both said she did great and the histrionics were purely for my benefit... hoorah and phew in equal measures!

That sinking feeling...

2008-03-12T10:58:00.002+13:00

I just dropped Molly at PreSchool and now I feel like the worse mother in the world. On the drive there she alternately cried and whined that we should turn around and go home, while also telling me she would check the caterpillars and play with the mice, etc., while she waited to come home with me again!

When we got there she clung to me for 30 seconds then ran off and did something more fun before coming back and clamping back on... Eventually (felt like forever, but maybe only 10 minutes later) the supervisor came over and shooed me away. 'Let's start as we mean to go on shall we, straight home Mum', I was dismissed. Molly was whisked away to the swings, screaming! Oh my God! Of course by the time I got to the car, the screaming had stopped and she was fine again, and must still be because I'm sat here by the phone and it hasn't rung - I even took it with me when I put the laundry out... sad eh?!

But tell me this, it get's better right? You don't constantly walk around feeling like crap because you've 'abandoned' your child do you?

The picture says it all...

2008-03-05T11:14:00.004+13:00

Our holiday in Golden Bay was just perfect. We spent the week on the beach. Ligar Bay (just 50m from our lovely little holiday bach - 'the little house' as Molly christened it) is just perfect for kids - and big kids - safe and shallow even at high tide, and at low tide the sea leaves lagoons and rock pools that are warm as bathwater. Just blissful.

We borrowed kayaks from the owner of the bach and the girls had as much fun as we did in them. Even refusing on one occasion to get out of it, so they sat in it on the beach until we relented and continued to push them up and down the bay - great exercise, running in thigh high water, I was knackered! - like little lady mucks, shouting 'faster, faster'.

It was such a great idea to go with friends (although I'll admit to being anxious, you never know do you!?), the kids just loved having familiar faces to play with, and they kind of amuse themselves to a certain extent. Don't get the idea that we had a minutes peace though... that would have been too much like a holiday. But we're thinking we're going to make this an annual thing maybe, at least until the kids decide (or we do) that they can't stand another perfect holiday in the sun, on the sand, in paradise, ha ha.

Butter wouldn't melt

2008-02-13T20:04:00.002+13:00

One small step for Molly...

2008-02-13T19:41:00.002+13:00

One giant leap for Mum that's for sure!

Today was our big girls first official day at Preschool. Bags packed, clothes painstakingly chosen - her supergirl dress to make her super brave (and also to spin around in. It is, after all, just a blue gingham dress and I still can't work out how it became her supergirl dress but there you go) - and lunchbox, drinks bottle and morning tea tub suitably covered in star stickers 'so I can see them from a long way off Mummy'. And we're off...

She was absolutely fine, not a tear when I left, in fact she barely looked up after a profunctory kiss and 'love you'. I'm going to say it's because one of her best friends - Hunter and his Mum - were having a trial run today and so until they left she was happy. I, on the other hand, was in pieces. What a sook. Cried all the way in to town and back (for some reason I thought filling up the truck would be a good distraction for me?!) and then cried at the post office when Wendy asked me how I was... silly, silly woman, she'll know better next time eh!?

And then the phone rang. It was preschool, Molly was a bit upset (read, screaming the place down, no tears, just bloody cross at being 'abandoned'!), Hunter had left and she decided it was time to go and where the hell was Mummy!

Mummy was bombing it down the Teddington straight as fast as her nerves would take her and ready to rescue her baby girl. When I arrived she cried - more to make her point I think - for a few moments, gave me another cuddle and was off and running again.

She sat with the other kids for her lunch (and ate more then she ever has at home). and even for mat time (after some persuading) and enjoyed every last minute of it. When she woke up from her nap this afternoon the first thing she said was ' preschool was fun huh?'. I think she liked it.

So, we'll miss next week - cause we're on holiday, woo hoo! - but the week after we'll try again, maybe I'll stay a wee bit longer and pop back in during the morning to see how she's going, but we're playing it by ear now. As always MollyMoo sets the pace and that's all good.

I'm now trying to decide if it was a good thing that she didn't cry when I left, or a good thing that she did cry when she realised I wasn't there. But I think the simple fact that she enjoyed her day and wants to go back is enough eh? I'll always feel guilt, regardless of her reaction, it comes with the territory right?

R.I.P. Phoebe Morgan Granit - 24th Dec 2007

2008-01-24T17:44:00.000+13:00

Bad news first. Our beautiful, cuddly, talkative, fluff monster, lunatic, killer, mental, oh and schizophrenic cat was hit by a car on Christmas Eve and died. She's been with us since two weeks before our Molly arrived and has left rather a gaping hole in the household.

I'm not sure how much Moo understands, but she has told me on several occasions that she misses Phoebe and how much she loved her. So we have a chat about how Mummy misses her too, and that she's not coming back but she's in kitty heaven (not bad eh, from two agnostic/atheist parents, but hey... it works, it's in). Poor little poppet, she cried about a dead bee on the driveway not long ago, so goodness knows what went through her little head, but she seems OK with it. Everyone tells me that at this age they just kind of accept things, it's only us 'grown ups' that don't - fear of mortality (but this is definitely not the time or place to be getting into that one!).

Anyway, we miss her a lot, especially when we hang out the laundry (she would wind her way around my legs and chase Molly round the pole and generally cause havoc for us), while watching TV in the evening (there is a space on my lap that needs a purring thing), whilst innocently walking out of the living room (no really, I used to shout at her, but I wish she was there to grab at my legs and frighten the living daylights out of Molly, hee hee!), all the time really.

She's buried in the garden, where the big protea tree used to be, that was one of her best hunting spots, so we're going to put one of those whirly-winged garden ornament birdy things on the spot - to remind all the lucky birds that managed to escape from her that she's still about.

Just in case...

2008-01-24T17:35:00.000+13:00

you've all forgotten what our wee cherub looks like - well, it has been a while eh?! But what a great Christmas holiday (with the odd horrific moment, we'll get to that later... but on the whole, great!).

I have tried to put the cycle helmet on the right way, but she prefers it this way... who am I to argue!

Just wiggling Mummy!

2007-12-09T20:21:00.000+13:00

Molly has gone completely ballet mad! In fact, any form of dance, she wants to do it. I must find a class for her, or she is going to drive me slowly (actually quite quickly) insane! Any piece of music - even me playing her little pink guitar - is reason enough to dance. And we have even got to the point where she will refuse trousers/jeans, even on a cloudy day, because they are no good to dance in... what a little prima donna eh!?

This is probably a really gross story to relate, but to me it was just hilarious and one of my pregnant friends nearly went into labour (very early!) when I told her about it. So, be warned! I was washing up or doing something in the kitchen the other day and she came in performing her version of the funky chicken, arms flapping and bottom wiggling madly. I said 'great dancing honey' she said... 'no Mummy, I'm not dancing, I'm wiggling my poo'. On further investigation, she had been dancing (to The Wiggles no less), but then she.... well, you get the idea... well, it made me laugh!!

No Mummy I did not kill the cat...

2007-11-10T13:23:00.000+13:00

honest!

I just love this look.

Singin' in the rain...

2007-11-10T13:12:00.001+13:00

I have some even cuter pics of Moo running around nude in the garden and under the sprinkler, but after talking to a friend of mine who has just started working for the STOP Trust in Christchurch (and attended some truly scary induction and internet training) I decided against the nudey shots, no matter how cute they are - plus, I don't know how much Molly would thank me when she's eighteen!

So, no, she's not practising her singing in the rain dance routine, she needed her umbrella to keep her dry under the sprinkler! I know, I know, we tried to explain that maybe just staying out of the sprinklers reach might be more effective, but she's two and therefore knows far better then two fully grown adults (I used the term loosely obviously!).

And I'll be honest, we didn't really try that hard to stop her, cause she says 'splinkler' and 'gumbrella' which is just so cute it's untrue. Oh and yes, we do have a paddling pool for her, but the basin is so much easier to fill, expecially when you know that any second she'll go off the whole idea or the heavens will open again.

Knock knock!

2007-11-10T12:48:00.001+13:00

Nana (my Mum) came to visit us in October. We only had three weeks together, but it's better then nothing.

We had a really lovely visit, although we were all ill, off and on - but hey, who isn't at the moment! Even our doctor says it's been an extra hard winter this year. Molly has had cold and ear infections, Mum had a cold (or possibly a bit bout of hayfever, not sure really) and I had, wait for it... Shingles! Oh yes, you know it's not just an old person illness - although yes I know I am quite old! I would not recommend it, and am concerned it may be on it's way back as my residual 'poxmarks' (as hubby so lovingly calls them!) have begun to itch again, woo hoo!

Anyway, I digress, we had a lovely visit and Molly fell truly, madly, deeply in love with Nana again. Every morning we would have to creep along to Nana's room and 'knock knock' on the door - verbally and physically, very cute - and then poor Nana would be pounced on and forced to read books and play stickers for hours on end while lucky old Mummy got to go back to bed for a bit. I tried to stay up with them a couple of times, only to be told 'Mummy, you go back to bed, you're very tired', what an angel she is, ha ha!

As you can see, we had some really good (and some really crap) weather and made the most of it when we could. Daytrips to Willowbank, etc. lots of fun. Our one planned weekend away - we were going to go to Lake Brunner for a few days tramping and kayaking - were unfortunately nixed by my pesky pox! oh well, next time. We're sure Nana will be back as soon as she can be, in fact Daddy told Molly he was sure Nana would be back in just a few weeks/months, hint hint, eh Mum!!

November! Already?!

2007-11-10T12:17:00.000+13:00

Really, how did that happen! It's been three months since my last blog entry... three months! and an awful lot can happen in three months... that's the reason I haven't really been thinking about blogging, too much to say and not even sure how to start to be honest. So a brief catch up and then we'll carry on as normal eh?

I wasn't sure whether to write this down or not, but you know this is supposed to be a journal of Molly's life and times and this was a major event within that so, horrible though it is, it's happened and it's in.

In September one of Molly's little friends Emily passed away. No one knows why, and I guess the official verdict will be SIDS, and I don't suppose it really matters how or why. It's one of the singularly saddest things in the world when a child dies. She was only two, a cute little button of a kid, who only two weeks before she died was racing around the park with Molly and her big brother full of the joys of Spring.

She will be sadly missed by everyone that knew her. My heart lurches every time I see her Mum, what to say, how to act... she is doing as well as can be expected and wants Molly to play with her wee boy whenever we get the chance. We both cried the first time she inadvertantly called Molly Emily, how can you ever get over this kind of tragedy?

It made me (and everyone else I know) hold on just a little bit tighter to their children and think that little bit harder about the truly important things in life. I could go on and on about how I feel, but I know that practically everyone reading this is a parent, so I don't need too.

I'm going to stop now, have a cup of tea - I'm British after all - back in a bit.

Chas and Dave

2007-08-18T20:29:00.000+12:00

Aren't they just beautiful! Long time coming, I know, but about time you all got to meet them.

Chas (the girl, short for Charlotte) is my favourite, she is very friendly and just cluck clucks when you stroke her.

Dave, on the other hand, is so bloody loud it's untrue. We were told bantams were not to noisy as long as you don't have lots of males together. Well he's our only male but I think he may be signalling to his old buddies in Rakaia that the coast is clear... who knows how long he has until the neighbours kick off and he's prepared for the freezer (no kidding, hubby reckons he can do it, pah! killing, plucking and gutting chickens is a bit more tricky - and messy - then knocking up a chicken coop. He did an absolutey fab job on it though, what a star he is. It's not a coop, it a chicken palace!)

Anyway, as my father-in-law says you can't eat anything that has a name. And Molly would be heartbroken, the first thing we do every morning is open her bedroom curtains and say good morning chooks. Funnily enough, Dave always says hello back.

By the way, the original Chas n Dave look like this. And no, I don't really know why we chose these names, but it suits them now... luverly, oi, oi, oi!

Long time, no news...

2007-08-18T20:18:00.000+12:00

I was going to start with another lame apology for my lack of 'blogging', but I'm giving that up, it's boring and I've started the last three or four entries with the same thing... so from now on, I will just try to be a bit more regular.

OK, so, latest pic of our gorgeous girl. She's such a little character at the moment. We took her to Port Levy today - it was beautiful this morning, felt almost like Spring - and she was picking up clams or pippy shells (or something, my marine ecology knowledge is not what it was!) breaking them apart and then saying 'oh no, what happened! they broke!'. Daddy caught this photo mid-exclamation, very cute.

She's a been off and on poorly now for a couple of weeks, a bout of strep throat, swiftly followed by gluey eyes and high temperature, so we've had a fairly trying time for a wee while now. Please let this be her last illness for at least a couple of weeks, we all need some sleep!

Mine! mine! mine!

2007-07-06T19:24:00.000+12:00

Have any of you seen Finding Nemo? I'm sure you have. You know the seagulls that sit on the wharf and scream 'mine, mine, mine' at every fish that comes into sight, hmm hmmm I have one of those living here at the moment.

She's quite polite about it, 'no Mummy, that's mine', 'no Elliot, that's mine', etc., and when said item is relinquished to her, she always says thank you. But, oh my God, she's driving me loopy. This evening when Daddy got home from work she took his shoes and claimed them as hers, it's pathological, really.

We're sure she'll grow out of it, most of them do don't they?! Either that or we hope she steals the good stuff, he hee.

Second birthday

2007-07-06T16:55:00.000+12:00

Molly's 2nd birthday tea was lovely. A very small affair, just Eva and Elliot. Her two other friends both had the same horrible tummy bug so our afternoon tea party was even smaller then anticipated, but she had a great time.

Most importantly she recognised who was on her cake immediately. Phew! You have no idea how long Daddy and I struggled to make it look like Pingu (just in case, OK, you might have guessed it eventually but you know...!). But that doesn't matter now, because she grinned from ear to ear and shouted 'Pingu' as soon as I bought it in the room. Success!

She ate all her favourite things, cake, chippies, marshmallows and chocolate crispy cakes. Went on a huge sugar rampage and then collapsed into bed, so it was all good.

Thank you cards have been sent, but just in case I forgot anyone, thank you so much for all her gifts. Much appreciated.

Hibernation mode

2007-07-06T16:50:00.000+12:00

It's official, it's winter and I am totally in hibernation mode. Once the curtains are drawn and the fire is lit at night all I want to do is get under my blankie and stay there until bedtime.

So, another month passes with much to report and I can't shift my lazy arse off the couch to tell you all about it...

So now to make amends...

Cute pic, just in case you've forgotten what Molly looks like. Yes, we keep her in a box now, it's much easier that way, ha ha!!

That's right Mummy

2007-06-06T20:06:00.000+12:00

Here's the thing. I keep hearing my words come out of Molly's mouth, only in a much cuter voice (my nickname at Uni was Orville, so you know my voice is kind of irritating at times).

This weekend we took a day trip to Lake Coleridge, it's just beautiful out there (photos to come when I get round to downloading them onto the PC), but it is quite a long car journey for our Moo. We packed up a bag full of distractions and snacks and treats to keep her happy, but eventually we had to resort to talking to her, ha ha!! So, we started to point out everything, landmarks, other cars, animals, you know. After a while she was joining in and naming everything she could see, from snow on the mountains to sheep. We passed a field of cows and she didn't say anything so I said 'look Molly, cows!' and without missing a beat she said 'that's right Mummy!'. Of course hubby thought this was hilarious and laughed long and hard. Can you guess what Molly's favourite phrase is right now?

'That's right Mummy', ha ha haaaaa.

Just because...

2007-06-01T20:17:00.001+12:00

Sometimes I need reminding of just how cute and beautiful she really is... oooh yes, she's nearly two today!!

It's OK really, I'm coming to terms with the fact that approximately 50% of Molly's day is devoted to winding me up in whatever fashion amuses her at the time. And you know she's becoming expert at it, bless her!

I know this is all normal and I can see the light at the end of the 2 year old tunnel already (in her little friends who I've watched go through and come out the other side of the 'terrible twos') and she really is the cutest thing when she wants to be... it's just getting her to want to be that girl sometimes... these things are sent to try us...

Look!

2007-05-30T15:48:00.001+12:00

They're here, they're super cute and they'll (all five of them) be living in our garden as soon as all their grown up feathers are here and they're ready to leave their Mum.

Groan...

2007-05-30T15:15:00.000+12:00

You know you're probably not batting at full strength when a simple cold can knock you flat for over two and a half weeks...

Apologies (again) for my blog absence. I've actually been getting a horrible guilty feeling in my stomach every time I approach the PC of late, but you know, sometimes you just can't do it.

Anyway, the cold is finally gone, and we're all feeling much happier now.

Can you believe that Molly is almost 2?! No, me neither, it's just flown by. It feels like 2 weeks (and 20 years) ago since I bought her home from the hospital. All of those people who told us to treasure ever moment were so right. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to come back from the kitchen and find her in her school uniform... seriously time has just gone supersonic on me!

But I'm coming to terms with it. Helped along by my coffee groups joint second birthday party at Lollipops that we had last Monday. It was so much fun. The kids had a whale of a time - and best of all, no one had to cook or clear up after them! The pic is Molly enjoying her lunch. She especially enjoyed her individual ice cream cup with sprinkles (she's never had a whole pot to herself before and kept checking with me that it was OK to keep eating and offering me some - so cute). All the 'action shots' are rubbish I'm afraid. I'm no David Bailey at the best of times, so add the hysterical laughter that their manic running around caused and you can imagine the blurred and nonsensical results! Oh well.

Wow Mummy!

2007-04-24T15:39:00.000+12:00

So that's what little girls are for! I had a 'day off' yesterday, very pleasant, long lie-in, coffee and a mag at the Mall, where I managed to find the perfect pair of jeans - no really, they fit and they don't make me look like the back of a bus! - and when I got home to show off my purchases, Molly said 'wow Mummy, twitty' which is how she says pretty... I hope! ha ha!

8...9...10...lemon

2007-04-23T16:58:00.000+12:00

Molly is having fun with numbers at the moment, so far we have - 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, lemon, 12 (and an occasional tirteen), yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

How gorgeous is that?! I think she is still a little bit obsessed with lemons right now, as I said before we have had a fair few from our tree this year, and now she's trying to pick the little green ones every time we walk past the tree. But I was impressed that she even managed to work lemons into her counting... genius!

Today we went to Lollipops for the morning. After some intial trepidation - a little hiding behind my knees, sneaky peeking at all the other kids running riot - and with some gentle persuasion from Eva, she was off and bouncing. It was great.

She threw herself straight into the ballpit, (copying the other kids), the look on her face as she slowly sank into them was hysterical. Eventually she got the hang of 'staying afloat'. Next she hit the bouncy castle for some extensive bouncing and giggling. She must hvae been exhausted since every time her feet left the floor she yelled 'JRUMP!" at top volume.

She totally terrified me by trying (successfully) to get into the 'over fives' enclosure. I 'rescued' her (OK, rescued my own nerves) as she teetered across a beam raised 6 feet off the floor with only a safety net loosely underneath it to catch her. Oh my God! My heart was in my mouth!

A couple of turns on the merry-go-round, followed by a complete meltdown tantrum when she had to get off, signalled it was time to go. But we'll be back, we're having our coffee group second birthday party there next month, so times Molly by 8... God help them!

Oh blimey!

2007-04-15T17:42:00.000+12:00

You see this is the reason why I don't make hasty New Years resolutions that I won't be able to keep! Just 4 months into the year and already it's getting away from me! All my good intentions of keeping this blog up to date go out the window as 'Molly the vacuum of free-time' seems to completely take over. I keep asking myself who's in charge here? Of course Molly keeps telling me 'me, of course, God Mummy you are daft!', that kind of thing.

Anyway, what's new with us? Where to start...

OK, I can no longer swear out loud. As some of you know, on a good day I can curse as well as, if not better then, your average sailor. But since our wee girl seems to be part angel part parrot, those days are gone. We walked around the grocery store last week with Molly loudly proclaiming alternately 'blimey!' and 'wow!', not too terrible I know and it could have been an awful lot worse eh. We won't go into the whole 'bugger' incident, I'm just glad that her Daddy and I managed to avoid eye contact for the entire time otherwise both of us would have lost it and that would now be her favourite word.

As it is, I would say her favourites at the moment are 'wow', closely followed by 'what happened?' (accompanied by lifted shoulders and wide eyes, very cute - even after she's made whatever happened happen) and then of course 'NO'.

We definitely have a terrible-almost-two year old on our hands at times now. I don't think she's being intentionally vile (please God!), but sometimes I just feel like banging my head against a brick wall - partly because I know it will be less painful then, say, putting her shoes on to go out, or persuading her to eat her tea... this passes right? I asked a girlfriend that very question recently, she said yes of course, when they leave home, boom boom - groan.

Easter has worked it's magic on our Molly and she now worships at the temple of chocolate (I'm secretly glad, sometimes it gets lonely there all on your own!). Everytime I go to the fridge now a little head appears under the door. 'Chotlat?'. She sounds so cute when she says it, it's hard to resist her. We're trying to ration her to two pieces a day and hoping that her addiction is short lived (unlike mine). By the way the picture is of a very sleepy, bedtime Molly, modelling her Easter present from Nana.

Unbelievably though, the more chocolate she eats the more food in general she eats, this can't be bad. I just wish it would help her to sleep just a wee bit longer in the mornings. She still waking way too early for our liking. To give you a clue it's 06.10 Sunday morning, I'm writing this blog entry longhand (too early to face the computer just yet), I've put a load of laundry on, had a large cup of coffee - large milk for Moo - she's already dressed and eating a bunch of grapes (her pre-breakfast snack) and doing some drawing. But hey, she'll grow out of it, eventually, and I am really looking forward to her teenage years when I can be inordinately cruel in dragging her lazy arse out of bed... well, whatever gets you through eh?!.

I have however taken back my afternoon naps to deal with this. Molly sleeps so much better when I sleep with her (who cares if it's a bad habit to get into, I need the sleep too so no harm done). So we regularly snuggle up for a 2 or 3 hour nap in the afternoons, aaaah, bliss. I hope she keeps this up until she goes to school.

Luckily, Molly is getting really good at entertaining herself now - at least for short periods anyway - so I'm just about managing to keep the house from falling apart around our ears and nap too. But sometimes she can be so funny when I'm busy. The other day I was making lemon curd - still working our way through a glut of lemons this year, and they're still coming - she came stomping into the kitchen with her hands on her hips and said 'you finished?', those were the words, but the look on her face was 'for God's sake woman, how long does it take?', but that will come soon, I'm sure of it.

Right better stop, need another coffee, well it is 06.30!

Our world...

2007-03-27T06:19:00.000+12:00

So far that is...

This is where we have visited up to now -

create your own visited country map

Pretty cool eh? But we have so much more too see, can't wait to start exploring with our newest little adventurer.

Thanks Cathie.

Jam tarts

2007-03-21T19:25:00.000+12:00

Is there anything better then cooking something for your child that she absolutely adores? - OK, humour me, I'm not that great a cook and I realise there are indeed lots of 'better' things than this but...

I had some pastry left over from a quiche I was making so decided to knock up a batch of jam tarts, I haven't made them for years (so obviously Molly has never tried them), but you know, it's not rocket science is it? cut circle of pastry, add teaspoon of jam, voila!

I presented one to Molly for her after dessert, dessert (sometimes you just have too), she gave it a bit of funny look but took my word for it and had a nibble. She proceeded to lick the jam out of the middle before she munched the whole lot in about 20 seconds flat.

'So what did you think hun?'
'Yummy yum'.

Mission accomplished.

Now if I could just get that reaction from a main course of any description we'll be laughing. Is there a way to disguise vegetables in a jam tart?

Molly the chook farmer

2007-03-17T20:20:00.000+13:00

Another fun day down on the farm yesterday. Molly and Anna wanted to feed the chickens, well, mostly Molly to be honest. Anna does it every day and was not overly bothered about it until Molly started to get over excited about a couple of loose chickens in the yard - this has a tendency to rub off on her (she's very easily led, especially by our Moo, who will do anything for a giggle out of Anna).

So, off we went, miniature wheelbarrows in tow (you know what I mean), to the coops. Oh my goodness! Who knew chickens were this exciting! Molly literally whooped and squealed her way around the garden, dashing from run to run. She couldn't decide which ones warranted her attention the most, and seemed very concerned that they should all receive equal amounts of the food and her love.

When we went in to see the big chickens (as apposed to the little bantams in the backyard), that were running free, I thought Molly was gonna burst - honestly, the look on her face was priceless! Even when the really big ones started to peck at the bread in her hands she laughed. No fear whatsoever (she's certainly braver then her Mum. One of them started to look longingly at a bead on my shoe and that was enough to make me jumpy!).

Next we went to the shed to collect the eggs. Yep, I thought exactly the same, but off we went anyway. She broke both of the ones she was given to hold, she said 'oh no, they're crying' when the yolks spilled out, funny little thing.

So, it looks like we'll be getting some chooks fairly soon. As luck would have it our friend is in the process of moving house and can't take all the chickens with her... lucky that! I've actually always fancied having some bantams in the backyard, and now Molly seems so enamoured with them I guess it's a done deal. As long as she promises not to sing 'quack, quack, cockadoodledoo' every time we go and see them - like she did for almost an hour with Anna. Damn you Wiggles!!!!

Oh No!

2007-03-17T20:10:00.000+13:00

Molly has bronchitis again, poor little sausage. She's OK in herself - as she always is, our little trooper - bright as a button in fact. My theory is that she doesn't realise or understand that she can whinge and moan when she's sick, yet. It will come I'm sure, joy.

She's had a cough and cold off and on now for about three weeks, nothing too serious. But I began to get concerned when a couple of bouts of coughing stopped her playing with Daddy - that is a very serious thing indeed in our house, nothing interrupts rough and tumble with Daddy!

So, off we went to the Docs, and away we came with antibiotics and already she seems much, much better.

Of course, through this whole time she has not been able to resist Phoebe. Our poor cat is seriously tormented at times (thank God for her - generally - good natured attitude to small annoyances). This picture is the afternath of a prolonged battle, can you tell from the cheeky face? She has discovered that she can make the cat sing several different notes depending on the severity of the yank on her tail... poor Phoebe.

Old friends, best friends

2007-03-17T07:34:00.000+13:00

Monday this week was so much for Molly, and me! We were visited by friends who used to live locally but have now moved 'up North' to sunnier lands. It was so great to see them and to finally meet their newest addition to the family, a beautiful baby girl. She's four months old, and just perfect. OK, I'll admit to being a tad broody again... it'll pass.

But aside from all the catching up and cuddling, the best bit of the day was watching out two wee toddlers (there is only three months difference in their age) playing together and seeming to really enjoy each others company.

They always did get along just fine. I recall one time whilst visiting at their place, we suddenly realised they had gone ever so quiet. We crept into Ella's room to see what was going on and found them snuggled up on a bean bag together reading a book. How gorgeous is that!

Anyway, this time they are both a lot more confident on their pins and spent the entire day racing around, giggling and squealing - as soon as I get the pics I'll post some - as long as Ella doesn't object.

They sat and ate their lunch together - just like their mummies used to. So cute.

It was all over far too soon and made me realise just how much I miss my buddies (you know who you are), and wish that these get togethers could be much, much more frequent. We had a coffee for our beloved desert flower and tried to pretend she was here too. We miss you heaps hon.

Hello Sailor!

2007-03-05T13:33:00.000+13:00

Molly has a new addition to her morning routine. She loves to race to our dining room window as soon as I've drawn the curtains and leap on top of our wine chest (just because I can't recall the last time it had wine in it does not negate the fact that it is a wine chest!) to look for boats.

This is something she started to do with her Nana, and seems to want to continue the tradition. Well, at 6 or 7 in the morning there are rarely any boats for her to look at. 'No boats'.

But yesterday there was an enormous passenger liner, with a few smaller boats around it, steaming out to sea. She got so excited she fell off the chest and scraped the skin off her knee and her thigh... not an auspicious start to our day, but still 'BOATS!'

9? Are your sure?

2007-03-04T11:12:00.000+13:00

Impressed? I bloody was! and a little bit surprised to say the least!

This happened whilst talking to my Mum on the computer the other day, and doing my best to ignore Moo's best efforts to distract me. Eventually she went quiet and (as all you parents know only too well) that's when I started to worry... I looked down and there she was, dilligently building her 9 block tower!

For once the camera was handy so I got a couple of good photos before she realised I was watching her and smashed it over with a giggle - I got a pic of that too, a real action shot.

Now you all know me well enough to know that I don't do 'competitive parenting'. I don't enjoy it, never have, never will. In fact on several occasions I have been known to sabotage an oncoming game by telling anyone who'll listen that Molly's best skills include a cracking Sid James laugh and an even better Barney Gumble beer belch (we're so proud), that usually stops the competition fairly quickly!

But you know... she is very advanced... hee hee!

Gosh that was quick!

2007-02-22T20:47:00.000+13:00

I can't quite believe three weeks have come and gone already! Mum left yesterday and will be back in the UK this time tomorrow, maybe a bit sooner but you know once you pass the 24 hours travelling mark you kind of loose track don't you?!? well, I know I do.

So, I was going to try and do a quick run down of what we got up to while she was here, but firstly you'd all be bored to tears reading it (because we did lots of chatting, lots of beaching and lots of playing with Molly, eating too much and general family fun stuff), and secondly, I can't remember everything - honestly these last three weeks have gone in a flash. So I won't.

Just wanted to say Hi after such a long break and promise to write again soon.

Oh yeah, Molly got a new swing (present from her great grandparents in the UK), she LOVES it. Every now and then she'll stand by the front door and say 'swing, swing, swing, swing, SWING' until I get the message. Once she's in it I can't get her out - no really, full blown, screaming tantrums have occured - hopefully her enthusiasm will fade with time...

Just so you know...

2007-02-03T19:49:00.000+13:00

My mum is visiting with us at the moment - woo hoo!

So anyway, I apologise in advance if the blog entries are a little sparce for the next few weeks, but I'll try to log on and keep you all updated as often as possible - and I will be reading all of yours too!

Just Pear-fect

2007-02-03T19:19:00.000+13:00

This is going to be a really sappy blog and I ummed and ahhed about whether to write it or not, but I'm going to because (for me) it felt like a really big deal that needs to be noted. So please feel free to skip it if you're not in the mood for full blown sentimentality...

On Tuesday afternoon this week it was really, really hot. Molly and I have discovered that our kitchen floor is the best and coolest place to be on days like this, so that's where we were.

She spotted the fruit bowl and asked for an apple, we didn't have any, but the Ya pears look pretty appley so I guessed she meant one of those. I cut it in half and sat down with her to eat it. After a couple of minutes of munching in silence, she looked over at me and said yum, I agreed, hmmm tasty. She copied me 'yes tasty' she said, and then started giggling as some juice ran down her chin. With her little hand resting on my leg she grinned and babbled away incoherently for a minute or two, finishing up with an hmmm? so I said yes, they are the best pears in the world. She nodded her agreement.

I asked her what she'd like to do next and she said ' go to beach' and got up to go and get her sandals. I suggested we finish our pears first, she said OK and sat back down, hand back in my lap, smile.

OK, so now I've written it down it all sounds pretty mundane and so-so, but that night I sat down and thought, wow, this afternoon I had a conversation with my daughter, all be it a very simple one, but still a proper conversation. I felt both elated and heartbroken, she's not my baby anymore. Before I know it she'll be all grown up, which is really exciting, but there's a tiny bit of me that wants to hang on to her 'babyhood' for as long as possible and tell her to slow down so we can really enjoy this amazing stage of development that she's in right now.

I was also reminded of my good friend (at work, all those eons ago), coming off the phone one day with a big goofy grin on her face and tears in her eyes. She told me she'd just had a conversation with her son - who was then about Molly's age now - he'd been playing rugby with Daddy in the garden, and it suddenly hit her (as it did me) that he was growing up so fast. So, I know I'm not unique in feeling like this - which is reassuring, otherwise I'd think I was being a total freak!

My beautiful baby is fast becoming my beautiful little girl. As you can from the pic, cute hat eh?

Where's the time gone...

2007-01-22T19:21:00.000+13:00

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

2007-01-11T13:11:00.000+13:00

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?

2007-01-11T12:58:00.000+13:00

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!

2007-01-02T12:19:00.000+13:00

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!

2007-01-02T12:07:00.000+13:00

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!

Where the hell is summer?

2006-12-24T05:34:00.000+13:00

Thursday, Molly and I drove out to Rakaia for a playdate (great fun thanks Gret, must get one of those tube things for Moo to run riot through here!).

Anyway, on the way, we drive towards the Southern Alps, it's beautiful. But 21 days into 'official NZ summertime' there was new snow on top of them, LOTS of new snow. Plus an awful lot of wind, rain, hail and general yuckiness. Add this to the weather that whipped through the bay last night - I honestly thought our roof was coming off a couple of times.

I'm beginning to think (she says, with a serious face and tongue firmly stuck in cheek) that there may indeed be something to this global warming business, what do you think?!?

Good job we didn't come to New Zealand for the weather eh? feeling quite at home right now. The fairy lights are twinkling in the gloomy afternoon drizzle, the fire is lit (no kidding, it's that cold), the wind is howling and hubby is on his way home for the holidays. All is right in our little world.

All those good intentions...

2006-12-20T12:41:00.000+13:00

So, what happened to keeping you all better and more regularly informed about Miss Molly's life in general? who the hell knows. But I think this picture begins to tell you the story of our lives for the last couple of weeks...

This is Molly after her first christmas party of the season, luckily it was at our house, otherwise she'd be flaked out on someone else's sofa and not ours. She had the best time, but it's all a bit much for her to be honest. She's still recovering from the nastiest little tummy bug she's ever had. Swiftly followed by a good chesty cough. Plus her first two molars are finally making an appearance, and then to add insult to injury this weekend she was soooo constipated we had to take her to the 24 hour clinic for some help. Poor little poppet.

However, even with all these things (sent to try us... but when do we get the rewards? oh right, well that's quite a wait isn't it? anything sooner? no... I'm tired can you tell?), she's such a good girl. I think we got lucky in the temperament department, even if we didn't on the sleep or inactivity areas!!

So, it's almost the BIG DAY. And I think it's fairly safe to say I have gone into complete Christmas overdrive. The tree has been up for a week or so (unheard of for me! DG will be proud) and I even found out a cheesy old Christmas music CD to listen too whilst wrapping pressies and writing cards. You're right, it can't possibly last!

I tried to get a photo of Molly with Santa, but unsurprisingly she was having none of it. Lovely old Santa said, 'Hello Molly, here's your gift', which she took politely and smiled nicely at him (no 'ta' but I didn't want to push it). Then he asked her 'would you like to sit on my lap and have your photo taken', she managed another polite smile before disappearing behind my skirt and saying no, no, no, no, NO! Just in case we were in any doubt as to her intentions she limpeted herself onto my leg (arms and legs tightly clasped) and would not let go. Oh well, what was I expecting eh? She may be a total show-off at home, performing for the camera as often as possible, but when faced with a jolly fat man in a bright red suit and big white beard... it was never gonna work was it? So, I stumbled away with my daughter still firmly clamped to my leg - it's amazing how quickly you get used to walking like this, I have thighs of steel - yeah right!

The PlayCentre christmas party was more of the same really, although she was really more interested in playing in the sandpit as per normal then joining in the singing and dancing. But she's certainly getting the hang of over-indulgence (well, tis the season), she has a highly developed nose for all things bad for you and there's no hiding them from her once she's sniffed them out - I can't imagine who she got this skill from? ha ha!

So, the tree remains standing, most of the gifts are still in one piece, and we have just under a week to go. I'm missing a lot of my dear friends and family, as I always do at this time of year - but Skype is a wonderful thing and is keeping us all a lot closer then we were before. I'm seriously going to try to be better at keeping regular blog entries, and keeping in touch with all those who we miss a lot and see a little. Just in case I don't get back on before Christmas, have a good one everyone! Know we are thinking about you all and wishing you all the best for Christmas and the New Year. Happy Holidays!

My turn!

2006-12-05T20:24:00.000+13:00

Just a quick entry so you don't think I've run off and deserted you all... sorry, you're still stuck with me!

Yeah, so this is the first time I've ventured towards the PC for a wee while, due to the fact that we've had a bit of a sickfest in our house just recently. Molly's been sick off and on for a couple of weeks, as has hubby (well, a couple of weeks back, but he's back up to speed now, just!), and I guess it was inevitable that it would catch up with me eventually, but crikey what a rude awakening!

I hadn't realised quite how run down I was. The doctor wouldn't let me leave the surgery to drive home without stopping for a supervised cup of tea and two glasses of water - I was just a little (read, massively) dehydrated you see. Which kind of explains the queasiness, blurred vision and wobbliness on standing - phew, thought I was pregnant again!!

After 48 hours in bed this weekend - something which I've been fantasising about since Moo was born, (unfortunately it sucked! I wasn't supposed to be sick, just lazy) I'm feeling much, much better. Water bottle at the ready, we can now attack the festive season with double gusto since we're way behind on packing, parcelling and sending, etc.

So, I promise not to be so slack in future. But really all Molly and I have wanted to do for over a week now is cuddle up and watch the Disney channel (Playhouse rocks!). Occassionally she'd have a little dance to the Wiggles (grrrrrrr), or a bit of a giggle to Mickey Mouse, but mostly just cuddles are good.

I knew she was feeling better when she walked over and turned the TV off and bought her Percy the Pig story book to me for the first time in days. OK time to get my a*#e back in gear.

Lesson number 409, just because bubs is sick doesn't mean you forgo meals and drinks to look after her - even if she is attached like a limpet shell 24/7. You can't be a good mummy if you're feeling like crap (direct quote from mr lovely doctor man).