I love him so.

I could share and tell so much about Christmas, and our beach holiday.... but for now, can we please discuss something terribly important?

In a very few days, my baby boy will be one, and I am devastated! I don't even know how this is possible. This year has been one of the longest of my life. But my time with Charlie has gone by so fast. I adore that boy with every fibre of my being. I am fiercely passionate and protective of my son in a way I never imagined possible. I think it's been a bit unexpected because I wasn't too sure about having a boy child. But I am in love with him and I never imagined it would be like this.

I cling to him, in a way I never did with Georgie. Partly I think, because with Georgie I didn't realise just how quickly it would go. But I look at my amazing, capable, independent, two and a half year old... and she grew so darn fast. I think I was probably a bit preoccupied with pregnancy when Georgie was this age as well.

Also, if I am being completely honest here. I think for me, there is a knowledge that my boy will not be mine for very long. All too soon, he is going to be chasing his Daddy around, and then after that it will be girls, until eventually one day it will be one girl, and then he won't be mine anymore. I want it to happen. I know it must, and I would hate it if it didn't. But I understand that our relationship will change, and he will never need me as much he does right now. (This probably has a lot to do with the fact that I am contemplating weaning him right now too!)

With Georgie, it is different. I think a girl's relationship with her mother is a bit more unchanging, and constant. I feel like Georgie will always be mine, she will always need her mama. But with Charlie I get a bit scared that I will become obsolete. I am friends with my mother and am confident of being friends with my daughter. I am much less confident with Charlie. I guess I have seen and experienced really great examples of girls being friends with their mums. It is much less common to see a man having a good relationship with his Mother.... but I am going to work so hard to try and be Charlie's friend. For always.

He, more than anyone else, has kept me going this year. He has been the easiest baby. He is the baby mothers pray that they will have. I have been able to enjoy him in a way I never managed to enjoy Georgie. (No new-parent terror.) I cannot stop adoring him. This is also my absolute favorite age. From 9 months to about 14 months, I think children are amazingly fun. It was my favorite age group at work.

His gurgling chuckle. The way he crawls when he has something in both hands, or the way he crawls, stiff-legged, when he is naked on the grass. His beautiful pout. The way he sucks his thumb. The way he stands up, and claps for himself. The way he could walk if he wanted to, but chooses not to, because he is cautious. His cheeky grabbing hands.The way he and his sister play. The way he absolutely idolizes his Daddy. He is open and affectionate and everything he should be.

It is amazing and wonderful and terrifying and heart-wrenching and heart-warming and intense and awe-inspring and gratifying and exhausting and beautiful and complete, being this boy's mother.

I love him so.

Happy birthday my Charlie bug.

Love, Mama.

this? it's pretty darn good

So today I wanted to do lots of things. I was hoping to wash clothes, get my house a little more organised, unpack, clean, and catch up with a wonderful friend of mine who has a new baby that I haven't seen yet. I also really wanted to do some blog-catching up while the kids had their daytime naps, because I've got so much to tell you!

I wanted to write about our great week in the city, about how much fun we had, and all the good and bad things that happened. I especially wanted to tell you all about the kids first plane trip and ferry ride, and the fact that on our first night back, both kids slept for 12 hours straight! (yes, it was awesome).

But instead, the little guy decided that today is a day for cuddles. And honestly? He is just so delicious at the moment, that I don't mind. Not one little bit. He is so amazingly cute right now, and I loves him hard!

Catching up

I have been a little overwhelmed by the responses I got from my post yesterday. I'm glad that it touched a chord for so many and I am a bit humbled by it all.

But I figured I've done enough deep lately, so today's post is all about the slightly.

I've borrowed Mum's camera to take some pictures of Georgie, as I haven't taken many recently and she is getting so big all of a sudden. It's amazing how quickly it happens. So here are a few pictures of what's going on here lately.

She is seriously cute at the moment

The bathtub is her favourite place to put things. This can be a big problem when I'm in the shower and she brings me presents!

Someone is currently trying to figure out how to undo the latch for the gate. This too could be problematic.

There is some serious walking going on. I tried to get a proper picture, but she's too quick already!

We are doing a lot of self-feeding. Did I mention the cute?

I am slowly getting there with my checklist. See all the ticks? (And how many more I have yet to do?)

This here is a  recent addition that lives just near our back door. It is so handy and it makes me smile.

Let's go walking....

In the afternoon when we walk, Georgie sits rugged up in the stroller. 

She is just so very cute.

A little whinge, and then I'll be grateful...

Georgie is still sick. She had an ear infection, but seems to be getting over it now. However, now she seems to have developed a bit of a rash from the medication- but we've been to the Doctor and she should be okay. As for me- still getting by. But seriously, is it just me, or is life really, really, really, hard right now? The baby's sick, the dog's sick, I have a pile of folding to do the size of Mount Everest, it's raining and there has been a mouse living in my dryer so I can't use it because clothes come out smelling of mouse wee, (it's on Shane's to-do list) we're having fun new problems with our power (we're hoping that's an Ergon problem though, and therefore up to them to fix it).... but lately, we seem to be lurching from one disaster to another!

Really though, I shouldn't complain... I know things are hard, but I also know many others are dealing with much bigger problems than me right now. Even though everything seems too difficult and things feel like they are going wrong left right and center- they're really not that bad. So here are a few pictures of a couple of things that are going very right...

It's starting to get cold and we're going camping in a few weeks so I put
little Miss in her coat to see if it would fit.

It's a bit big- but she is so very very cute!

I have a pretty good husband. He's seen me struggling a fair bit
recently and went and helped me out! (without even being asked!)

I do not like pumpkin, Mummy Dear. I do not like it. Can't you hear?!

This week we've started a journey into the world of food.....

Ha Ha! Found the camera!

So I finally found the camera (or to be more accurate, started looking for the camera and remembered where I put it). And then after about 10 minutes of searching high and low for the silly cord that connects the camera to the computer I went downstairs to get Shane. And then wouldn't you know it?... as soon as he sighed in a very long-suffering way and came upstairs, I found it! :) Shane just patted me on the head, sighed again and went back downstairs to the shed to make somethingoranother. I think I must posses a wonderful gene or something in me, because I can make my husband and my father sigh in the exact same way.

But anyway! Here's a picture of her royal cuteness and the tongue!



It's out all the time lately! When that tongue's out you know she's happy! I haven't yet taken a photo of the sunnies on her yet- but that will come!

Now I'm off to go do this



Before this

Wakes up.

Oh how I really hate folding! Seriously, I would rather clean the bathroom than fold... in fact I would rather do almost anything than fold! Isn't it funny how most people just have that one horrible housework-y job that they detest? However, I have a husband who seems to wear an awful lot of clothes, a child who likes to poop on an awful lot of clothes, and an unfortunate tendency to ignore the folding in the hope that it will go away (it never does) until it reaches horrifyingly large proportions. See you on the other side!



And another cute photo for good measure :) They are really good friends now! Do you know how many attempts it takes to get a dog and a baby to look at the camera at the same time?



14. :)

Georgie at 5 months loves playing piano with her Daddy.



It was supposed to be a video but blogger is being spooty and won't let it load.