32 months

Life barrels on with busy days and weeks at work. Milla's getting promoted to the 'Joey' room after a year in 'Platypus' where in the new year she became the most senior by a long shot. We've been riding in to the city most days - will we remember what it was like? Constant traffic diversions in the the CBD as the new metro is being built and thousands of floors of new apartments climb up and RMIT takes a new shape? Weather has been great to encourage the ride, and I've been quicker, Milla a cheerful passenger for the most part.

Easy like Sunday morning. Messing about on my bed.

Milla at thirty two months can tell people that she is two and a half and that her birthday is in July. Hasn't been getting up in the midnight morning for a walk and a drink of water. Been a reliable alarm clock around 7am.

Long beautiful hair with big ringlets at the end, threads of blonde through the brown. Still some days has wee 'accidents', much to our frustration. Still in night nappies that are usually very heavy upon waking. She wants to be out of it immediately on waking.

Tantruming just now as she wants to do typing. Sat up at computer the other evening and typed for a good long stretch, loving finding letters and delighting at seeing them appear on screen. It was a weird sight to me.

Can tell me about her day, who she played with, what she had for lunch, who was throwing sand! Who was hitting! Who did her hair.

Her Christmas bike has had the pedals and training wheels put on and we've got to get practicing more.

Milla at thirty-two months loves dancing to surf rock. Still talks about the gym and exercise with vivid energy (and imagination!).

The way she says "I do", as in, Damien Rice's song 'O' is playing and she's grooving and I ask, 'do you like this song?', "I do!".

Spring Days

I think Milla's been well for... days! And current obsessions are keys and her trike. Warmer weather means playing with buckets of water. And another howling trip to the beach. Why doesn't she like it?

Hated the beach on a warm sunny glorious Sunday. 

Walking, striding, very confident. Face planting in the evening when tired. Put gumboots on her today and her waddle changed. She undid her nappy and thought she was hilarious. She picks up the tiniest thing and hands it to you. Played with cars today for the first time. Winner. The funniest thing is when I drive them off the side of the bluestone step and say 'noooo!' when they crash.

Brm. 

It's all about the bike and the trike. Got the trailer for my bike, a helmet for the monkey, and did two test rides into town. It's such an awesome ride, bike paths all the way. Big ships and lots of anglers at the back of the power station. Everyone in the city points at us.

Watching the traffic. 

The trike I found on the street. It's pink. It's a favourite. We have been doing an evening block, and met some chooks in a front yard.

9/52

Yesterday was a baby-led weaning kind of day so Milla didn't eat much. Woke at 1:45am and got a bonus feed. Most times I go to collect her from her room, she's on her tummy. Here's her snotty sleepy face with pink cheek from rubbing on her bed this morning as I cycled on the stationary bike unawares. She's got some beautiful block sets from family which can be used for all different types of activity. Here she's using a wooden set for drumming.

Baby Milla at work.

Crying and Crawling

Hard night. Milla took two short naps during the day, one in the stroller. And then at bedtime, howled when I put her down. Howled. Hysterically. Panting and screeching with out-of-control upset. We had agreed she wouldn't get a boob. We consulted Baby Love and read about... 'controlled crying' and the method of returning to Milla with reassurance and then leaving again. I got up three times. I sat her up and she took big gulps of cold water from her sip cup. She was wet with sweat from the exertion of crying. Ninety minutes. We all fell asleep. Slept in.

Clean baby, after her bath. 

Started a new routine based on the changes to her feeding and sleeping. Dropping one boob feed. No sleep ins. More water, more solids. So the idea is to start each day around 6am with a quiet feed in her room, returning Milla to bed immediately. Then a solid grown up breakfast at 10am. A lunch of real food and boob at 1pm, and her usual dinner extravaganza at 5pm with boob, solids and a half formula bottle. She tried yoghurt today for the first time - first dairy food.

A few of my favourite things.

While I was out riding yesterday, Charlie witnessed the first crawling forward motion! Eep!

First Tracks

A high country stay in a house, how novel. Enough to make me forget I need to bring warm clothes, damnit.

Milla has her new car seat and seems very happy and comfy. I love being able to see her when I look back.

I've got bruised and bashed up knees, tried riding around the Sawmill Settlement township with my clipped in shoes, need a lot more practice. Wah.

On the road again.

Happy Birthday

It was a muted and delightful birthday for me this year. A number of breakfasts, leading into brunches, flowers brought, a lovely baby, a turn around the old hood, some loading up a of a trailer to take junk to the tip (best birthday present!), reading of the latest Vanity Fair, salads, snags and a couple of visitors in the eve, including Jack with a classic trick gift, beautifully wrapped.

We went to find me some cycling shoes, while I was getting fitted (into men's shoes), Charlie and Milla checked out bikes for when she gets a bit bigger.

Knows what she likes.

Three weeks

Leaving it a bit late to report on three weeks. It's now four weeks since my labour started. I've now gone back to exercise, two yoga classes and two rides on the stationary bike. Body feels weak but it is so good to be back. The day I go for a run will be amazing.

Milla went to her first party, an afternoon tea in a Northcote backyard. By the time we got there it was time to feed, which I did in the car, no problem. Milla was quite content to be passed around the party. We've been wondering about what makes Milla/babies overtired as we have determined that is the cause of long crying spells. But after that party we had visitors at home and she had a good night's sleep. Yesterday however was a long quiet day with just the unit of three, and she slept long at home and long as I walked her in Ergo to Williamstown. But the evening had long tragic howls from the tiny one.

Her hair seems to be fading. We asked the nurse about her neck mark and found it's from where the stork left its mark. She hasn't slept on our room overnight for a while and we're bringing ourselves around to setting up her own room. She's been swaddled and stayed swaddled through long night sleeps, much to our surprise as she'd recently rejected all attempts and we gave up. Things do change. She feeds more efficiently it seems, quicker to attach and draws deep.

Arms up! Arms up!

17 weeks and Warburton

Seventeen weeks pregnant and a lovely summer weekend full of activities, friends and eucalyptus smells.

After a week of back to work and 40+ heat, Friday night was greeted with joy as the temperature plummeted from 4:30pm. The forecast winds kept us at home Friday night so we packed the car early Saturday and headed to meet our fellow cycling buddies for an eggy breakfast at APTE (which appears to have changed hands...).

Our weekend plan included a ride up Mt Donna Buang, camping at Warburton Caravan Park, then rock climbing at Ben Cairn. Three different groups of friends and three activities around the Yarra River up in the ranges.

Thanks Roxanne Silk for the photo of me winding up to (halfway-point of) Donna Buang. A great day-trip destination for a walk, ride or just fresh air.