March

Week 9 (March 3 – 9)

The first week of Autumn, and I noticed that the trees in the street were already turning. We visited a plane playground not far from home, and we celebrated Lexi being 2 months old. We tempted fate, by booking a holiday months before Lexi was due, and had decided that at 8 weeks old, was a great time to fly! For the record, Lexi did an amazing job. We flew from Melbourne up to Brisbane, and then drove from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. We had booked a special deal at SeaWorld for 5 nights, which also included theme park entry. The deal was so great, that we ended up travelling with Nanny, as well as a few friends. I think Jack had a great time! We stopped on the way and James took Jack in a tandem go kart around an indoor track. He looked so freaking adorable with his gigantic helmet on. Although I’m not sure he loved going too fast. We met up with James at Movie World on Saturday, after they finished their backstage tour, and Jack got to meet his favourite superhero, Batman. His even booed the Joker, much to the Joker’s disgust! 

Week 10 (March 10 – 16)

I was lucky enough to wander in and out of Seaworld, and this time I saw the Polar Bears on multiple days! I could honestly watch them for hours. They remind me of Ben – maybe Ben was a polar bear in a previous life??? I had also figured out where all the cold areas were in Seaworld – the heat and humidity was horrible. I was so conscious of the heat on poor Lexi, especially while being in the pram. It was a hard balance between keeping her cool, and out of the sun and not being stuck in the room for days. We would head back to the room so that I could feed her in some comfort. Jack went to Top Golf with James, Evan, Sarah and Glen, and then he showed us how to do it, when we dropped in on the way back to the airport. I love the mini set of golf clubs that the kids get, and despite not being a golfer, I even had fun and managed to score a few points!  

Week 11 (March 17 – 23)

Jack was invited to a friends 4th birthday party at the Altona Miniature Railway (check out that cake!) and afterwards I headed out to celebrate a friends baby shower! I was slightly apprehensive about the drive with Lexi, to the other side of town, all by myself. You could say that she’s not the best at being a passenger. She seems to like filling her nappy and then screaming as soon as she has done it! Lexi is getting to be more expressive, with more awake times. Jack took his collingwood teddy and collingwood jumper to kinder today – it was harmony day, and the kids had the chance to dress up in cultural dress. Footy is a form of culture, right??? I also had the chance to take Jack to fitkicks for a makeup session – before Lexi was here, I would go each Saturday morning. This year though, Lexi seems to either need to feed or sleep at the same time that the class is on. It was lovely to spend some time with him, doing the things that we used to do! 

Week 12 (March 24 – 30)

We enjoyed a family lunch at South Wharf, didn’t enjoy leaving the car park after someone stalled their car and rolled into the front of mine. But at the end of the day, it was a little bump and it will be fixable. Jack then showed me around the St Kilda Adventure Playground. He had been here previously with James, on a boys day out. Lexi and I caught up with my mummy friends for a trip to the Werribee Zoo. The unfortunate thing about kinder being on a Tuesday this year, is that he misses his catch up with his little friends. It’s just a reminder of what is to come when school starts next year. 

February

Week 5 (Feb 3 – 9)- Slowly starting to feel more comfortable heading out with 2 kids.  Jack had his first day at 4 year old kinder. Lexi had her first physio appointment which left me reeling. So many exercises to help her little body adjust to living outside! We celebrated Lexi’s one month milestone and had a family day out and about with lunch and a play at Skinner Reserve.

Week 6 (Feb 10 -16) – Being home this year and with Jack at kinder, I am attempting to try to bake more often, and with Jack. So far we’ve made the traditional banana breads, milo balls, ‘100 cookies’. Always looking for simple, fast and yummy recipes that abide by the food rules for kinder.  More hospital appointments this week – this time to measure Lexi’s kidneys to see if they are improving. 

Week 7 (Feb 17 – 23) – Another week, and another trip to the hospital. This was a followup to the physio appt from the other week, In good news, there was some improvement! We had our first family photo this week, including the furbaby! I’ve been trying to get Jack out and about with his bike, while I walk the pram. We manage a trip to the local cafe, for urgent mummy supplies (aka coffee) and this time we swung past the pirate ship park for a play while Lexi slept. Jack and I also sat in the backyard watching the Roulette’s fly over. 

Week 8 (Feb 24 – Mar 2) – We finally have smiles! Jack was so excited to receive his auskick pack in the mail and we went for a trip to the Werribee Zoo. We managed 2 trips to the hospital this week! A paed appointment and a scan for her hips.  We also headed to Highpoint and stopped in at Funtopia on the way home. 

January

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

What can I possibly say about the first weeks of life with a new baby? Life as you know it, has completely changed. Sleep is no longer a certainty, neither is having a shower or being able to just pop down to the shops to get lunch or dinner. Bringing Jack home, both of us had no clue what we were doing. Bringing Alexis home, I felt less confused as I knew that I had done this before. However, I don’t know why I thought it would be any easier. There is a fine balance of returning to ‘normal’ life for Jack, with the uncertain routine with Lexi. Thankfully James was around to help with the transition. Dad did a great job, shopping and cooking dinners (7 weeks on and it seems like a distant memory!). 

Week 1 Jan 6 to 12th – we travelled to Point Lonsdale to visit James’s grandmother. I discovered that I still loved ham (gosh I missed it during pregnancy) and there were lots of cuddles this week with family.

Week 2 Jan 13th to 19th – Nanny’s birthday. We survived dinner out (thank goodness for babywearing) and a trip to Hopheads Altona. Jack loves playing the board games at the Altona one, and he loves being the centre of attention with friends at the Point Cook location. He was convinced that he was celebrating his 4th birthday at Hopheads. He is also besotted with everything to do with his baby sister. He is fascinated watching her bathe, and will always want cuddles with her (while she’s quiet). 

Week 3 Jan 20th to 26th – We had a visit to Emergency this week. Alexis developed a rash that covered her little body. Doctors weren’t too concerned, but with the recent rashes in the house (Jack’s chickenpox) we thought it best to check that all was ok. James managed to convince me to leave the house, and we drove into Docklands. We enjoyed lunch and a quick trip to Costco. Love any excuse to visit Costco. I saw someone post in one of the fb groups that they sell Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. Fingers crossed that by the time I make it in again, they have some! 

Week 4 Jan 27th to Feb 2nd – Little Alexis is getting more and more awake and alert. The boys had a fun day out together, visiting St Kilda’s adventure playground, and Luna Park. Jack was so proud that he went on the Scenic Railway. He declared that when he grows up he wants to work at Luna Park. Even though he looks less than impressed in the photo, he went back on the ride again! Which, if you know Jack, he is extremely hard to convince to do anything, if he doesn’t want to. So he must’ve really liked it? 

April 2016

28th March – 3rd April

4th April – 10th April

11th April – 17th April

18th April – 24th April

25th April – 1st May

March 2016

29th Feb – 6th Mar

7th Mar – 13th Mar

14th Mar – 20th Mar

21st Mar – 27th Mar

February 2016

1st – 7th February

8th – 14th February

15th – 21st February

22nd – 28th February

January 2016

January 4-10th

January 11-17th

January 18-24th

January 25 – 31st

28th December 2015 – 3rd January 2016

Hello and welcome to 2016!
2015 positively flew – I was extremely fortunate to be able to, not only record this past year, but thanks to my hardworking hubby and some generous maternity leave,  spend a year away from the workforce and watch my gorgeous little man, grow! I’ve already done an ad hoc milestone post celebrating many of Jack’s firsts, in an attempt to remember what we have done, In all honesty, Jack has achieved many more things than what I did by the time I was 21! I think my first flight wasn’t until I was 21 or 22? Hubby will probably correct me – all I remember is James attempting to scare the you-know-what out of me, before we took off! He’s been to a heap of sporting events,  traveled overseas, the list goes on really. A very lucky little boy, who, to be honest, probably won’t remember any of it! But at least we have very cool photos and video.

While work closes down over the Christmas break, James and I actually had some time off together and rather than wasting the precious days sitting around at home, we headed out and about! Over the break we headed into the city for a bit of Christmas shopping at night and checked out the Lego tree and Myer windows. We also ventured up to Mount Dandenong. We checked out the view from the top at Sky High, and we didn’t get lost in the maze. There was a bit of haze in the sky from the Christmas day bushfires but we could still see the city and other locations. The following days we decided to head to the country, and drove up to Daylesford for the day. I always forget that Daylesford just isn’t all that far away – just a touch over an hour. We just had to go to the bakery on the main street and have a pie for lunch, before we wandered the shops. We drove down to the Lake and let Jack check out the ducks, geese and other birds. He is obsessed with the ducks. Every day that I can, I take him down to the ducks at the front of the estate that we live in. He gets all animated, pointing and exclaiming loudly.  I’ve heard him say both ‘duck’ and ‘quack’ or at least, that’s what I assume he is saying! Before we left to head back home, we swung past Creswick and dropped in on Nanny.

So, having been  to the city, the mountains, and now the country, the only other place left to tick off our list, was the beach! We decided to drive down to Rye, and we swung past Arthurs Seat on the way. I’ve never been to Arthurs Seat before, and i must admit, it’ll be interesting to see the new chair lift, or whatever the proposal is. The drive winding up to the lookout was amazing.  We had originally thought about going to the Enchanted Maze Garden, but when we drove past and the cars were literally stretched for kilometers, we decided to perhaps come back on a less busy day. We had lunch at the Pig & Whistle Tavern, which had heaps of tables, both inside and outside, and a great big lawn area for the littlies to stretch their legs and check out the flowers in the garden.

We drove towards Rye/Portsea, and we headed towards the beach. James went for a swim in the surf, between the flags of course, and Jack and I sat and watched. I dipped my toes in the water, but the water was absolutely freezing, so I headed back to the safety of my beach towel. So thankful to have my carrier with me – made navigating the sinking sand, and carrying all the necessities, so much easier! We were on a mission for ice cream after our beach trip, but only made it as far as the beach carnival. James, being the thrill seeker, decided he just had to go on a ride! We wandered the shops, but still couldn’t find an ice cream shop, so continued out drive towards the ferry.  With less than 15 minutes before we needed to be at the gate to board the ferry, we found a shop, and James parked and ran to get an ice cream for both of us. By the time he came back, mine was dripping down his arm.

It was the second time that I’d been on the ferry before – once when I was holdaying with the family. All I remember is that the weather was so warm, and I had on this long t-shirt and pants, and the parentals convinced me that it was perfectly acceptable to just wear the t-shirt as a dress. I must’ve had some half-decent legs back in my childhood! Hahaha! Oh that and when we arrived in Sorrento, all I could smell were the freshly baked waffles! My mouth was drooling, and I still wasn’t allowed to get any! This trip however, was much less eventful. The actual trip flew! By the time we parked the car, got up on deck, I ducked downstairs to go the toiler, and we got sidetracked playing in the kids play equipment, there was only 5 or so more minutes before we docked into the Queenscliff Harbour!  After disembarking we did the slow drive through Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, before beginning our trek home.

21st – 27th December