Three more sleeps!

Grace was 11 months old last week. She met Santa for the first time at our office party for the kids. She heard a balloon pop for the first time - and burst into tears! We had her daycare Christmas party as well, with the older kids doing a few songs - very cute!

She had her first "bleeding" injury - down the slide at daycare face first and her wee bottom teeth cut her top lip. She looked like Angelina Jolie with a trout pout! Daycare keep a portfolio of photos and stories and artwork and we got our first look at it this week - amazing to see how much she has changed. You don't realise it until you see photos!

Mum was down for a week and Rupert was away in Aussie for a few days, so I partied hard at our work Christmas party! It was so much fun - Disney theme (I went as a pirate wench in search of Capt Jack Sparrow. No luck). Just a really good night - though I regretted the last wine or three when I was woken up after just four hours sleep :-) While Mum was here my sister also visited - she hadn't seen Grace since that first week at home, so I think she might have seen a change! And Rupert's cousin also visited, so it's been a social time!

Mum bought Grace an early Xmas present - a wee trolley with blocks. Grace happily walks across the room and back again holding on to it. She loves to walk holding our hands, and is just starting to take those first steps away from support. Apart from some grizzles with what we think is the first of her molars to come through, she is delightful - happy and interactive, but still enjoys playing independently. She's eating well, sleeping well, and generally being a lovely little girl. Her sense of humour is definately developing and her favourite activity is counting down with the microwave (including the beep at the end!) and hiding things under various pillows and cushions.

So...not long till Grace's first Christmas, and looking at the Christmas tree she is certainly going to be one spoiled little girl! I'm excited for her sake - I know she won't remember much of this year's celebrations, but it will be so fun to take lots of photos that she can look back at and see how much she is loved. Her grandparents in the South Island have sent up home made gifts - the most adorable doll, and a very cool ride on scooter. I can't wait to post some photos of those after Christmas.

This time last year I was pregnant and hot! And tired too! Amazing what can happen in just one year, and in a few more weeks she will turn 1!

Miss Jetsetter!

Our trip to Perth for Grace's aunty's wedding was just great. I was really worried before we went, wondering how she would react to the long flight, the heat, the disruption of her routine. I packed an entire suitcase to take on the plane and hardly used any of it. It was a day flight on the way over - she was so interested in everything and everybody that she only managed a 90 minute sleep on the plane. Excluding that she was awake for over 11 hours!

We went to dinner one night with the bride and groom to be - and that was the only time we had an issue, when Grace woke up from a nap, was cuddled by Aunty Cat, and promptly threw up all over her! It was lovely seeing family - her grandparents were there, as well as her Uncle Simon and cousin Melissa - the first cousin she has ever met! We took her to the market a couple of times, for a swim in the pool (which was quite cold sadly, so we didn't repeat the exercise), and out to a national park to see koalas (asleep high in trees) and kangaroos (none to be seen but lots of kangaroo poo around!) It was so good spending time with Cat as well - she is such a lovely sister in law, and it was nice for to have some Grace time.

Travelling with a youngster is both easy and hard. The hard part for me was at times being a bit apartment bound - there were times when it was just too hot to take her out, and with a 15 minute walk to town it wasn't a quick round trip. I did a fair bit of reading, had a couple of hours in the sun by the pool, a couple of naps, and tried not to check my work email too much!

The wedding was lovely. Cat looked absolutely gorgeous and the church was old and beautiful - if rather hot. The groom looked pretty good too - I'd post a photo of them but Cat will have to give me permission. You'll have to make do with this one of Daddy and daughter before the service started. Grace behaved beautifully right up to the point when her Daddy went up to do his reading, and she started squawking dadada hehe. I think she wanted to go up with him! We had a babysitter in the evening so we could enjoy the reception, and then a quiet day before we flew home the next evening. This was a night flight, getting into Auckland at 5.30am, so Grace settled well and snoozed most of the way.

And now we're back. And it's December. And we have so much going on - work is still a little insane for me, Rupes has a couple of trips away, I have my office Xmas party (theme Disney!), and of course we have Christmas coming up. Grace's first Christmas. How special is that?

Apart from the first night home when she wouldn't settle till 11pm due to the time difference, she has just been a treasure this week. Her latest fun thing is smacking her lips and giggling when you do it back to her. The sense of humour (and ticklish spots) are really developing. She is 90% sunny and the odd grizzles are only when she is tired, or hungry. Kind of like her Mum. And...bless her, she slept solidly last night with a squawk at 9pm, right through to 7am when I woke her for breakfast.

Motherhood. It's a continual learning curve and juggling act - but one that I am enjoying so very much.