Creating Nicholas' Toy Corner

Until yesterday, we've had Nicholas' toys in a semi-unorganized pile in the corner of the living room sort of near the television. Every morning, we put him in the middle of the living room as we grab a few of his favorites, place them near him and say good morning to them before playing. Until yesterday, he was content with this.  Ryan and I knew that we'd eventually have to organize his toys somehow and create a little play area for him. Whether this be in his bedroom or the living room or in Oz or California was a mystery. Yesterday, when our almost 7 month old rolled and scooted over to his toy pile under the TV and grabbed his own toys, we knew it was time to get them out where he could see them and choose for himself.

We created a play area in the corner of our living room by clearing off an Ikea bookshelf and turning it on it's side. Since we're moving home to California in a few months, we decided to donate heaps of books. Any books that we didn't donate will be boxed up and stored until moving day.

This sideways bookshelf makes a perfect toy storage area, and I'm thinking I might like the same thing for his room once we're in California.

I think Nicholas is enjoying his toy area, too.

In fact, today he reached out excitedly and grabbed, "Bessie", our singing Old McDonald Cow from Grandma and Grandpa Kearn. After that, he wanted "Crikey" and "Cameron" our resident Crocodiles. He didn't stop there....he proceeded to pull out more and more toys.

 Ryan and I both are on the same page as far as how we expect our kid/s to clean their messes up each day before they go to bed. Some may say, "good luck with that". But, we really do believe that if you train them early, it can happen.  At what age can that training start is my question? As you may know, a baby's attention span is short. They play with something for 1 minute and then they're onto the next adventure. Nicholas pulled half of his toys out and it wasn't even noon yet.  Guess who gets to put all of those toys away every night? Yup, mommy and daddy. It's alright. He's only 7 months old.  We're just happy to see him content and enjoying his new "play room".

Farewell to Julie and Thomas

Julie and her bub, Thomas, are moving to Chicago to be with her Aussie husband while he is working there. For the past 6 months, she has been over here with Thomas, while her husband has mostly been over there, 10,000 miles away. I can only imagine how excited she is to be on a plane heading towards him even as I write this post. I am so happy that she gets to not only be a family again, but also gets to have an incredible adventure in Chicago for the next few years.  

Yesterday, all of the mums & bubs (minus Emily/Rory) met up in New Farm Park after Rhyme Time to say our goodbyes. Anna made an excellent (understatement) flour-less cake. She brought it warm with real plates and silverware. It was delicious and much appreciated.  We were happy that, even with all the craziness that comes with moving, Julie was able to pop over for a bit. She left Thomas at home sleeping, so we weren't able to properly say goodbye to him. Something tells me he won't mind too much. I'm hoping to see Julie and Thomas again some day. I told her that she needs to come to California while they are living in the US and that we can take the bubs to Disneyland. How fun would that be??

It's always exciting to get the babies together.  Every week, it seems they've reached some new milestone that is hilarious to observe. They are starting to interact with each other and steal each others toys. The grass is always greener isn't it?? They are also starting to move about, which is keeping some of the mums on their toes. All in all, it was a lovely day for a farewell picnic complete with chocolate cake!!

Arrogant Bastard

Stone Brewery's Arrogant Bastard is a much loved beer in the Kearn house. Can you tell? I've never been to San Diego's Stone Brewery, but Ryan has gone        many times and assures me that I will love it. I'm excited to go in the fall. I've   liked all of the beer he's brought back to Oz. So, I'm sure it'll be another            favorite brewery of mine, as well. Last year, when he was in San Diego for a      sales meeting, he bought Nicholas the "My Daddy is an Arrogant Bastard"          onesie. Most people wouldn't understand it's meaning, and might even think,     "why are they dressing that baby in that outfit?". But, we know... and that's       what counts. Right?  This past weekend, we had a nice relaxing Sunday             afternoon on the patio enjoying our beer and our bub.                                     

Graduated from Bitter Suite to the Park

Ever since mid December when Nicholas was 5 weeks old, we've been meeting up with the lovely mums and adorable bubs that make up our Mums/Bubs group. We used to meet for coffee at New Farm's Bitter Suite Cafe every Thursday morning. About a month ago, we switched our meet up day to Tuesdays so that we can first meet at the New Farm Library for Rhyme Time before walking around the corner for our weekly coffee meet up. Recently, we noticed that our bubs are now old enough to engage with each other. They've all hit the 6 month mark, and are more aware of their environment and less patient to just sit and stare while we mums have our coffee. We decided it was time to get a take away coffee and to start taking them to the park.  We had a lovely meet up this past week. With two weeks left of Fall, the weather couldn't have been more perfect for a day at the park. It's always nice to get together with everyone and to see how big all of the bubs are getting.

Before I was a Mom....

    (getting ready to head to South Bank after a very rough morning)

Before I was a Mom...

I made and ate hot meals. I had unstained clothing. I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom... I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair everyday.

Before I was a Mom... I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies.

Before I was a Mom... I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about Immunizations.

Before I was a Mom... I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, chewed on, peed on or pinched by tiny fingers. I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts, and my body. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom... I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom... I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom... I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom... I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment, or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom. 

-"unknown"

I read this poem a few days ago and loved it. But, it's especially fitting today, on my 1st Mother's Day, after Nicholas decided to wake up at 3am and sleep very little after that. 

We had talked about our plans for today, and I just don't understand why he didn't listen. The plan was to have a good night sleep. Mommy was possibly even going to have a bit of a sleep in. Then, we were going to walk to South Bank and have brekky at The Max Brenner Chocolate Bar. I've been talking about the waffles all week. 

Well, all plans went out the window when Mr. Fussy Pants arrived shortly after the unscheduled 3am wake-up. Ryan and I decided it best to wait until Nicholas had a first nap at home before venturing out in the world.  I was working on very little sleep and wasn't in the best mood (That's probably an understatement) and Nicholas was equally as pissy. 

Anyways, after our rough morning, we made our way along the river to the South Bank Parklands, my favorite part of Brisbane. We tried to go to Max Brenner, but the line was crazy long. So, we went to another favorite restaurant, an organic cafe called Flowers of the World. They make a great iced coffee. We enjoyed our lunch before heading to the outdoor Life Style Markets, where Ryan bought me a new scarf for my Mum's Day present.  After that, we met up with Tash & Chris, their son, Cameron, and Chris' mom, Norma, who is visiting from Canada. We all walked through the parklands to the Museum where, once again, Mr. Fussy Pants made an appearance. We weren't able to stay at the museum for too long since Nicholas wasn't settling. But, it was nice to meet up with the Reynolds.  After leaving the museum, Nicholas fell asleep in the stroller and Ryan and I were able to have a nice, relaxing walk along the river.

I'm glad I was able to snap out of my morning moodiness. I was really bothered and wasn't enjoying the day at all.  I had to conscientiously remind myself that this day wasn't about whether or not we accomplished our original plans, rather it was about appreciating the fact that we've been blessed with this little soul that brings so much happiness to us daily. I love Nicholas more than words can ever describe, and celebrating him making me a mum was what this day was all about.  Thank you, Nicholas, for making me a mom! 

 

(Enjoying a little sun in the South Bank Parklands)

   

Six Months & Growing Fast

It's hard to believe that 6 months have passed since Nicholas was born.  He's changed so much since last November, and we can hardly believe he's the same baby.  

 

                                                       two weeks old          &       six months old

Babies are a lot of work, and I've completely neglected our blog since he was about 2 months old. I have a lot of catching up to do. Where to begin??   

Nicholas started eating solids (rice cereal) at 4 months old, and has fast become a lover of ALL foods. He hasn't met a food he doesn't like. We've introduced him to pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, sweet corn, avocado, bananas, pears, mango, apples & cinnamon.  He especially loves pumpkin, bananas and pear.  We are starting the weaning process, so he gets a bottle twice a day, one at 11 a.m and one at bedtime. He loves to nurse but he also loves the bottle and grabs it out of our hands so that he can self feed.  

He is generally a very happy baby. He giggles and squeals all the time. He loves to play with his small, stuffed soccer ball and he loves to chew on just about everything he can get his hands on. He is definitely a baby that explores by putting things in his mouth. He makes us laugh by his ability to destroy a block tower. If you build it, he will destroy it within seconds of seeing it.  Some other favorite toys are his stuffed Aussie animals and the moving, light-up ball Ryan brought home from Asia. Nothing gets a baby moving better than a ball that, when touched, rolls away just out of his reach.

He's been scooting around for a few weeks now. He will get up into the crawling position. But, as soon as he starts to move...he goes backwards. He can also pivot or rotate on his belly in a 360* circle. So, he tends to pivot, back up a little, pivot, back up a little more, pivot, back up some more etc. This gets him all over the living room. He is also rolling over.  Since he turned 6 months, we find him in his crib on his belly every morning. Seems he likes practicing tummy time when he wakes up.

 I love that his eyes light up when Ryan is near. I think he's going to be a daddy's boy. His favorite time of the day is bath time with Daddy. We've even made up a song (♪♫♪"It's your favorite time of the Night"♪♫♪) that we sing as we walk down the hall towards bath time.  Daddy does bath time and mum gives him his bedtime bottle and sings a few lullabies afterwards. We have a routine and, most nights, he goes right to sleep with no fuss.

We started to see teeth buds at the end of January.  So, it's been a long teething process for us since none have actually cut through yet. He was in a lot of pain the first month. We bought him a Baltic Amber Teething Necklace that he wears as an anklet and it seems to have helped. Recently, he started getting fussy again. We're not sure if it was from his 6 month vaccinations, a growth spurt, teething, reaching new milestones etc. etc...  The books say they can get fussy during all these times. Ryan says, "babies are just fussy".  Whatever the reason, he seems to have snapped out of it and is back to his happy, playful self. At least, until his next fussy period. 

He sleeps great at night. Like I said earlier, he goes to sleep, most nights, with no fuss. We put him to bed around 6:30 pm and he sleeps 'til 6 or 7am.  Some nights, he doesn't wake up at all. Other times, he'll wake up once around 3:30 or so and wants to nurse. We're REALLY trying to wean him off that middle of the night nursing.  We can't complain too much. He sleeps so good at night. The daytime, however, is a completely different story. He sleeps well in the car, the pram or the swing.  But, if we try to put him in his cot, the same cot he sleeps in at night, he screams his head off. For some reason, he HATES sleeping in his crib during the day.  We're working on it.

I think most parents will agree, raising a baby can be both the most satisfying thing in the world and the most terrifying . There are days that run so smoothly and go by so fast. Those are the days when I feel like Super Mom. And then there are days that I feel like a failure because he was too fussy or wouldn't take a nap.  I have to constantly remind myself that every day is a new day, and all we can do is our best. If the happy squeals and smiles coming from Nicholas are any indication of the job we're doing, I think we must be doing alright so far. 

                                 Our most recent family picture ~ Easter on Straddie 2012

Visiting the Mt. Coot-tha Botanic Garden

What better way to spend Boxing Day, December 26th, than to visit the Botanic Gardens? The Mt. Coot-tha Botanic Gardens are a short drive from our house and are at the foot of Brisbane's tallest mountain, Mt. Coot-tha. We've been there a few times before. But, we've never taken Nicholas. Because we had spent both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the house, it was nice to get out and smell the fresh, summer air. We found a nice shaded area on Wedding Lawn #1 and plopped ourselves down for a rest. Nicholas nursed while Ryan made sure the giant water dragons stayed far away from us. Someday, I'm sure Nicholas will bring me lizards. However, I DON'T look forward to that day. I really do hate lizards!! And boy do they grow them big here.



We didn't stay long. But, it was nice to get out and have a family day at the beautiful gardens of Mt. Coot-tha.