Christmas 2011

Our Christmas was full on and over-the-top, as usual, and the kids had a ball, as usual.

Every year I oscillate between acceptance and panic as the scale of our Christmas(es) with our many large, boisterous & excessively generous families dawns on me.

Every year, at some point, I try to hatch plans for what we could do less of; how we could reduce the avalanche of gifts; how it could be contained, somehow. And every year, at some point, I watch the sheer joy that it brings the kids and I surrender.

I have yet to find a balance...

Melbourne - 3 month review

So it's been three months since we moved to Melbourne. That went fast!

I have to admit to having been very reluctant to move down here from Canberra. It wasn't that Melbourne didn't sound like a great city, with interesting laneways, good food, community gardens, lots of bikes, crafty people & markets, etc.

It was just that Canberra was working for me. We have a great group of friends - many with kids. My mothers group is awesome. Lil loved her school and has some truly excellent friends. We have heaps of family in Canberra and they gave us a lot of help and support - as well as being good company... I really didn't want to leave all that to move to a place where we knew no one (especially for Paul to start a job that involved a ton of international travel).

And yet... It has actually gone pretty well.

We've landed in a great spot. I really like our neighbourhood and I think we may live in one of the friendliest streets around.

Our immediate neighbours are lovely. The people next door have a 3yo boy, which thrills Lily, and they are super friendly (we just got home from a Xmas party at their house actually).

Next door to them are a couple who just moved to Melbourne, to spend more time with their granddaughters. They look after their two grandchildren (2yo and 4yo) twice a week and we now have a regular Monday playdate, which Lil looks forward to all week. Last Monday her and the 4yo played for five hours straight with no arguments. They were in and out of our houses and backyards. At one point we had them out on the footpath with bikes, scooters and toys. We were shortly joined by the woman who lives a few doors down and her two young kids and then by the next door neighbour and her 3yo. A spontaneous street playgroup! It was lovely.

The rest of the street is also friendly. Lots of people sit on their front porch and say 'hi' when you pass. Like K who lives a few doors down who invited Paul & Lil in for cookies and her life story, and told us to help ourselves to her lemon tree. She's lived here for 50 years, having moved into the house on arrival from Italy. Or V down the road who has lived here for 40 years (also from Italy). She often stops Charlie and I for a chat when we go out for our evening stroll.

The street has a Christmas party every year. They close off part of the street and people drag out tables, chairs, bbqs, music equipment, food, etc. they even hung a 'chandelier' this year. We went along with a gingerbread house to share (& dinner, dips & sparkling wine). Everyone was friendly. One person took Lil & I into their backyard to pick raspberries and told us to help ourselves anytime. Another proudly showed me his clumping bamboo. Lily made friends with some 'big girls' who played with her very caringly. It was a great night.

Beyond our street I've joined a new mothers group and it's truly fabulous. Everyone is so supportive and friendly, and, as a bonus, they all practice AP, which is pretty cool for me.

Plus Lil starts a new school next year and after four weeks of orientation I'm happy to report that I think it's a winner. One of the women from my new mothers group has kids at the school, including a daughter who will be starting with Lil. Last week we sat up the back of the info session and talked like naughty school kids. Old habits die hard.

Finally, well, Melbourne is actually a cool city. We have a cute cafe around the corner from our house that does great coffee and food. And this is normal! The food is good. The little shops are fun. The laneways downtown are cute... Plus there is cool stuff for the kids like the Collingwood Childrens Farm, the Zoo, kid space at the NGV, ArtPlay, etc...

So yeah. It's going better than I expected. Not that I don't miss everyone in Canberra...

Letter to Charlie - 14 months

Dear Charlie

Last week you turned 14 months old. It feels as though you have really turned a corner and are now a fully-fledged toddler. You walk, you run, you climb, you explore and you communicate - though not so much with fully-formed words as yet.

As usual with these huge developmental leaps, it has been so fascinating to see more of your personality emerge as you have learned all these new skills over the last two months. You have a very keen (cheeky) sense of humour and it is a lot of fun to see you use it to make yourself and others laugh. You still have a fantastic laugh!

You are really into music and rhythm. Lily has been keen on Mary Poppins lately and you started copying her 'tap dancing' to Step In Time. Now it is your thing. When you hear some groovy music, or even hear someone say 'Step In Time' you tend to launch into a full tap dancing routine. You do it with such intense concentration and your little legs move incredibly fast. It is almost unbearably cute.

You also love to hear us sing and have recently discovered which books contain songs and, when presented to an adult, will lead to singing. Last night you snuggled up on my lap and insisted that I read/sing a song book of about 20 songs to you four time in a row. I was only able to stop when you starting dropping off against my shoulder. You were captivated.

Papa had to go to Africa for work recently and your grandparents came down to stay with us for a while. When Grandma Meg was here and Lil was at preschool we walked around the corner with you to our local cafe. I let you walk the whole way since you clearly didn't want to be carried and it seemed to open up a world of possibility in your mind. Since then you have been on ready alert for the front gate to open. When it does you try to shoot out so that you can go for a stroll in the neighbourhood. I often let you and just follow along behind you. You like to stop and the pick flowers the grow out from under the fences and generally give the street a fairly close inspection. I can see why you are keen on it.

Another passion of yours is watering the plants (and the pavers, the trampoline, yourself...). As soon as we get outside (which you beg to do as soon as you get up) you trot over and grab a watering can. If it has rained the night before you then use it to collect water from the cover of your sandpit. Otherwise you bring it to me (or Papa), saying "More?" until we fill it up for you from the tap. You generally start out by watering the veggies, but within minutes you also manage to water yourself thoroughly. It has certainly increased the laundry pile, but you enjoy it so much that I can't bring myself to refuse.

As always Charlie, it's been a pleasure hanging out with you. Your sunny, calm disposition brings a lovely balance to our household and it is so fun to watch you explore and learn so many new things every day.

love,
mama
xo

Graduation

Lil's preschool did a graduation concert yesterday. They dressed the kids up in caps and gowns, which was hilarious, if a little odd. Lil thought it was excellent.

Lil has also been doing a few practice sessions at her school in preparation for next year. While she's in her classroom I've been up in the library with the other parents hearing about what they'll do next year.

It's really making it hit home that we're about to have a school-age child. How on earth did that happen?

Creamy cashew dressing

I'm currently obsessed with this dressing. It's truly delicious and very easy to make.

1/2 cup of cashews (preferably soaked first, but it's ok if they're not)
The juice of one lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt to taste

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Adjust water for desired consistency.

The better your blender, the smoother it will be, but cashews are fortunately pretty soft (especially when soaked).

Use on salads or sandwiches.

Yum.

Christmas is coming

Lil has overcome her fear of Santa and is now all about him. She wrote him a letter and posted it in a special post box downtown. In it she asked for some new textas, a pen to write on boxes with, and a bucket and spade for Charlie. Joke's on me for buying her a camera!

Paul went to Africa for work and my parents came down to help us out (one at a time). While Dad was down he took Lil into Myer to meet Santa. She got to ride on 'Santa's train' after lining up for fifty million years. Apparently it was worth it.

On Saturday our new street held its annual Christmas party. They closed the street and people brought out tables, chairs and bbqs. There were also bands playing and children zooming around on bikes and scooters. We made a gingerbread house for the occasion. Lil was in heaven. Our neighbours are truly lovely.

On Sunday we went downtown again to 'Christmas Square' and Lil met Santa again. We got our photo taken (for free hurray) and he gave Lil some stickers and a DVD. She wanted to go back and see him again immediately.

I feel totally unprepared for Christmas this year. I'm hoping my brain will start to get on top of it fairly soon...

School

Lil had her first practice morning of school today. They made Barley Cake.

She loved it and adores her new teacher. I'm so relieved and happy for her.

Last week

We went to the Zoo. The orangutangs were singing very loudly.

Charlie watered many plants.

Lil did some painting.

Charlie discovered that he quite likes raw fudge.

Flower girl

My cousin asked Lily to be a flower girl in her wedding the other week. It was a lovely day.

Letter to Charlie - 12 months

Dear Charlie

You are almost 13 months old now. It has taken me so long to write your letter.

The last few months have been a bit of a blur, Charlie. We packed up our house in Canberra, stayed with your grandmas and then moved down to Melbourne. As if all that wasn't enough, right when we were about to settle in to our new place and host a little birthday party for you, I scooped you up and flew back to Canberra to spend some time with your great-grandfather before he died. And so, quite unexpectedly, you spent your first birthday with family after-all (but no party).

Your Uncle Jono also travelled to Canberra to see Papa Phil, and Aunty Nattie and your big cousin Amira came with him. You and Amira had a fantastic time playing together. Watching someone almost your age (well, exactly twice your age, as it happens) walking around seemed to inspire you and so you took your first steps the day after your birthday. Your grandpa and your great-grandparents got to watch too, which was nice.

You continue to be a sunny, happy little person Charlie. You love to laugh and to make other people laugh with you. You love to eat and have become very adept at feeding yourself up in your high chair. You now rarely tip your food everywhere until you have become bored with it. You also love to drink water, which I think is fabulous. You love music and will often sing along to tunes that take your fancy. You love your big sister, although you do think that hitting her is a good way of starting play and she isn't so sure about that.

You are obsessed with being outdoors. You beg to go outside immediately upon waking. You are most fond of digging in your sandpit, but enjoying being pushed on the swing or crawling about on the trampoline with Lil (or digging up the veggie patch, eating dirt, filling the watering can full of gravel, trying to ride the little bike, pushing the cart around, banging things on your tool bench...).

You are also quite obsessed with birds, especially crows, and would watch them all day if given the opportunity. When we stayed with your grandmas they had a crow that had become a little focused on pecking their bedroom window. For them this was annoying, but for you it was fantastic. You begged constantly to be taken to the window to watch for this crow, saying "Aaah Aaah" and pointing furiously towards that end of the house. Your grandmas were most obliging and took you on many birds hunts, both indoors and out. Now when you see them you also expect to see birds. "Aaah Aaah?" you will say and virtually leap into their arms. My Mum has started calling herself "Bird girl" as a result.

Although you took your first steps a few weeks ago it wasn't until the other night that you worked out how to actually walk. Something clicked in your head and you figured out how to stand up unassisted, to walk, to stop, to turn around and then to keep walking again. The look on your little face was priceless. You were so pleased, so proud. I love those moments.

You haven't been quite so focused on language and don't really have many more words than you did at 10 months. Although you are remarkably good at communicating your needs with your current handful of sounds. "Meh" means variously milk, water, food, or more of what ever you were just doing and enjoying. "Ba" means outside or going into another room. And then you have Mama, Papa/Dada, Lily, and an random array of animal noises, including "Aaah Aaah" for birds. You have also said Grandpa and Grandma before, but only a few times.

We won't discuss sleep, except to say that I hope you become a little better at it soon.

I love you so much Charlie. Thank you for bringing so much sunshine into our lives.

love
mama
xox

Saying goodbye

I came back to Canberra this week because my grandfather is dying.

I guess you could say that he has been dying since they discovered the cancer and he decided against treatment - preferring to stay home rather than enduring the indignity and discomfort of anymore time in hospitals. But until this week it hasn't felt that way.

He's been sick, but he's also been writing two books (two more books to add to his sizeable collection). He's been sick, but we've had robust discussions about education, politics, sustainability and child development. He's attended family celebrations and been able to watch my kids grow. He's been keeping up with the football, attending church, and going to the farmers markets, the Art gallery and cafes.

But now he's in bed. He's still sharp as ever. He can still see my kids and tell us why he started following Essenden all those years ago (his eldest was delivered by a Nurse Coleman whose brother played for them). But he's tired and he's sleeping more and more.

For some reason I thought that by this point I would be ready to say goodbye. But I'm not.

Letter to Charlie - 10 months

Dear Charlie

Yesterday you turned 10 months old.

You are changing from a baby into a little boy before our eyes at the moment and it is quite amazing to watch. You're not walking yet, but you are extremely proficient at cruising around the walls and furniture, crawling and climbing up on to everything. I will be very pleased when you decide to get down backwards though, as charging forward is still your preferred approach.

In the last two months you have learned a few new words - like Lily, Grandpa, quack, nigh nigh, bye bye, bath, more and no - and you have figured out how to clap. You are particularly (and justifiably) impressed with your capacity to clap and have a tendency to crawl into the centre of a a crowded room, sit up, look around and clap (clearly waiting for applause). It kills me with cuteness.

You have also taken to food in a big way over the last two months and mostly eat what we are eating now. In fact, you get rather offended if we offer you something different and will even spit it back in our faces if you are sufficiently annoyed. You are also an excellent drinker and just love your water, which can only be a good thing.

Sadly, for me, you are not such a great sleeper. At least not during the night. Your nose is always a bit snuffly and this tends to wake you up. Rather than getting upset about having trouble breathing or feeding you seem to decide that since you're awake you may as well have a bit of a play... and, to be honest, I really quite disagree with your timing. Another issue is that you seem to want a bit more of your own sleeping space than your sister ever did. She was only settled when tightly wrapped up in someone's arms, while you seem to like spreading yourself out - often diagonally across the upper-middle part of the bed. This makes sharing a bed with you quite interesting at times...

I am, however, happy to report that after a short bout of grumpiness while you were cutting two new teeth, you have returned to your extremely sunny disposition. You spend most of the day smiling and love to have a good laugh. In fact, you are becoming quite the little clown in your attempts to make us laugh with you. You play peek-a-boo by putting blankets over your head or popping up from behind doors or furniture, and you will repeat almost any action that gets a laugh out of Lily.

We just got back from a holiday in Queensland and you had a great time. You loved the spa at the hotel we stayed in. One afternoon we went down to the pool and I had decided not to pack your swimmers and to take you out on the grass for a play instead. Well, we got to the gate and you started kicking your legs and shouting "bath, bath, bath!" and I realised that I'd have to rush back upstairs as you can be quite a stubborn little person at times.

You also loved the beach, it was like a giant sandpit for you to play in. Unfortunately you also enjoyed diving face first into the sand with your mouth open ready to scoop up as much sand as you could manage... The resulting gritty taste was apparently not much of a deterrent either.

Next month we are going to be moving to Melbourne, which will be quite an adventure. It is strange to think that you won't really remember your time growing up in Canberra. I think you'll enjoy Melbourne though. Hopefully we'll figure out how to go car-free and we can walk, cycle and catch trams everywhere. I think you'll like that.

love
mama
xox