Happy Birthday Baby

It's completely insane, I know, but my daughter turned one on Sunday. I just about nearly fell out of the bed when Ben reminded me*. Could not wrap my head around it. Why only yesterday I was huffing and puffing and carrying on about 'the pain, the pain' and before I know it, Miss Annie decides to turn the big 1 and start crawling. It's too much, too much I tells ya!!

But oh how sweet and funny and soft you are. How truly edible your little nose is. How warm your eyes and puffy your fingers. How delightful is your smile, your laugh and your hug. I fear I am addicted my little one. To the very thought of you. The very sight of you. You, just you.



As I mentioned Miss Annie has taken this time to learn how to crawl. Finally. I had started looking on ebay for a cart as I was sure her chances were over. She now gets up on all fours and kinda rocks about a bit before taking a few shuffles towards the DVD player. I don't know why I don't just wrap up the remote and give her that for her birthday - she is INSANE about buttons. Who can blame her, they make stuff happen, especially when you push Dad's.

We had a little birthday soiree at our temp house in Brighton. It was just family (who are pretty much rent-a-crowd, there's that many of them) and we had a little BBQ and ate way too much sugar. Annie thought it was all so fantastic. People singing to her. Gift after gift after gift. And of course....cream! This baby party stuff is new to me. I am used to throwing a slab in an esky of ice, a pack of sausages on the BBQ and sawdust on the toilet floor and calling it a party. I was all 'how do I make this a kiddy thing???'

After much deliberation I decided 'Frog-in-a-pond' would suffice. I whipped them up the night before and I think I may have put frogs in ponds just a little early. When Ben saw them the next day he said 'babe, they look like drowned frog in ponds'. He had a point.

Oh, and not to forget my other girl. Miss Maggie. She turned three about a month ago now. We had 'bone-in-a-dirtpile' and played take the tail off the pussy cat. Maggie was easy to buy for. She just wanted another tennis ball.



* As if Ben had to remind me it was her birthday. I've been more excited than both of them put together.

Coming along.

The house renovations are really coming along. I was a little worried about 2 weeks ago, sure that Ben would not have the bent walls ready for insulation let alone plaster. How wrong I was. It pleases me immensely to say that we have a plasterer at our place today busily putting walls where walls should be. This makes me glow inside. I feel just a tad closer to moving into the house we bought nearly two months. Here are a few photos for those with any interest in free roof insulation, built in robes or the delightful sight of plasterboard.



Beautiful pink roof insulation. And free. All free I tells ya! Click here for more details.



Miss Annie, sitting in her bedroom.



Our hallway, complete with cruddy old door.



The wardrobe that Ben built. *proud*

The other thing that's really coming along is Miss Annie Jane. We have been a bit worried because it doesnt look like she wants to crawl. Like....ever. So, to entice her to get that booty moving I tried lying her and sitting her in front of a mirror. Ya see, she likes looking at herself in the mirror. I think she thinks that it's another baby.









As you can probably tell, I could photograph this little munchkin all day long.

Your First Christmas

Dearest Miss Annie,
Only a few days ago you had your very first Christmas. It's true to say that Mumma was more excited than you and Dada put together. I have really started to enjoy the festive season. You have brought back the excited child in me.

This Christmas was spent at Nana Jane and Poppy's house. We are still working tirelessly on our own home, trying so very hard to get it finished and move your cot in so that you feel some sense of normality, homeliness, security. It hasn't phased you though, all the moving around. You love getting up in the morning to a line of smiling faces as they come out from their bedrooms. Dada, Nana, Poppy, Maggie, Archie and me. It's a never ending playfest with you as the headlining act. I've never seen your toes move with so much excitement.

On Christmas Eve the entire family came to Brighton. Aunty Briggie, Uncle George, Great Aunt Mary....boy oh boy, you were so overwhelmed and so over tired I thought you would never go to sleep. But eventually you did. In our room, tucked into the portacot that Nana Jane had bought. Sweet, sweet Christmas dreams floating through you crystal mind. How soft and still you look when you sleep. How tempting it is to lean in and kiss your forehead. Your face is relaxed and complexion flushed. Your hands are lightly closed and your lips only slightly parted. It's a baby that just begs to be kissed!

On Christmas morning you woke Dada and I at 5:15am. Ugh! That hurt. Especially after two helpings of dinner and waaaaaay to much wine. But your little smile made up for it. Once you had your bottle (because nothing gets done in the morning until milk warms your belly) we sat you up in the living room and watched you pull things from your stocking. You were so surprised at all the books. Truly delighted. It was wonderful to watch. It wasn't long before you cottoned on to the fact that glossy paper means new toys. You surrounded yourself with new books and new stacking toys and the toes just moved and moved.







In the afternoon we travelled over for dinner at Aunty Ingrid's house. All Mummas family were there. Nana, Poppa, Aunty Deb, Liz and Uncle Keith. You love hanging out with your cousins. Especially Harrison. He is very protective over you. Always ensuring that you are safe and happy. By the end of the day, you, Dada and Mumma were pretty knackered so we all ventured back to Nana Elliott's house and settled in for the night. I watched you sleep again. My little girl. One month away from turning one year old.






By the steadiness of your breath and the smile on your sleeping face I concluded you had enjoyed your very first Christmas. It's probably not one that you will remember in the years to come, but it is one that me, your Mumma, shall never forget. Merry Christmas Miss A and a Happy New Year.

Love Mumma
xx

Living it up on a Saturday night.

Gawd. Can't remember the last time I was out in a club on a Saturday night. Where did she go? That girl. The one who took an hour to get ready, always used a hairdryer, matched outfits over a glass of vino while arranging meeting dets on the phone. She was classic, that chick. Always up for a big night out. Loved to drink wine in short dresses with friends. Loved chatting up boys and trying to outsmart them with her mind. Some how managed to take taxi rides without spewing and moaned all day Sunday as the waves of regret washed over her.

She ain't around anymore. Well, let's just say she doesnt get out much these days. Instead, she spends a lot of time at home. With bubs and hubs wondering what to overlock next. Here' s a little look at what the 'Wild child' got accomplished last night.

*Cute striped bags for Bens female clients*



Each one will contain this luscious Bio-organic hand cream. Me. Want. One.



*Shirred dress for my wee neice. Cutey-ba-booty Caila.*







Am very happy to have finished these projects. They have been on my list for way to long. Ben has been working all weekend on the house and office stuff and as such, I had the chance to fit these in. We didn't hit the hay last night til about 12ish. Once Ben had finished his work and I had ticked these off my list. *sigh* It's feels good to get them done. Now...bring on Christmas.

No fixed address.

Well, a few months ago now we bought our first home. *sigh* It was with much delight and excitement that we picked up our keys and downed a little champagne in celebration. But, since that great day the sheer fear of renovating as loomed towards us like a quickly blackening cloud. Buying a house that's a hundred years old may just be the craziest thing we have ever done. Officially.

After tearing up floors and ripping off plasterboard, we noticed that all the walls were bowed. In carpenters terms that means the walls are wonky and need to be straightened before the plasterer can come and do his thang. This is no mean feat. It has taken us just a couple of weeks to wrangle a few straight walls here and there while we juggle babies and work committments and family and friends. I think the party has started but no one is having fun yet.

We also discovered that our floors are rotting. Not good. Ben checked a few of the beautiful baltic boards and noticed a little bora. And no, I'm not talking a shiny new VW under the boards. Some will need to be replaced and others relocated (bedrooms will be carpet so all 'good, slightly less bora' boards will be salvaged for hallway and living room).

Add to this the fact that our roof needs straightening (thank you 19th century knob -end who thought a lean-to would be the 'next big thing') our windows need replacing, and we have no wardrobes, and you have yourself quiet the project to finish before Jan 4th. Yep. Our plasterer arrives early new year to start giving us walls and sanity.

Thankfully we are staying with Bens parents at the moment who have been nothing short of terrific. Ben is working out of home at the moment which means we also get to spend a little fam time together first thing in the morning. Here is just a little look at our early morning 'exercise Maggie, drink coffee, entertain baby' walks.







When Ben is busy inside, Annie and I occupy ourselves in the new garden. I did lots of weeding and placing plants so they looked pretty, and Annie just tried to look adorable. I think we both succeeded.

Happy Birthday love of mine.

On Tuesday just gone, my lovely husband Ben turned 38. He seems to think that's pretty old, always wishing he was not a dashing 22 years again, but just a tidy 37.

'If only I could be 37 again', he sighs.

I always tell him he looks fantastic for his age, but I don't think it helps. Anyway, I just want to officially wish, the man I ardently love, a happy birthday. I am so lucky to have someone as special as Ben in my life. Annie is ridiculously lucky to have such a fun and patient father. All in all, I believe that makes us one very happy family.



*only moments later Ben asked me to hold Annie. 'I can't dip my vietnamese roll' he complained.

Shirr is pretty!

On our weekend away at Sewjourn I got a quick tutorial on shirring from Ms Jo. She was making a little dress for her daughter and it got me thinking. Perhaps I could make a little shirred dress for Miss A and pop it in her Christmas stocking.




She will never know that Santa aint much of a Janome lass. I picked out a few cheap fabrics just to try this out and am pretty happy with the results. Both of these little numbers will be going in the Xmas stocking for the big reveal on Christmas morning.



Is it just me, or did Christmas get...like...a thousand times better since having kids! Although we wont be in our new house come Christmas I am endavouring to make it as special as possible After all, it is Annie's first Christmas and I want it to be one that we all remember fondly. Hopefully a little quilted stocking and some handmade dresses will make everything seem just a little more grounded and real.