A New Toy for a Big Boy

Some other babies I know got a fantastic new toy for Christmas, and since I only spent $3 on my neglected son's Christmas present (the ball), I thought I would get it for him: 

a pool with balls in it! Woohoo! And the wonderful thing is, it's just as much fun without the water! Perfect for the game I mentioned earlier ('taking things out'). I just love to have little plastic balls rolling all throughout the house. 

And for the Big Boy section of this post:

First time cleaning big-boy teeth

First time in big-boy pajamas

And a photo from last week that I forgot to post but I think is funny.

 Now if he could just go back to sleep during the night like a big boy, we would all be very happy.

Another attempt at the beach

Even though BB hates the sand with a fiery passion, we took him to the beach again. This time, we kept him occupied with food. For a while. I moved the mat on the ground so that the sand was closer and closer to his feet. He seemed fine with that. But as soon as I moved it away enough so that his feet actually touched the sand, that was it. Silly Baby. We're going to keep trying. 

Mmm delicious snack.

What is that over there? 

I'm fine, see?

You didn't tell me it was SAND!

BB's favorite new game is 'taking things out'. That includes our files in the file cabinet, books on the bookshelf, bowls and bibs in the kitchen, his clothes, and pretty much anything else he can get his hands on. I'm looking forward to the day when his favorite game is 'putting things back in'.

All that mess? No, that wasn't me,
I've been right here reading the whole time. I promise. 

It's a hard life for a Baby

Pooooooor Bad Baby. He's had a rough couple of days. 

Yeah, I definitely need to figure out a way to get her back for:
1. The bowl cut
2. The chin scrape
3. The jorts. 

 The dad has been known to complain about how many books we have in the house. He also has been known to read them. He also now knows that if you have lots of books in your house, your baby will become a genius. That's all you have to do, right?

The boys both reading literature at their level.

A Bad Haircut for a Bad Baby

Last night I got fed up with BB's hair covering his eyes and almost turning into a mullet. So I used my excellent hairdressing skills to give him a haircut. I'd have to say that it didn't work out that well. I would describe the result as 'bowl-ish'. But I'm learning. I'm sure I'll do better next time. If the dad lets there be a next time. 

Oh. That's what I look like. Thanks Mum.

I don't really know why, but for some reason I let BB out on the balcony for a while. He ended up with black knees and feet because it is so dirty, and black hands because of the plants. Wonderful.

Ooooh I finally get to go outside!

I'll just do some helpful gardening.

Office work

Let me just work out some calculations here...

See Dad, you do it like this. 

Which of these files can I eat, I mean write about. 

New Year's Day

Yet another nice hot day. These good days are a welcome change from the pretend summer of a week ago (rain and not warm at all). So we went up to explore the area behind where we live, called Mt. Keira. There are lots of walks to do up there, but we didn't have much time so we just did part of one (an hour or so). It was through a rainforesty kind of area, so it was shady and cool. We saw and heard some birds, and at one point the dad said that he heard 'what sounded like breathing' coming from the bushes next to us. Thankfully, no scary animals came after us. Not that there is anything scary here apart from spiders and snakes. 

I should pretty much be a model, right?

After the walk we drove just a little way further up the 'mountain' to a lookout. It was a great view up and down the coast.

I can see our house from here! (I really can)

In the afternoon we decided to try out the beach again. BB started whining as soon as I stepped onto the sand (while holding him). He stayed on the mat again in the tent, and wouldn't even venture off to get the sunglasses I left just a couples of inches out of his reach. At one point he tumbled over and fell onto the sand, which was not BB's favorite thing. Oh well, we'll keep trying!

Why are you putting me through this torture again?!?

New Year's Eve

It was such a lovely day yesterday that we had to go for a walk. It was not super hot, so I didn't want to go swimming because I need it nice and warm. We drove just a little way north from our house and walked along the beach. I can't remember if I've mentioned it before, but there is a bike/walking path that goes along the beach from where we live to about 13km north. It's nice and flat so it's easy to take a stroller. 

He just had to stop and watch the surfers.

That night, my parents drove up from their vacation house to watch the Wollongong fireworks. They are pretty decent, although of course nothing in comparison to the Sydney ones. Being able to walk down there 5 minutes before they start is a good trade-off though. The dad was nice enough to stay home with the baby while I went with my parents to watch. We got a great spot down on the sand to watch. Then we went home, and we were all in bed by 10:30. What crazy party animals we are.

Oooooh...

Ahhhhh....

And the finale.

Happy New Year!!