Having fun at the beach
Another first: Elijah's first day at the beach, 12th January.We went on a bit of a road trip up to the Sunshine Coast to meet up with a friend and test out Elijah's new swimming gear!
Elijah had no idea who the Ninja Turtles were, but he was happy to be wearing a green shirt (rash vest) and togs.
He was a bit suspicious about walking on the sand, but got used to it quickly. Note Elijah's sandles sitting inside my sandles!
My friend Puss was keen to teach Elijah how to make sandcastles.
Then it was time to go in the water. I wasn't sure how Elijah would fare in the water considering he'd only just started being comfortable in the big bath. At first he was very wary and didn't like the feeling of sinking into the sand, but once he sat down in the shallow water, he had a grand time! You can't really tell from the photos, but this particular beach has a very sudden and steep drop. Just behind where Daddy is, the water is much deeper. The child in the background (wearing the hat) is standing. This will give you some indication of the nature of the beach.
If you look closely, you can see the droplets of water from Elijah splashing!
Puss and Daddy got splashed a lot! This photo shows more clearly how deep the water is. Note the bobbing heads in the background. We, of course, watched Elijah like hawks the entire time.
Then it was time to experience the beach showers! Fascinating stuff for the boy who has spent his whole life in a landlocked state.
Now that we have moved to a coastal city, I hope that Elijah will get to visit the beach a bit more often, at least to get some more wear out of his swimming gear!
The postscript to this day is that even though we took plenty of precautions for sun protection -
Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap - Elijah ended up with badly burnt arms. Because of his Ginger Ninja complexion, he's going to need long-sleeved rash vests for these occasions.
Labels: milestones, out and about, photos, travel
Laundry man!
I realised that the washing machine had been finished for a few minutes, so I went to get Elijah's sheets and towels out of the machine to hang up on the line. Imagine my surprise to see Elijah had heard the machine finish, got an empty basket, opened the machine and put all of the washing in the basket, all without being asked.
This is after he insisted the other day that he wash the dishes all by himself.
This boy truly wants to help. I think he also wants to be an adult!
Labels: helping, life skills
First restaurant experience
It was Elijah's uncle's birthday on the 6th of January and we were invited out to dinner at a restaurant. Ok, so it was Sizzler, but it was still Elijah's first time eating at a restaurant. McDonalds doesn't count.
He was very well behaved while there was food on the table but things weren't quite as interesting once the food was all eaten! Luckily it was an early night.
Labels: mealtimes, milestones, out and about
Uncle Walter
Uncle Walter is not Elijah's uncle. In fact, his name isn't even Walter, but that's what we call him. There is a long story behind the name that we aren't going to go into here, but suffice to say that there is a long shared history here. Uncle Walter is Elijah's Godfather. On the 6th of January, Uncle Walter came to visit and spend some time with us. It's the first time they had seen eachother in two years.
I think it's pretty obvious from these photos that the two of them bonded during the visit.
Labels: affection, photos
Hanging with my cousins
We took advantage of our extended stay in Queensland to give Elijah and the youngest of his cousins some more time to bond. Yes, that is a Barbie Vespa in Elijah's hands. And there's nothing wrong with that, thank you very much. This photo was taken on the 5th of January.
Labels: family, out and about, photos
New Year, New Haircut
Look what we did on New Year's Day!
Elijah's hair was giving him a rash in the heat and humidity, so off it came.
Labels: miscellaneous, photos
The family band
We took Elijah to visit his aunt, uncle and cousins (as well as his grandparents who were staying there) two days after Christmas and were treated to an impromptu musical performance.
That's Elijah's first attempt at using drum sticks. He's actually holding them with good technique, nice and loose! He's playing the younger cousin's drum practice pad while she plays the tambourine and her older sister plays her guitar. They gave us a very precise rendition of
Jingle Bells. So cute!
Labels: family, music, out and about, photos
Older
The other day, I was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. Elijah galloped out from the music room into the dining area and stood expectantly next to the table.
E: "Daddy, be older."
Me: "Sorry, what?"
E: "Daddy, be older. Want hairs on chest. Be older"
Me: "Ooh, I see. Well, you're right, you can't have hairs on your chest right now. They'll come though, when you get a bit older. Why do you want hairs on your chest?"
E: "Be older. Be like Daddy."
...and he galloped away again.
I have
no idea what that was all about.
Labels: monkey business
Christmas 2008
I wonder what Santa put in my stocking.
It's a colouring book! And now I'm dressed, I can colour in!
Now everyone else is up, it's time to open presents.
Soccer ball!
Trains!
Then it was time to go visiting for lunch.
More presents! Wonder what this one is?
A truck! Awesome!
What a great Christmas.
Labels: Christmas, family, photos
What? Scared of the big bath? Who me?
Christmas Eve. First night at Nan and Pop's house. First time in the big bath without screaming and recoiling in fear. We haven't used the baby bath since.
Labels: fears, milestones, photos
On the road
Travelling: 23rd and 24th December 2008For those who don't know, Canberra to Brisbane is about 16 hours by car. We did the drive over two days to make the journey more pleasant and safe. The trick to keeping Elijah happy in the car was lots of different activities. There were familiar friends, such as Eeyore, to cuddle, books to read, a colouring book and pencils and, for when nothing else would sate him, a portable DVD player with plenty of Wiggles DVDs attached to the back of the passenger seat. Regular stops were a must for nappy changes, food and a bit of a run around.
The first day was very tiring. We spent over 12 hours travelling, including getting lost in Newcastle and taking plenty of meal breaks.
We stayed overnight south of Coffs Harbour at the abode of Peter and G. Longtime friends of my parents, they were happy to put us up for the night, feed us and generally help us recover from the long first leg of the journey.
Elijah found some interesting things with which to play. A metal ornament became Makka Pakka's trumpet.
Elijah was quite fond of his new friends and willingly shook hands and gave high fives when it was time to leave mid-morning.
Back on the road, we drove all the way to Ballina before stopping, then continued on the final leg to Brisbane.
Crossing the border meant a time zone change so while we were travelling for over six hours, we left at 10am and arrived sometime after 3pm. Queensland doesn't have Daylight Saving Time.
Finally, we arrived at our destination: Elijah's Nan and Pop's house!
Labels: milestones, photos, relocating, travel
Farewell to the National Capital
Moving day 22nd December 2008Why is it that you are never fully prepared for a move? We had done so much pre-packing, yet it was far from enough. The truck arrived, the boxes got filled...
...and we ended up being kicked out of the house.
Things seemed to progress faster without us there.
One of the most poignant moments of the day was when Elijah suddenly asked to say goodbye to the park. Daddy obliged. We think that he realised this was the last time he would see that park and wanted to have one last play.
The most exciting thing was that Elijah was allowed to sit in the truck!
Then suddenly, the house was empty, save our suitcases and the few things we needed to have on hand.
It was time to pack the car and say goodbye to our home.
One of the most frustrating things was realising that the potty got packed in the truck. We didn't have a chance to grab it before the removalists started on the bathroom. Potty training had to take a few steps backward for a while.
We checked into a hotel in order to get a good night's sleep before starting our long drive. Elijah was very excited by the fact he had a huge bed all to himself!
He had a good sleep that night.
Labels: milestones, photos, potty training, relocating
After a long hiatus, we're back!
We've had a tumultuous couple of months but are now settled in our new city. Regular blogging should commence this week. We've got lots of photos from the move, Christmas, our visit with Elijah's Nan and Pop and Australia Day to share - they just need to be uploaded!
Labels: housekeeping
Elijah had no idea who the Ninja Turtles were, but he was happy to be wearing a green shirt (rash vest) and togs.
He was a bit suspicious about walking on the sand, but got used to it quickly. Note Elijah's sandles sitting inside my sandles!
My friend Puss was keen to teach Elijah how to make sandcastles.
Then it was time to go in the water. I wasn't sure how Elijah would fare in the water considering he'd only just started being comfortable in the big bath. At first he was very wary and didn't like the feeling of sinking into the sand, but once he sat down in the shallow water, he had a grand time! You can't really tell from the photos, but this particular beach has a very sudden and steep drop. Just behind where Daddy is, the water is much deeper. The child in the background (wearing the hat) is standing. This will give you some indication of the nature of the beach.
Puss and Daddy got splashed a lot! This photo shows more clearly how deep the water is. Note the bobbing heads in the background. We, of course, watched Elijah like hawks the entire time.
Then it was time to experience the beach showers! Fascinating stuff for the boy who has spent his whole life in a landlocked state.
