i am an airplane

This face has been a pretty common one for the last week. A terrible cold made its way into our home and poor Baby C got it. Last Saturday morning I was, for the first time, walking around the dark house at 1am trying to settle a very agitated and sick little bunny. You feel so helpless as a parent when your little one is sick. It broke my heart to see him all snotty and miserable - he didn't let me go for about five days. Oh the drama of it all! Even a green, flashing, musical Fisher Price turtle couldn't fix the sadness. But one thing he did learn in his recovery days was how to do a wonderful impression of a plane...


Good Boy! we say and he continues to do it. Just like he has started to clap hands when Mama sings: "Clap hands for Cheby" - the hands and legs start kicking and a high-pitch squeal erupts.
So although most of the week has been spent cuddling and kissing our precious one we have also made time for some reading, some singing and some giggles too. There was always at least 10 smiles a day which made me feel better because I knew that happiness was still there, regardless of the blocked nose and tickly cough.



The curiosity is still there too, as is the gorgeous pout. We are loving "Where is the Green Sheep" by Mem Fox. It is a fabulous tale of sheep, opposites, colour and rhyme. Che loves to read books...


and loves to eat them too.

mornings

I know that we're really lucky to spend autumn mornings playing at the beach - lots of sky, ocean and sand. Baby C has just begun to notice the seagulls and giggles at the sight of them. Look at his chubby cheeks in this photo - and the blonde fuzz sprouting on his head. After a play on the sand he sat in his pram and watched Ziah and Coen race down the ramp...he stared longingly at them, wondering when it would be his turn to race the big boys. Soon precious one.

The sun warmed us up today and now C is lying in his cot talking to his friends. He should be sleeping but I think imagining is almost as beneficial.

home makes me happy

I think it's wonderful that our kitchen has a hot pink pin board on the wall. Daniel created this beautiful collage last week...including pictures of me 12, 34, 40 weeks pregnant, Che's first bath, first car ride, our favourite engagement card, photos of us as kids, family, cute gift tags, a postcard from Paris etc.

Che had a beautifully long sleep this morning which meant I got time to sit in the swinging chair and daydream. This was the view - bliss...


It lasted 10 minutes before I remembered about the dishes, sweeping, lunch to cook, toys to pick up...all the jobs of a stay at home mum. Looking at this photo makes me realise just how lucky we are to live in this house - where the outside is always inside.

musing

One of the most amazing things that Che has taught me is that it is perfectly OK to daydream. To spend at least ten minutes dreaming while twidling your thumbs. I am a daydreamer, a muser...often caught out because I'm not listening when someone is speaking to me. When I was pregnant I would spend hours in our swinging chair, just thinking, while staring at the trees in the backyard. Che has started to watch his fingers make patterns and shapes, linking one finger with the next, sneaking peeks at the sky. He is fascinated...I am fascinated. It was only last week that I decided to crochet him a blanket - I was thinking of reds and blues. Only a few days later there was a garage sale down the road and I found this lovely bundle of goodies, including this well-loved blanket, perfect for keeping our feet warm. The blue cons are a present from Riley to Che. Daniel and I are thrilled that a mini pair of Converse high-tops have made their way into our home.

letterbox

1. 

I love it when you go to the letterbox and find lovely things inside.

Today I received my first postcard from Kiri - sent from a small coastal town in Portugal. She is loving each day of her travels and when writing the card was about to head off on a road trip before settling down for one month where she will work, live and play on an organic fruit & vegie farm in Spain. Sigh.

Finding the postcard made my day and reminded me how unusual it is to find a handwritten note in the mail. I am inspired to send more letters (the old fashioned way). It's sad that I had to use the term "old-fashioned" when describing a letter - oh dear! I feel an urge to buy lots of yummy stationary, pens and pencils. I found an old shoebox at mum and dad's house last week and it was full of my diaries and letters from high-school. There were also some old notebooks that I hadn't used because I loved the print on the paper so much. I never had many dolls as a girl but I always loved stationary. A box of derwent pencils and some fresh paper would always make my day.

The letterbox also gave me a new book that I purchased from ebay last week. A 1974 edition of Prenatal Yoga and Natural Birth by Jeannine Medvin (now Jeannine Parvati Baker). I read this book during my pregnancy and loved it. It is written by a true hippy/yogini - references to conception as a cosmic union are plentiful - and the descriptions of yoga postures have expanded my knowledge. This first edition is such a treasure with beautiful drawings, photos and words. It once belonged to a woman named Nan Yamng and was purchased from Noahs Ark Bookshop, 96 Keen St, Lismore. I will share some of Jeannine's words in my prenatal yoga class tomorrow morning.

the love child & autumn days

It's funny how life can get so busy and yet if you asked me what we've been up to I'd list these things:
Banana & avocado for breakfast
Meet Mel, Ziah & Coen at the cafe or beach for a coffee/play date
Watch Che and imagine that he wishes he could run around with Ziah & Coen (one day soon)
Cook soup (pumpkin, mulligatawny, chicken & vegetable)
Teach yoga classes (16 beautiful pregnant women in my pre-natal class at the moment)
Finally get back to writing magazine articles...you can't force creativity
Long for another child (then remember the aching tiredness of pregnancy)
Daniel & I fall deeper in love with our love child
Talk about setting a date for the wedding
Then get lost on dreaming about honeymoon in New York
Watch movies on the big screen (we've just purchased a projector)
Make the lounge room baby friendly, because....

Che is on the move!
It's not a crawl but definitely a commando crawl (he pulls himself along with his arms while kicking his legs in the air). I never thought my moving baby would teach me that magazines are always more interesting and far more tasty than toys, the corners of the lounge room need a good dust, spiders make great friends and kissing glass is oh so much fun! His third tooth arrived last Friday and the fourth is getting ready to appear. I'm in love with this little creature...who calls my name when he's hungry, thinks he's misplaced me or when he just needs a cuddle (mummummummum). Oh and so cheeky too...


Last night I was lucky enough to get to my first ashtanga class at the studio in what seems like forever. Although I love to teach it is so wonderful to be a student - to stretch beyond the everyday limits. I woke up this morning and could definitely feel my body but the joy of a great practice far outweighs the slight ache of sore muscles. It's amazing how long it takes after pregnancy and birth to actually feel yourself again. To recognise yourself in the mirror. Last week while putting on my makeup I noticed that my cheekbones are back. Hooray! I fit into lots (not all) of my old clothes again and although I will never be the same person that I was 16 months ago it is nice to connect with parts of the old me.

It's a cosy time of year...the leaves are starting to fall and although the sun is still out we can get away with the occasional cardi & beanie. It's the perfect time of year for cuddles, soup, tea & biscuits, books and hot chocolates. I took this picture last week...till next time