Week in the life of…

5 – 11th October

It’s getting so close to our trip, I’m feeling a little like Santa when writing my packing list – making a list, and checking it twice!

On Saturday night James and I celebrated our joint 30th birthday party – I’d just like to thank everybody who came and celebrated with us, it means a lot to have each and every one of you in our lives!  I’m hopeful that everyone was well fed and surprised that the slushie machine was empty after the night! A big thank you to Doris – who not only worked tirelessly to keep Jack occupied and quiet in an attempt to let me socialise, but also for delivering a tiramisu and a delicious pavlova. Also, thank you to Megan for not only letting my furbaby Benny have a lovely playdate with your Bella and Lucy, but also for making a simply droolworthy white chocolate mudcake. Mmmmm, yummmy!

In other news this week, Jeff and I went for brekky at Alamanda on Monday morning and we saw the house being set-up to feature in Bunnings catalogue Christmas light display. It was quite a team to set the house up on a stinking hot Monday and Tuesday. It was great to see the lights but a pity that they were dismantled and packed up. It definitely makes me want to get in the spirit and dress our house this year. But knowing the amount of effort it takes to do it, and to put them away, maybe we’ll wait until Jack is old enough to appreciate it. On Monday, James took Jack to the Alamanda pool in the evening. James also took Jack to his first swimming lesson at Jump on Tuesday night. Interesting for me to sit on the sidelines and relinquish control over something that I really had enjoyed.

Benny had a few friends over this week! Not only did Dom bring over his Jack Russel while he was packing stuff, I also found a greyhound wandering the streets when I took Benny out for an evening stroll. Thanks to the facebook world, we located his owner and were able to reunite them later that night.

Babytime returned this week! Jack is just loving crawling and running away from me during the sessions – half the time I leave him, and the other half I spend trying to get him back in front of me! He still loves being picked up, bounced around, thrown upside down. I just love seeing that huge smile on his face.

Nanny, Chris, Jack and I headed to Wyndham Cache on Friday morning for coffee and a bit of breakfast. James, Jack and I popped into Hopheads on Friday night to have a drink with Glen for his birthday before they headed out for dinner. I had taken Jack to the park earlier in the day, and Jack loved having a ride in the swing. So when we arrived a little early, I got the chance to go with James to the park near Hopheads. Jack didn’t mind having another go on the swing, and he loved the noises that the pipes made when he banged on them.

September 28 – October 5

This week was the last time I get to do swimming during the day. We’ve swapped Jack’s lesson to a Tuesday night which means that James gets to take Jack! With it being a public holiday on the Friday, James came to watch a lesson, and he took some great photos of us as well. With the trip to the US getting closer, James took Jack out for a bike ride in his trailer, so that he could get some exercise in. Benny was lucky enough to have a play date with Bella and Lucy. Lucy is always happy to see Ben at first, until she gets tired, and the Ben uses his mass to start harassing the girls back! Bella is less interested in Ben – until Ben attempts to steal her ball!

On Monday I travelled to LaManna Direct and caught up with Jas and her gorgeous little girl Kareena. Jack was very, very spoilt as Jas had bought Jack an early birthday present – a rain coat from Rainkoat to take away for our trip (http://www.rainkoat.com.au/). Thank you Jas for the gorgeous coat that will last Jack for this and many rainy days!

On Wednesday, we drove to Leroys cafe in Newport to have a playdate with some of the bubs that attend the Wednesday babytime session. As the school holidays are on, Babytime doesn’t run, so it was nice for the mummies and kiddies, of course, to have a bit of play.  Thanks to Rochelle for bringing the camera and getting some great photos!

Jack also had his first full day at childcare this week. He’ll be attending each Thursday now, until we head away! Getting so excited about the trip, although I haven’t started writing lists for what we need to pack, what we need to buy. Hmmm, shopping… Just a pity that the aussie dollar isn’t all that great. Anyway, hubby suggested I write a post detailing our itinerary and what our plans are. So that might be on the list for tomorrow, while Jack’s in care. Once I’ve finished cleaning the house, of course!

We headed over to Nanny and Poppy’s on Friday night for dinner, while James headed out to work. We spend the remainder of the weekend filling the trailer up and headed out to the tip on Sunday. Even though we filled and emptied the caged trailer, it feels like it hasn’t made the slightest difference to the house. But at least we now know that the trip to the tip isn’t as complicated as we both thought it was going to be. It’s amazing how much cardboard you find!

21st-27th September

We celebrated James’s 30th this week, the return of Poppy and Nanny from their overseas adventures and finished the weekend with a BBQ for Sarah’s birthday. Nanny and Poppy brought back a Miffy pirate soft toy, some snazzy new clothes, some books, a wooden pinocchio toy and a cow bell that Jack likes to shake and make as much noise as possible. Benny was spoilt too – he got a new leather collar. I’m still eating my way through all the chocolates and I keep wearing my sparkly earrings, even though I keep waiting for Jack to notice them and pull on them. Nanny, Poppy, Sam, Abbey, James, Jack and I headed out for dinner to the Sporting Globe on Sunday night to catch up for James’s birthday.

Spring time in Melbourne is just fantastic – BBQ’s, drinks, warmer weather, longer days… ahhhh…. I also returned to boxing this week – I figured that with the spring weather comes shorts and tank tops, and I definitely need to work on getting some muscle back now that Jack is already 10 months old. There’s only so much that walking can do for you, before you need a bit more of a workout to tone those muscles. We bought a bike trailer to take Jack in, so that we can all head out for a ride. We tested that over the weekend and while Jack protested to start with, he soon fell asleep. We had to buy him his own little bike helmet – they’re so damn cute when they are tiny.

Jack is pretty much on the go, all the time. I’m writing this nearly a week late, but he has now progressed to needing 2 people to hold him down at nappy time. All he wants to do is roll over and start crawling away from you, then he’ll turn around and give you one heck of a cheeky grin, before running off again. If you haven’t managed to get that nappy on him, the last thing you see is that bare bum running away. He has also started using mum/dad/ anyone lying down as a jungle gym – he’ll climb straight up and over you, the higher you are, the bigger the challenge.

14th – 20th September

This was a week that I was dreading – Jack was starting his orientation at childcare. Although it was only an hour the first time, I may have checked my watch at least once every 5 minutes. And I don’t know why I was stressing. Little Mr Happy charmed the pants off the carers and wandered off on his own to investigate the toys, without even a backward glance at mum. All I know is, that when the clock finally ticked closer to that hour being over, and I ever so casually power-walked  strolled to the centre and walked through the door, all I saw was his gigantic smile! Jack’s attending his orientation for 5 days, Tuesday and Thursday, starting for 1 hour and increasing to a full day. He will attend once a week  on Thursdays, until we head on our holidays. Once we return he’ll then settle into 2 days a week. Thank you Jeff for keeping me company and making sure I didn’t go loopy.

On Monday, Jeff and  I headed to Queenscliff for a quick trip to wander the paths we used to travel on our summer family holidays. The weather was simply beautiful, you can check out the photos from my previous post.

Tuesday was childcare day, Wednesday PT and the last babytime session before school holidays started. Thursday was childcare again, except this time I was feeling so bad I headed back home to sleep. Friday I was still feeling NQR, but braved our weekly swimming lesson. Friday night we went to the Altona Bowls club for dinner after we’d dropped past James’s parents place. Saturday night, James, Jack and I were invited to one of my friends birthday dinner at The Oriental Tea House in Little Collins street. I think it was Jack’s first dumpling/ asian experience and he quite enjoyed it! He had balloons tied to his high chair, and he kept trying to grab Dad’s chopsticks. He was quite happy eating his way through some calamari, or baby corn, or whatever tasty morsel was offered to him. Thanks again Alex, for inviting us along.

This was also a week that I couldn’t complete all my fitness sessions as I was feeling less than great – however I did do some walking.  Megan kept me motivated as we walked around Alamanda, to get coffee, to Featherbrook and to the Town Centre – my fitbit thanks you! Oh, and that wasn’t all on one day either!

On Sunday, James, Jack and I, headed to our local park to support the communities new redevelopment plans for the pirate ship park.  James was busy filming to create the piece below. It also gave him a good excuse to play with his drone. Boys and their toys,  that is all I’ll say 🙂
I also took the camera along to grab a few photos to mark Jack’s tenth month. So grown up reaching those double digits.

7 – 13th September

This is the last week before Jack starts attending orientation at childcare, so we were trying to pack everything in! Breakfast with Uncle Jeff, catch up with a group of friends to Jack’s first playcentre and a trip to the city (or two). We visited Kids Digz in Hoppers on Tuesday afternoon, and  Jack enjoyed crawling everywhere, playing in the ballpit and riding the car. The last time that the group had caught up, was at the end of March, when our bubbas were only 2-4 months old.  We’d enjoyed a trip to the Werribee Mansion gardens, in a last ditch attempt at enjoying the last of the warmer days.  Oh how I’m looking forward to the warmer weather and the possibility of more picnics in the park.

Megan, Liam, Jack and I also headed to the city on Thursday. We arrived at Flinders Street right at the same time that the taxi drivers were marching along Swanston Street and also the day of one of the tram strikes. We wandered H&M before heading over to the Emporium and sneaking a quick look around and a bite to eat. I had to rush off for a work meeting to discuss my return to work in November.

On Saturday, we headed into Hoppers Crossing for a quick look around a baby market, before heading to Docklands to check out the new market being held there. The day was absolutely beautiful, so Megan and I let the boys roam around on the astroturf to expel some of their energy before heading home.

August 31st – 6th September

Monday morning was the usual breakfast with Uncle Jeff. Jeff looked after Jack and put him to sleep while I took Ben to the vet for his annual needles.

On Tuesday, after PT, Jack and I finally managed to drive in and have lunch with Dad at his work! It only took me 9 and a bit months 🙁  The weather was playing nice, so when we got home we walked to Alamanda and got a coffee with Megan, before she picked up Liam. We saw the baby swans, thankfully from a distance. I’m an animal lover, but swans, I try and stay as far away as possible. When I was younger, and the family and I were in Ballarat and we all got out of the car to eat lunch at Lake Wendouree. Now anyone that knows me, knows that it would take a lot for me to not eat. That one day, which still haunts me, I couldn’t get out of the car as the swans started pecking me. I had to forgo my KFC, and the family laughed at me.

On Saturday, Megan, Liam, Jack and I headed to Waterstones Cafe in Sanctuary Lakes. The kiddies had fun playing in the kids section after we’d all finished breakfast and coffee. The boys can be both gorgeous together and the next second, dangerous! They both are yet to learn the concept of ‘gentle’. Whenever I say that word, Jack looks at me and you can tell he’s laughing. It’s a term we constantly use when he’s around Ben – normally when his hand is in mid-air, about to whack poor Ben .

Sunday was Fathers Day, and it marked James’s first fathers day. I had attempted to get Jack to hold up the letters to spell out D-A-D, and while I think it works ok, I doubt I’ll attempt it again. It was way harder than it looks. Nearly all the letters ended up in Jack’s mouth. James, Sam, Jack, Benny and I headed to Yarraville Gardens on the Sunday afternoon. While it looked sunny outside, the wind was freezing, but the boys were able to kick the footy around while Jack got to sit and crawl around on the picnic blanket. I had plans to cook James brekky in bed, but plans went astray when I went back to bed with Jack, after letting dad have his sleep in. Before I knew it, I was asleep, with Jack in my arms…

We also went to our usual baby time session on Wednesday and had our swimming lesson on Friday. Jack started clapping this week, and we think he’s either saying ‘nar -nar’ or ‘nan-nan.’ I had thought it was maybe after Nanny, but now I’m thinking it might be after banana.

24th – 30th August

I just wanted to start by saying a big thank you to a wonderful friend for looking after Jack this weekend. Thank you for looking after Jack, treating him like he was yours, and sending me a  gazillion updates – made me feel like a very relieved mama! Jack and I love you Bec!!!!

This weekend was the finals of the Australian Ice Hockey League – it marks the end of the season, the start of warmer weather, and the chance that I may see my husband on the weekend! This has been the first season I’ve been relatively removed from attending the games, and helping out behind the camera. While I’ve missed the plane trips to warmer places like Perth and Newcastle, I’ve also missed the time that we would normally spend together. I’m sure that next year will be a lot different and I’ll be back behind the camera. So what has James got planned for his first weekend off? Umm, I think he’s working Friday night and Saturday. No rest for the wicked… I had better plan something for Sunday – James’s first fathers day!

Friday was Daffodil Day and I added Holiday Dougal to my growing Cancer Council bears. On Thursday, Megan and  I headed to the opening of the new Plaza extension. The new stores at Pacific Werribee will be a great addition to  have right around the corner, especially when I can’t be bothered travelling to Highpoint or the city.  I’ve also attempted to wear Jack on my back this week – he seems to enjoy the journey a lot more than being worn on the front. Hopefully I’ll be able to take puppy for a walk more often like this, especially with Spring (weather) right around the corner.

17th – 23rd August

Benny and I ran another 2.5km this week. My ideal would be to wake up early, and head out, but, ummmm, I really, really like my sleep. With Jack being a little bit up and down in regards to waking up overnight, it’s nice for me to head out shortly after Jack’s in bed, obviously only when James is home though. I think both Ben and I need to ease into the running, both times so far I’ve come home with Benny trailing behind me on the lead.

We popped in to Nanny’s & Poppy’s on Friday afternoon after swimming, so that Jack could have his last hugs before they headed overseas.  I thought it would be interesting to see what new tricks Jack has by the time they get home – that Saturday he bit down on my finger and I could feel a rough spot, like sandpaper. However getting a photo of this new emergence was quite hard. Apparently babies don’t like you pulling their lips down and attempting to take photos of their gums! Sure enough, his left front bottom tooth had broken through and his right one was peaking through as well. Oh, and at swimming, Jack crawled the length of the floating mat! I was so proud! (Can you tell???)

Dad had one of his rare days off on the weekend. We finally managed to catch up with one of James’s work colleagues, and met baby Owen, after being in the world for 3 months already. We then drove over the West Gate and down into St Kilda. It was truly a beautiful winters day – the type you know that spring is just around the corner. The bay was flat, there was only a whisper of a breeze and the sidewalk was bustling with people walking their dogs, pushing the pram or riding their bikes. Jack had his first experience playing with sand, which went straight into his mouth.

10th – 16th August

I seemed to have more videos on my phone than images this week. Jack finally started crawling forward! We’ve been going backwards and around in circles, but now, when he’s after something, he can finally put one hand in front of the other, and head in the right direction. His crawling action has a bit of work to do. He trails a leg, I think mainly because he is still lazy, and has realised that it’s easier to sit up when he gets to where he wanted to be. He is also able to sit himself up now as well!

In other news Jack’s passport arrived! As I write this, we’re 67 days away from our trip. I think we have all our accommodation now booked, just need to book our internal flights and car hire.

Ben and I headed out for a run for the first time in a bit. Poor Benny – he was lagging behind as we ran into our street and he flopped down on the cold tiles and was basically comatose for the entire rest of the evening. I love running late at night, especially on the cold nights, when the streets are quiet, your breath is foggy, and when you can see the steam come off your dog. Ben runs on a mission – he knows when I lace up my running shoes and grabs his lead, what is going on. When we head out the drive, he grabs the lead in his mouth, and he’s off. He may stop for a sniff at the start, but after that, not even another dog will break his concentration. Instead of  being super excited and wanting to play with any dogs he encounters, he watches and just keeps on running. Hopefully a few more runs together and we’ll both be at a better fitness level.

Nanny came and watched Jack at his swimming lesson on Friday. A spare pair of hands is a godsend when you deal with a squirming, wet, little boy, and you also have to try and dry yourself. Jack didn’t have a long morning nap, so while he can normally last for the length of Liam’s lesson before heading home, he fell asleep in the car while I was still talking to Leanne.  Jeff came over for what seems to be a regular ‘Kebab Friday’ while James is away and working.

On Saturday we walked to the park and tested out the new pram that I’ll take with us to the states. It should be fine to do the job – Jack seemed quite at home and comfortable, and allegedly it’s small enough to fit into (some) overhead plane bins. So I took the camera and the picnic rug and let Jack have a play outside. Some of the photos are below. We were even lucky enough to have the sun grace us for a portion of the afternoon.

On Sunday Nan, Jack, Megan, Liam & I ventured to Flemington Market. I bought a new pair of pants and a dummy clip from a favourite store, Button Kids (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Button-Kids/). We may have sampled the coffee and  a few edibles along the way.

We all went out for dinner to Squires Loft in Williamstown, before Nanny and Poppy head overseas for the next few weeks. Jack had a great time knocking all his toy cups all over the floor, eating steak, prawns and chips and generally loving being the centre of attention. It will be interesting to see what new tricks Jack has when they get home.

3rd – 9th August

We’ve been spending most evenings researching and finalising our accommodation for our US holidays. We’ve booked Chicago, Pittsburgh, Niagara Falls and Orlando. We’re still looking at Miami and figuring out where we want to stay in LA. As that is something that both James and I sit down to do, I haven’t gotten around to posting this sooner.

This week Jack had fun going down the slide and playing with the fake grass in the new kids play section at Waterstones Cafe. The cafe is quite nice, close to home, coffee is always good and the menu has some great options. At first Jack wasn’t too sure about the slide and held on the side, but after the first time going down, went down with a massive smile on his face, each time.

Jack was allowed to sit at the dining table like a big boy when we went out for dinner to the Plough Hotel in Footscray with Bec. The lovely waitress gave Jack a comfy cushion to support him in the highchair, and he was enthralled with being at the table. He was happy chewing on the table, sharing lots of smiles, and being fed food by Dad. He had chips and ice cream – I had tried so hard to limit his exposure to chips.

Megan, Liam, Jack and I ventured over to Highpoint on Thursday. We wandered around and attempted to not buy anything. On a plus, we did reach our daily steps! Jack and I went to Altona to Nan and Poppy’s house for dinner, before heading over to Laureen’s and seeing great Nan Shirley.

Jack was lucky enough to share a big bath with dad. He loves bath time, and the more water, the better it is for splashing! Most nights now, the blind, the walls and the floor end up saturated from Jack’s overenthusiastic splashing!