Music baby

I made music for the first time today.

We visited grandma and grandad's house and grandad introduced me to the piano. He played a little tune and showed me how the keys work. I was a little hesitant at first but then jumped into it with gusto. I hit those keys and impressed everyone. Dad says we should record my next recital.

I like music. When dad turns on the stereo or cranks up some music on the computer I get a big grin. And he when he plays air guitar with me I laugh.

Two out of three aint bad

I've been entertaining mum and dad with a couple of new tricks.

As mum swooped in to pick me up today - something she does countless times every day - I lifted my arms up. Mum's impressed, she reckon's it's another example of me learning and responding to what's going on.

We had lots of extra pick-ups during the day to test out my new skill.

Speaking of new skills, dad has found a way for me to showcase my interactiveness. By blowing raspberries. He looks me in the eye, sticks his tongue out and makes a noise. I'll wait a moment, have a think, stick my tongue out, and blow a raspberry of my own. Laughs all round.

Now, there is another thing I started to do today which hasn't been met with much excitement at all. I started to whinge when mum left the room. More than once. I wasn't tired or hungry or uncomfortable either. Mum did explain the concept of 'separation anxiety' to me the other day, and how I shouldn't worry if I can't see her, cause she's still around. But it hasn't stopped me getting a little upset if she, or dad, leave the room - even for a few seconds. I usually have a great time playing with my toys by myself, so hopefully this part of today's activities was just a one-off...

Two sides to every story

Everywhere mum and dad take me I get praise for my perfect behaviour. People can't believe I could ever cause a stink (apart from my nappies) - I even managed to keep my reputation when we were away for four days over Christmas.

But when it's just the three of us, I feel comfortable enough to wind up. Today was one of those days. I had my 'whingy pants', as dad calls them, on.

Dad tried to capture photographic evidence of my inconsolable crying, but each time he clicked the shutter I didn't look distrssed at all. After all, I've got a reputation to maintain!

Clap your hands for more presents

I really like it when dad claps his hands. It makes me laugh. Dad's even got a little song he sometimes sings when he claps for me;

Clapping, clapping, clapping is fun

I like to clap with my dad and my mum

OK, it doesn't quite rhyme, but it does the job.

We got a parcel in the mail today, from the Tillers up north! New clothes - just what mum said I needed - some warmer duds that actually fit me! And a book! And I got another book from Teagan. And a phone toy from Grandma. You know the one, with a pull string and wheels and eyes and a dial that rings when you dial the numbers. The funny thing is, phones don't look like that anymore. But mum and dad told me that there was a time where they had to dial numbers using the round dial rather than punching buttons on a handset. Imagine that!

Home sweet home

I've had some really interesting sleeping habits during our four nights away. I woke up every two to three hours, but went back to sleep quite easily.

Dad had more of a late night role during the holiday, and he tried to reason with me while pacing up and down the room at three o'clock in the morning. It must have worked. He'd put me back in the cot, and pat my back until I stopped crying, and then he'd scoot back to bed while I was still awake. A move that would never work at home, but for some reason it did while we were away.

I didn't enjoy the trip home. I whinged. Enough to warrant an extra stop. At the fruit shops. We had a walk around, bought some mini tomatoes, and hopped back in the car.

I've been the center of attention for the last few days, but mum says it's good to be able to settle back into our routine, and our family of three.

Picnic

Today we had a picnic. My first picnic. And it rained.

Christmas day

My first Christmas.

We got up, and everyone was quite excited. We went to church and I was quite quiet! I did spend a good deal of time peering over mum's shoulder giving funny looks to the people behind us. And then when we met some of grandma and grandad's friends, I wrapped my hand around the man's finger and wouldn't let go!

I finally did let go, and we went home. Then it was time for presents!

I know it's a a cliche, but I really was more interested in the wrapping paper than the presents! And the gift tags! If you want to make a baby happy, give them a present with a big bright gift tag!

My booty included a fire truck and 11 hours of Thomas the tank engine. Aunty Lyndall gave that to me. Dad said it was to torture him! I got a bit tired towards the end of the present giving ceremony and burst into tears when I opened a parcel with a book inside. I really do like books. That book too.

Everyone fussed over me all day, and said sharing my first Christmas made theirs even more special.

Christmas Eve

All the ladies went shopping today, leaving three generations of men at home.

For most of the time we've been away, I've been handed back and forth from relative to relative. But this afternoon dad plonked me down on the loungeroom floor and I stayed put for more than an hour. Entertaining myself.

I stayed on my best behaviour. Impressing grandad, and relieving dad.

When mum got home she was pleased to hear I'd been a good boy, and she gave me a big hug - she said she missed mem even if it was just for a couple of hours.

Naming conventions

We spent the morning packing, the afternoon driving, and the evening reacquainting ourselves with my other grandma and grandad.

Mum and dad were pretty slow packers even before I came along. Throwing in a cot, high chair, and all the other paraphernalia I need, we were an hour behind our ETD.

I slept for most of the trip, and when I woke up I stayed calm, which was a big relief to mum and dad.

I hadn’t seen this grandma and grandad* since I was two months old. They were suitably impressed with my growth, and I impressed them even more with my rolling and sitting up tricks. Even if I dragged out the roll for as long as I could!

*With the hundreds of names kids use for grandparents, how I ended up with two grandmas and two grandads is beyond me.

Originally, mum wanted her parents to be called nanna and pop. Just like she had. Then, dad’s dad said he wouldn’t mind being a ’poppy’ because he really liked his poppy. But mum’s dad didn’t want to be a ‘pop’. And dad’s mum and dad went cold on the ‘poppy’ idea. The washup; I have two grandmas and two granddads.

Red faces

We didn't get a photo with Santa.

Dad had plans to get a t shirt, print 'Santa's Not Real' and let me wear it in a photo with the man in the red suit. He thought it would be brilliant. Mum thought we'd be run out of the shopping center by crazed mothers who don't appreciate irony. There's still tomorrow...

Today was all about visiting friends, having visitors, doing a bit of shopping, and watching dad mow the lawn. Oh, and trying to do a poo.

I've gone a couple of days without any rumbly butt action. In the old days that meant an eventual big explosive poo. But in these days of me eating more solid food, it just means big hard, and hard to get out poos!

I'm not that subtle when I'm doing one. My face goes bright red and I have a look of complete concentration. I sometimes even grab onto the side of the chair for support. And grunt. Mum gets quite concerned, cause she doesn't like to see me struggling, but I don't cry, so it can't be that bad. I did 5 of those today. Only small payloads each time, but enough to keep the change table the busiest part of the house today.

Christmas in early December

I love Christmas!

Not only are there presents, and wrapping paper to rip up and play with, there's lights. Lots of lights.

We went on a light tour tonight and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. As well as the standard 'Christmasy' themes we saw lights in the shape of the Eiffel Tower and a man with a surfboard. I can't remember those two things in the nativity story dad read to me...Maybe it's in the Really Amplified Bible!

We also had Christmas tea and shared gifts with grandma and grandad, nana and uncle Michael. I got into the swing of things pretty quickly. Ripping paper is a skill I've mastered. And the first present I opened was a big train from grandma and grandad. It was very exciting. And they were as excited as I was. In fact, I reckon the adults were a little more excited than me.

I scored all sorts of exciting things, including one of those red and blue round things you put the yellow shapes in. Just like mum and dad both had when they were little. Thanks uncle Dave and Aunty Lisa. Very cool.

We'll have even more Christmas fun on Christmas day. Mum and dad are very excited to share my first Christmas. Tomorrow we might even get a photo with Santa.

Shuffle time

I can almost do all the necessary moves for crawling. The problem is I can't really do them at the same time. I can get myself up on my knees. And I can definately hold my head and arms up. Just not at the same time.

Every now and then mum will give me a bit of a 'lesson', and hold me up to try all the moves at the same time, but I usually just giggle.

I have developed a bit of a backwards shuffle. It started on my change mat. Udually when dad tickles me. I plant both feet on the ground and arch my back, and end up shuffling a couple of centimetres.

Stating the obvious

Mum's been spending the day stating the obvious.

"Mummy's just going to put the washing on the line, I'll be back in a minute". "Mummy's off to the loo, I'll be back in a minute". Some babies my age develop a bit of 'separation anxiety' so mum's keen to explain what she's doing, so I won't get too upset.

"I'll just defrost your pumpkin". They reckon babies start to understand language soon so mum's keen to let me know exactly what's going on. Dad's been getting into the act too, so our house is sounding a little like a lifestyle program; "OK, so now I'm adding a little boiled water to the farex".

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go

It's a week to my first Christmas. That means lots of trips to the shops. We took the pram out yesterday but mum found it more of a hindrance than a help. Always bumping into things and not being able to overtake slow people easily, and getting in other people's way. Today we took the sling. Mum told dad there should be at least one day a week where prams are banned from shopping centres. Sounds controversial. He liked it. We don't use the pram all that often. My two slings are quite comfy, and allow mum to have her hands free. But the heavier I get, the more we'll probably have to resort to the pram. And then we'll be the ones getting in everyone elses roads!

As well as shopping we visited dad at work. We sometimes drop in to say hello, but today was the first time we stayed for lunch. I even got to sit on dad's knee at his desk. He showed me his computer and explained what he does, and I entertianed everyone with my best "ra ra's"

We left dad's office and headed off to visit grandma and grandad at their work.

When we got home I watched dad mow the lawn.

Outside

Dad and I have been spending little bit of time each afternoon on the front porch.

I find I get bored a lot more quickly inside, but outside I can sit quietly for half an hour just looking around.

Today fog started to roll down our street while we were watching. Dad hadn't even seen something like that before, so we're all learning!

What to wear

Mum and dad collected a few pieces of baby clothes before I was born. Usually things on sale. Things they thought looked 'cute'. And things they thought were 'cool'.

We pulled out one of those items today. A baby Ralph Lauren polo. I know. Very spiffy. A lady at church commented on it. We did get it on sale. We should clarify that. I don't want you thinking mum and dad are loony 'my baby must always dress in haute coutre' types. But I have to admit, this shirt looks a tad better than my Target clothes!

I don't wear brand name clothes all the time. We've already gone through the whole 'ninety bucks is crazy for baby sunglasses, even if they are Ray Bans', so there's definately a balance. But we all love the Country Road duds Mike and Ruth gave us. After all, life's way too short to wear daggy gear.

Did you know there are brands most grown ups have never heard of that specialise in tiny sizes, while keeping grown up prices? We never got into those specialist 'baby brands'. Dad reckons they're not as cool as when proper brands make things in baby sizes. He's worked out a scale of 'coolability'. It's way too silly to even share it with you here. The funny thing is, if he had his way I'd be wearing the singlet he made me everyday! And that's about as far away from 'brand name' as you can get!

Washing machines and cricket

I haven't watched much TV in my seven months. But there's one show I never miss. The washing machine show.

Mum does a load of washing most days (thanks to me and my super clothes-soiling abilities!) and she keeps me amused by parking me in my little chair, in front of the front loader. Who would have thought clothes tumbling could be so entertaining?

But not as entertaining as the cricket.

Dad and I sat down this evening and watched the cricket, and when he cheered I'd look at him with a big grin. I was supposed to be in bed. But it's much more exciting to be out where the action is. I'll probably forget this day, but dad says he won't - he thinks it was pretty special - him and me on the couch watching cricket for the very first time. I eventually fell asleep. And stayed asleep for 8 hours!

My ideal toy

I'm seven months old today. I've been around long enough to know what
I like. And if a toy maker gave me a job for designing the perfect toy, here's the features it'd include;

Mirrored bits. I love reflections. So if the toy could be made totally out of mirrors, it would be a bonus.

Shiny satin edges. I love the satin edging on the blanket on mum and dad's bed, and will always lunge for it when I'm allowed in the Big Bed.

Bouncy. For bouncing back to me when I drop it off the edge of my high chair.

Waterproof. For playing in the bath.

Safety tags. For some reason I love pulling and sucking on the warning tags on my toys. I have a toy bug with 6 legs and 4 plastic lugs, and the bit I spend the most time with is the safety tag! So my ideal toy would ditch the legs and lugs for ten safety tags!

Name; I would call it the 'ra ra'.

Now that's a toy worth playing with!

On banning rays and Ray Bans

Being an Aussie kid I'm going to be spending a lot of time outside. And if you're outside you need to wear sun protection. And that includes sunnies. I got my first pair this week.

Most baby sunglasses are brightly coloured ugly things an adult wouldn't consider wearing in a million years. Dad thought it would be cool to get some mini 'aviators'. You know, just like pilots wear. They always look good, and as long as Top Gun is cool, they'll always be cool.

We found some. The real deal. Ray Bans. My size. But with a grown up price tag. And that's where the problem lies. It's great to be able to dress kids in good looking stuff. But it's rather hard to justify spending 90 bucks on a pair of tiny sunglasses when both mum and dad's together didn't cost that much!

So I got some Baby Banz. They don't have arms. They have soft velcro straps to wrap right around my head. I smiled when I tried them on in the shop. If we had to get 'baby' looking glasses, we wanted to get them in a proper colour. And the only proper colour for sunnies is black. Unfortunately, the only colours they had in our local shop were pink and blue! How typical! Seeing we're spending more time outside, and because mum wants to take me for some walks, we decided to get them there and then. Function over fashion, right?

Mum and I gave them a test run this afternoon, and they stayed on. And they don't look too bad do they?

Last day of swimming

I had my last day of aqua play today. And to celebrate dad came along, he even got into the pool with me.

He wasn't quite up to speed on all the songs we sing, and the moves we do in the water, but I was. The first couple of times he went to put me under the water, we only got halfway. I think he was erring on the side of caution! Last week another dad did exactly the same thing with his little swimmer.

I didn't splash much at all today, but I did kick my legs when I was supposed to. I realy loved lying on my back an doing a bit of 'backstroke'.

Next year I'll graduate to 'mums and bubs' class, where we'll do all sorts of exciting things in the pool.

Waterboy

I'll be seven months this week, and with the hot weather we've beenstarting to get Mum thought it was time to get me used to my new sippy cup.

I've been playing with it empty for the past week or so and Mum and Dad did try to give me some milk in it the other day. But today I used it to have my first ever drink of water!

Mum took a swig first to show me how it was done and then it was my turn. After first having a chew on the spout, I actually managed to get some water out of it! But soon I'd had enough and decided it was much more fun to chew on the handle and toss my new sippy cup off the tray of my high chair.

Mmmmm, vegetables

I had the longest daytime sleep in a long time. Three and a half hours! It might have something to do with me being back in my proper cot, and not the portacot. The portacot isn't the most comfy bed.

In the time since we moved my co-ordination has gotten a lot better, and now I can grab and play with the bars on the cot. And roll around a lot more!

I also had my first taste of pre packaged baby food. Usually I eat mushed up fruit or veggies from the blender, but mum grabbed a can of baby food we scored in a baby 'show bag' we were given from our very first antenatal class. It contained 4 vegetables, including pumpkin. I didn't screw up my face at all. Not like the apple or pears. Dad tried a little bit and thought it was rather bland, but that's what we babies like. I'm sure when I'm older dad will remind me I loved veggies when I was little.

Hot pasta is funny

We did a spot of shopping today. I had a great time looking at all the bright things on the shelves. And trying to grab them. I ended up doing the best out of the trip to the shops. I scored a couple of new shirts, a pair of pants and some singlets.

When we got home mum and I were sitting on the couch in the loungeroom and she was eating some pasta. It was hot, so she blew on each spoonful before eating it. I thought it was hilarious, letting out a huge belly laugh. I've never laughed so hard before. I can't explain exactly what it so funny about someone cooling a spoonful of pasta, but it is.

Mum and dad got my proper cot from storage and built it in the spare room. We're all hoping for a good night's sleep.

You can see the world from here

I got a highchair today.

After six months of sitting in my rocker during meals, mum and dad thought it was about time I could sit up and see all the action on the top of the table. And I love it.

It folds down easily and we'll probably take it everywhere we go. Along with my rocker, pram and portacot, not to mention my nappy bag, toys and baby carriers. It's a wonder there's room for mum and dad in the car!

We tested the highchair at Anita's house. I stayed up as late as the adults did, outlasting a two year old and a four year old (ok, I did have a couple of power naps on various knees, but nothing too long). Everyone was quite impressed with my quietness and cuteness.

Coffee club

I love going out for coffee. We've been doing that a bit this week. Today I sat up on the couch at a coffee shop for nearly an hour and a half, quietly playing with my soft bug toy. For a nearly-seven-month-old that's quite an achievement. It impressed one of mum's long lost friends. It also impressed the couple sitting at a table near us, who kept looking over at me smiling. It even impressed the waitress, who called me a 'gorgeous little baby' more than once. And all that impressing surely impressed mum, whichis a very good thing because I'm still not sleeping through the night.

I'm trying my best to impress mum during the day, because at night I use up the goodwill pretty quickly! Dad got called in to help last night after I wouldn't settle. It took an hour. But come morning everyone forgets those little episodes when I smile and giggle and have a laugh eating my mushy apple stuff.

Photos and farex

We tried to take another family photo today. Same result as yesterday. Mum and dad noth laughed. Usually I love the camera, and will stare at it for each click of the shutter. So we've got another bunch of photos featuring the back of my head!

This week I've been having apple mixed with my Farex. It's not too bad. And we're all getting better at not making a mess. Mummy B tells us us she reared grandma on Farex. How about that. She didn't have a vibrating rocker though.

Mum and I went visiting today. I met another little baby. And I clonked my head on the wooden floor when I flopped backwards after sitting up. But it wasn't too bad, I think got more of a fright than anything. Usually when I do my sitting up exercices with dad I'm on the soft bed, so I guess it was a bit surprising the find a hard floor after sitting up. I think mum might sit me on soft furnishings for the next little while.

Poser

We tried to take some family photos this afternoon. For the Christmas cards. Unfortunately, one of us didn't want to co-operate!

I looked everywhere except where I was supposed to. And I got a little too distracted by the flowers behind us. so we moved, and I got distracted by the fruit in the trees. So we have nice photos of mum and dad smiling at the camera, and the back of my head!

My trip to the pool was a lot more successful. Yes, I splashed. Grandma and grandad came to watch me go through my paces, and were suitably impressed. I'm getting a lot better at going under the water.

I'm a sitter, not a sleeper

Our practicing has paid off and I'm now a ridgey didge sitter upperer.

6 minutes and 38 seconds. That's how long I sat up on the big bed until we all got bored.

I was wearing a short jumsuit with my legs exposed, which may be better than the full wondersuit I was wearing the other day. You know, for enchanced grip and balance. Whatever the reason, I'm quite chuffed, and usually wear a big grin when I'm sitting next to dad.

Everyone's hoping my next trick will be sleeping through the night. Last night was a bit of a doozy, leaving us all bleary eyed this morning.

Social butterfly

Dad joked that I have a busier social life than he does.

This week I'm out most days;

Monday - Mothers group. Mum met up with one of the mums from swimming lesson and it turns out she has her own mothers group for first time mums and their 'pre-walking' babies. A couple of the kids were born the same week as me! Mum says its great to be able to compare notes with other mums in the exact same situation as her. I think she breathed a sigh of relief when another mum announced that her 10 month old wasn't sleeping through the night. Surely I'll be by then...Of course, in true LLR fashion, the first get-together we attended was the last one of the year!

Tuesday - Playgroup. Most kids are a bit older than me and running about. The mums don't talk about the same things as the other group, probably because they're not all first timers.

Wednesday - Swimming. Everyone laughed at my splashing antics last week. I wonder what I'll do to entertain the crowd this time...

Thurdsay - Visiting. Mum caught up with an old uni friend, who happens to have a baby my age. No doubt there will be many stories shared of late nights and dirty nappies!

Friday - The only day in my week free. But there's plenty of time to fill it up. Poor dad, he goes to work, and we have all the fun.

I think I would have broken the 36 second sitting up record, but dad didn't have the stopwatch when we were playing this afternoon. Tomorrow we're aiming to crack the three-quarter of a minute mark! While we weren't timing sit-ups I impressed dad with a move very loosely related to a crawl. Very loosely. But I did move. About a centimetre. But still, a centimere's a centimetre. I seem to have the theory right, it's just a matter of co-ordinating my legs and arms, but at the moment I'm too busy impersonating gorillas and trying to beat my sitting up record to worry about crawling!

Carols

We went to carols by candlelight in the park. We only decided to go five minutes before it started, so by the time we got there there weren't too many good places to sit. We bumped into a friend and they let us share some of their family picnic rug. Sitting behind people on fold up chairs, we couldn't see a thing, or hear much for that matter becasue the sound system wasn't very loud, so the adults spent the night talking, and I jsut did my best to look cool in my crocodile tracksuit. I was quite tired and finally fell asleep as the last song was sung.

I woke up for the fireworks. They were great. I think mum and dad were wondering if I'd find the noise and the brightness a bit overwhelming, but I just stared and concentrated on the sky. They didn't need to worry, if there's one thing a Long Lived Rocker knows, it's that I love lights!

Sitting up

Dad and I had some sitting up practice today.

My best unassisted time was 36 seconds before I flopped backwards.

We used the big bed because it's quite soft, a lot softer than the hard wooden floors all through the house.

I would probably have sat up for a lot longer if it wasn't for the mirror on the wardrobe. It distracted me and inspired me to bring out the 'gorilla arms'. And that was enough to tip me off balance and topple over.

Dad would pull me back up and we'd start the stopwatch again.

It was good fun. And kept me, and dad, entertained for ages.

Completing the set

I've met all my grandparents. Including the great ones. Well, they're all great, but after visiting mum's other nana in the nursing home I can relax knowing I've met all the oldies. The general consensus is that I look a little more like dad, and that's OK, cause he's a boy, and so am I!

Even though she doesn't register with a lot that goes on, we had some lovely cuddles. She said I had nice soft skin. I treated her to my most earnest "ra ra's" and she reckons I'd make a good preacher.

When we got home* I'd moved onto "ba ba's", and treated dad to a short sermon;



Seeing where we're up to in our nightly stories, I'd say it's about Lazarus.

*After a very sad car trip - I cried for most of the two hour trip - both there and back.

Captain snooze is bananaman

I'm happy to report I've managed to go to sleep the last couple of nights without too much fuss. This is in sharp contrast to earlier days where I would carry on like a pork chop and 'convince' mum and dad that I needed to be in the loungeroom with them until about 9 o'clock, when I'd fall asleep on one of their shoulders. I think the baby whisperer would have something to say about this technique. Something like 'accidental parenting'! Bt i's hardly accidental when they knew what was going on, and why it was bad. So we'll have to come up with another term. But after a couple of changes to routine, and some changes in my attitude, I've taken to falling asleep in my cot! Fancy that. And not waking up five minutes later. Brilliant! I'm still having a couple of feeds during the night - usually at 11 and 3.

Speaking of feeds, I had my first taste of banana today. Dad was in charge of the feed, and this time we managed to get most of the food into my mouth. Dad reckons the trick is timing the spoon to avoid the 'crazy arms'. He'd wait for me to pause, and to stop grabbing at the spoon, and then make his move. The banana inspired less screwed up faces than the pears did. So at the moment it appears banana and carrot share equal billing on my 'top food' list.

Gorilla goes underwater

Swimming lesson #4. I was excited before we even got in the pool.

My latest trick is to lift both hands above my head and flop them down together on my tummy. Dad calls it my 'gorilla move'. It's quite similar to my air-drumming moves, as if both hands were hitting the snare drum at the same time. I do this move when I'm excited. And I was sure excited to be at the pool again. I pulled out the gorilla move when we arrived and didn't stop until the lesson was finished. And the best thing about pulling this move in the pool is the splashing!

I splashed everywhere. I even had to move out of the circle of babies because I kept splashing a four month old sitting next to me.

I even kicked all by myself. Usually mum helps my little legs when they sing the personalised swimming song, "this is the way that Noah kicks, Noah kicks, Noah kicks..."

And to top of this wonderful time, I went underwater! Five times! And loved it.

Got teeth?

Almost everyone I meet tells me I must be teething. We've been hearing it so often, mum went out and got me some teething gel. It's because I have a constant stream of dribble. I reckon I've left my DNA all over the place!

No teeth yet.

Mummy B says I've got pretty hard gums, and I like to 'chomp' on things. So teeth might be just around the corner.

We waved goodbye to my great grandma this morning, and jumped back in the car for another big long car drive. I handled myself better than the first trip. But it did take longer. We got home, I had a bath and two nappy changes, and then went straight to sleep. Tired boy.

Holiday sleeps

I had a two hour sleep today. That may not be very exciting for most babies my age, but I have really struggled with daytime sleeps lately. And seeing I'm not home, it's a big deal.

In addition to sleeping we all went down to the river. We considered going for a splash in the water, but there's not a lot of water in the river, and the little weir dad used to swim in as a boy looked a litle worse for wear. So we took a few quick pictures and jumped back in the car.

Mummy B's house is on the highway so all sorts of interesting cars drive past the front porch. Dad and I sat on the verandah for ages watching the traffic go by. I particularly liked the big trucks.

It's been quite warm. And my warm weather grobag got left at home so mum wrapped me in a wrap for the first time in months. It worked. I slept quite well.

Echo....echo

Today I visited the church my grandad and grandma were married in. The same church they farewelled my Daddy B. It's a special church in our family. It's an old church too. And it echoes. I know, because I 'said' a few things during the service!

Dad came up with a formula a couple of months ago; a minute of baby crying is worth about five normal minutes. He's got another one; the noise a baby makes in church is amplified tenfold. A simple 'ahhh' in church becomes as loud as a lawnmower! It's probably because we babies can time our announcements perfectly. Why let out a big sigh in the middle of a hymn when you can do it in the pause between "let us pray" and the prayer!

Mum took me up the back for most of the service, but for the first part I sat on Mummy B's lap and had a wonderful time.

This afternoon we went out to an olive grove and had afternoon tea with Uncle Ian and Aunty Diana. I've been having a wonderful time meeting family and having lots of cuddles and photos.

Life is a highway

I love car rides. But there really is too much of a good thing. And too much is six hours straight.

We hit the road to visit Mummy B, my great grandma, for the weekend.

I strapped in and went straight to sleep. I woke up an hour later. Still in the car. I talked to mum a bit. Cried for a bit. And went back to sleep.

In BC days, 'before child', mum and dad would power through long car trips, petrol and food stops timed to the minute. It's a bit different now. We were going to stop at a nice park for my feed and a walk to stretch our legs. But I was fast asleep when we arrived, so mum suggested we keep going until I woke up. I woke up two minutes down the road!

When we got to our destination I was a little dopey, and stayed that way for the rest of the day. I think all those hours in the car did it.

Junk mail

Dad and I were reading brochures at the table the other night. Well, that's only partly true. Dad did the reading, and I did the grabbing and shoving in mouth. I was sitting on his lap, and every time he picked up a new brochure I would lunge with an open mouth and outstretched arms. By the time we were done I had a big grin wrapped around my face, and a big pile of ripped up paper on the floor.

Today, Mum and I paid a visit to the post office and we found a blue slip indicating a parcel to pick up. Mum was excited about the parcel. I was excited about the blue slip. While she was standing in line getting all the post sorted, I was busy 'decorating'. By the time mum got to the counter we had a very slobbery piece of a cardboard, with a corner bitten off! The man at the counter laughed, and so did mum, but she was a little embarrassed.

A little carrot goes a long way

I had my first taste of carrot today. I seem to like it more than pears. Far fewer screwed-up faces. But boy, can it make a mess.

After breakfast everything had an orange hue because I've got a little habit of taking things into my own hands. My waving crazy hands! I like to grab the spoon, and I'm not that accurate. I usually get the food in my mouth. And all over my face. And my hands. And in my hair. And, quite impressively, on my feet!

We even found some in my toenails later during the day!

Dad and I hung out by ourselves tonight when mum had a haircut. It was fine until I got a bit impatient when it was time for my bottle. Dad had to warm it up, and with a whinging baby it feels a lot longer than it actually is. When mum got home we were all smiles all perched up on the couch.

Doing a poo in the car is a good thing...

...When you're driving to a swimming lesson!

Mum put me in the car a couple of minutes before we were ready to leave for the pool. It turned out to be a masterstroke. As you know, I find my carseat rather relaxing.

As annoying as it was to get me out of the seat and my little swimming nappies, mum and dad were just thankful that I went before we got to the pool. Just imagine. Mum talked to the other mums at swimming, and it seems to be a common fear that one of us littlies is going to disgrace ourselves in the pool.

I had a good time in the pool, practicing my kicking and enjoying the water toys. Next week I'm going to be fully dunked. Yay!

The teacher says babies sleep quite well the day of a swim. I did my best to prove her wrong, but finally shut my eyes at 8:30pm. I did manage to see dad off, he tried to get me to sleep, but lately I'd rather mum.

It's a laughing matter

Mum and I went shopping and it was fun. Funny too. And bumpy. Especially when you're the passenger in the shopping trolley and you drive over the little grey protruding dots on the tiles at the entrance to the supermarket. I thought it was hilarious. Seeing no one else was around at the time mum turned the trolley around and we drove over the dots again. And again. I laughed and laughed each time.

I was still laughing when we got home and mum rang dad so he could join in the fun. She put him on speaker phone, and every time he talked I paused, looked at the phone, and then went back to giggling.

Dad and I had had more sitting up practice when he got home from work. And I did my first 360 degree roll. Well, the first one to be witnessed. Usually I'll roll from my tummy to my front, but this time I just kept going. I can sit up for a few seconds by myself. Dad says he's going to get out the stop watch and see what kind of record we can set tomorrow.

The sleep rollercoaster

I've been having trouble sleeping. Our plan from a few days ago sort of stopped, and I got back into the swing of staying up late and sleeping in the big bed.

Mum reckons I might be finding the travel cot a bit uncomfy. I carry on when I'm put down after my bath until someone gives in and picks me up and takes me to the loungeroom for a big cuddle. My only mistake is that I let out a big grin a bit too soon for mum's liking. I'll often fall asleep in mum or dad's arms a few minutes later. But mum and dad are a bit concerned, and are getting ready for a campaign of 'tough love'.

I must have caught wind of the plan, because tonight I went down straight after tea, for the first time in ages.

False alarms and tropical poos

We almost got through the weekend without a nappy disaster.

Yesterday we went looking at carpet and tiles for our new house. We walked into the shop and dad heard, and felt, a big noise from my nappy. I hadn't gone to the loo for a day or so, so he feared the worst. "Jodie. Poo. Now!" He whispered as loud as he could. We all got to the car, cleaned off the backseat, set up the travel change mat, got all the bits and pieces needed for a change, and found out it was a lot of hot air!

So we went back tile and carpet shopping!

Today we decided to go for a walk in the park. We got ourselves all sorted, mum put on the hug-a-bub, we drove to the park, we got out of the car, and mum noticed an orange stain on her shirt. It was on my pants too. It was coming out of my pants! Ewwwww! It was a beauty. Fortunately the travel change mat was set up from yesterday's episode. We had a small sample pack of 8 baby wipes. We used them all. My clothes were dirty. Mum's were too. The weird thing is that mum and dad reckon the poo smelled a bit 'tropical'. Thanks to my diet of pears? Maybe it was just the smell of the trial baby wipes. Or maybe all these false alarms and emergency car changes have made them go a little batty!

When I'm good and ready

It's true I have a rather short attention span. But I'm not a fan of change for the sake of change.

Take this afternoon for instance, I was sitting up on the loungechair. Yes, sitting up! OK, 25% sitting, 75% propping. But I'm getting a lot more steady in my sitting, and doing far fewer 'face plants'.

But I was happy just playing with my centepede toy. For ages. Mum thought I might have been getting bored, so moved me to my playmat where all my other toys were, and where I like to practice my rolls. I gave it a go for a few seconds, but that was about it, I didn't like it. So she picked me up and gave me a cuddle. Even that wasn't good enough. I eventually got put back exactly where I had been. On the couch, next to dad. All smiles.

Of needles and laughs

I had my six monthly visit to the doctor today. I passed all the tests and have clocked over seven kilos!

I had to get a couple of needles, and had no worries at all. The first one came and went without even a whimper. I did cry a little bit with the second, but by the time mum picked me up and gave me a cuddle I was back to my smiling self.

When we got home I put on a show for mum complete with giggles and big laughs. She rang dad at work and let him liste in on the performance. He loved it, and said later he felt like turning off his computer and racing home to give me a big cuddle. He doesn't like missing any of my milestones. But when he did get home we had a play and a big cuddle.

Vacuum cleaners, blenders, and other scary things

I'm not scared of every loud noise. I've been through a couple of thunderstorms and the big claps of thunder haven't scared me yet. But there is something that makes me screw up my little face and cry.

The vacuum cleaner!

Mum discovered my aversion to the vacuum cleaner a little while ago, so now whenever she uses it, dad whisks me into another room.

I also don't like the blender. It freaked me out when mum gave some pears a bit of a burst.

But it wasn't the vacuum cleaner or the blender that woke me up tonight, we think it might have been the loud boom othat came from the neighbouring room, thanks to dad saving the world with his new computer game. Even though the sound was turned down really low, it wasn't quite low enough, and we think we might need to move the subwoofer speaker which happens to sit directly opposite my cot!

Six monthly service

I'm six months old!

Time to take stock.

My latest trick is the 'ra ra's. I love mirrors. I am ticklish on my tummy. I still try and self soothe with gurgles and raspberries. I seem to expect new people will smile at me, and I'll stare at them until they do. I'm still having trouble sleeping through the night. My fingernails grow very fast. I have scratched myself with them. I seem to like people with glasses, but I don't grab at them. I do grab at most other things. I still dribble like a world champion. Mum's been leaving my bib on just to soak up some of the wetness, otherwise I'm having a few shirt changes each day. I can roll over. Usually from my tummy to my back, but mum did catch me going the other way too. I am growing out of most of my first lot of clothes, so it looks like we'll be going shopping soon. We're up to Jesus' miracles in my Beginner's Bible. I seem to like the magpies in the yard. I really like watching the washing go round and round in the front loader we have here. I love my bathtime now.

Ra ra ra ra ra

Maybe it's just a coincidence, but since I started eating my rice pudding I've started 'talking'.

The mouth movements are exactly the same as the first time I ate with a spoon, which is exactly the same kind of movement grown ups make when they chew chewing gum with their mouth open.

I don't know if I'm consciously practising the eating thing, but I'll be sitting in my chair and all of a sudden I'll start opening and closing my mouth, and a couple of seconds later I'll add the noises. It's the same thing each time, 'ra ra ra ra ra'. The only variation is the length of the 'ra's. Sometimes it's 'raaaaaaa'.

Mum and dad both enjoy 'chatting' to me when I'm in full flight. It's certainly a sight to see a little man like me in an animated conversation. Even if I only talk about the one thing!

My routine is anything but

For the last couple of weeks my sleeping and eating patterns have been all over the place. It started with our move to the new house, especially when we packed away my cot.

While other kids my age, and some even younger, have started to sleep the night through, I've been waking up a few times every night. On the weekend it was every two hours, and that made mum and dad tired, grumpy, and determined to get me and my routine back on track.

My proper cot is still in storage, waiting until we move into our proper house. I'm supposed to be doing my sleeping in the port-a-cot. It's in mum and dad's room, but we all know it's more fun to sleep in the big bed, so I've been carrying on in the wee small hours, and we all know how a whinge at 3am ends up, with three in the bed!

But enough is enough. Mum announced we are about to start a strict routine. No more two hourly night time feeds. No more staying up late. She's even brought in reinforcements in the form of formula. Dad's a key part of this campaign too. It's his job to get me back to sleep during the night, cause there's no way I can demand a feed from him, no matter how hard I cry! This is a big problem, because he's a firm believer in the AM/PM plan we used to have. He doesn't like being up half the night and having to work the next day. So after 45 minutes of me howling at 3am, he decided it was time to call in reinforcements of his own. That didn't go down very well, so all three of us were rather grumpy in the morning.

Cut it out

I've always been tall for my age. And my weight. I guess we can start using the word 'tall'. All my official baby related documents use the word 'length'. But you don't hear adult saying, 'gee, that's a long basketball player'. Just because we can't stand up yet doesn't me we can't be tall!

Anyway, back to my story...

Mum noticed that while I had a decent amount of room in the tummy area of my wondersuit, my feet were a little on the cramped side.

In a perfect world I'd be a size between 00 and 0. But until they start making clothes 'for the slender baby' we had to improvise.

With scissors!

Two quick snips and I'm feeling free in my wondersuit. Dad reckons I look a little bit like bigfoot. But it's a lot more comfortable than having my feet curled up. And if it gets cold (which it has been lately) I can always put on some socks!!

Solid rock

I had my first meal of solid food today! Of all the wonderful foods that exist in this world, guess what I ended up with. Fruit? No. Veggies? No. Seafood? Of course not. If you guessed 'weird mushy rice cereal' you'd be right. And your prize can be a half eaten packet of said mushy rice cereal!

Generations of kids have grown up eating this stuff, so I guess it can't be too bad, but I wasn't too sure when I first tasted it;

I was more taken with the spoon than the actual food, but I kept eating until there was none left.

Mum thought it was quite fun to buy my first spoon. And little frozen food cube trays. And sippy cup. It's a whole new world of eating!

She was also impressed when I downed 220ml of baby formula at tea time. It was the first time I've had formula. I'm a breast milk baby. But I've gotten into the habit of having a few too many feeds during the night, so having a bit of formula is supposed to help wean me off those extra feeds. We'll see how it goes, bottles can't match breasts!

Next week we're adding pears to my diet. Such excitement!

Bathtime just got a lot more fun

I must have been paying close attention during my swimming lesson, because I tried out some of the techniques in the bath tonight!

Usually I keep one hand firmly wrapped around the side of my bath, and keep a foot or my butt on the ground. But this time I lay on my back and floated! I've never done that before.

And then I was so excited I tried to stand up!

To add to all this excitement mum got me my very own bath toy! It might even be better than the one we had at the pool. It spins around and has a round bit on one side and purple bendy bits on the other side. Very spiffy.

Family meeting

Mum and I hit the road today to meet some more family.

So far I've met grandad and grandma on both sides, a great nana on mum's side, and today it was great grandad and nan on dad's side. All that's left is a Mummy B and another great nana, and I will have completed the set!

Nan says I look like dad when he was a baby, and share a few traits with his cousin Sam.

When I met grandad I poked my tongue out and blew a big raspberry. But I wasn't being rude! It's just my new thing.

I also met another second cousin. Georgia is younger than me, but a bit bigger, but not as big as my other second cousin Ezra, who I'm sure is training to be a sumo!

While our mums shared late night nappy changing stories, Georgia cried, and I joined in sympathy!

In all the excitement mum forgot to take a photo of me and the rellies! That's OK, it's an excuse to visit again soon for lots more cuddles.

Water baby

Look out Thorpey, I had my first swimming lesson today.

My 'lil swimmers' nappies were a little on the baggy side, but mum fastened them as tight as she could, and we hoped the heated pool wouldn't make me feel as relaxed as I sometimes do in my carseat!

My class is called 'Aqua Play'. And boy did we play. Half an hour of singing nursery rhymes and aquainting ourselves with the world of swimming.

We did a bit of kicking, we did a bit of floating, and we generally splashed about.

There were some bigger kids in another class next to us and they were even going under the water! And jumping from the sides to their mums and dads! One day that will be me.

Dad was able to start work a bit late and watch all the fun of my first lesson. He says it was a very special thing, one more 'first' for me. And one more first for mum and dad too.

I slept through the race that stopped the nation

Melbourne Cup day!

We started today just like any other big sporting day. With dad making me pick a winner!

He wrote down all the horse names and threw them down on my playmat and the first one I grabbed would be my pick. Now, it's a little tricky, because I'm still not really mobile, so the ones laid out right in front were always going to be in with the best chance.



After a brief flirting with 'Purple Moon' I settled on 'Master O'Reilly'. That was good, it was the race favourite. Dad went to the TAB and put some money onto the horse for me.

By racetime I was having a snooze. And so was Master O'Reilly! That breaks my 100% winning streak. Stupid horse racing.

Fortunately dad put my name in the office sweep and I won! So I'm up a whole dollar on my first Melbourne Cup.

The discovery channel

Mum and dad are enjoying me discovering the world around me.

Case in point; At bathtime I've been quite busy learning to kick and splash with my feet. Usually I hold on to the sides of the baby bath with my hands. But today I let go and put my hand in the water. I did it slowly and methodically at first, and then when I figured out it was safe, hit the water harder and splashed with my hand. It was only a little thing, but when you're not quite six months old, there's a lot to learn, and everything is rather new.

My co-ordination is getting better too. My hands are no longer attached to wild and crazy arms that whip about with no control. I can now grab at things purposefully. In fact, I grab at everything!

I've got a new little sneeze noise too. I sneeze quite often (usually in twos) but now the sneeze is followed by a sigh of relief. "Achoo. Achoo. Ahhhhh". It's very cute.

Self soothing

I love cuddles from mum and dad when I'm feeling sad. But I've been doing my best to soothe myself when all isn't well.

I've road tested a couple of different comfort tools.

In the old days, when I was a wee baby, I would press the palm of my hand against the back of my head. Mum and dad first noticed this move in the car, and then later on inside when I was feeling sort of stressed. It was a handy non-verbal cue, and if they caught me in time, they could cuddle and coo and ahh before I pulled out the verbal cues.

These days it's all about the gurgle. I sometimes wake up in the night and if I'm not too hungry, I'll gurgle myself back to sleep. I gurgle on my playmat, and in the car too. Of course, sometimes a gurgle won't do and I'll need a bit more help, but it's a handy thing to try before I call for reinforcements.

Rasberries, stinkypants and rockstars

Aunty Lyndall came to visit today, and gave me a new t-shirt. It has a slogan on the front; "Captain Stinkypants". How fitting! It's a little big for me at the moment, but as soon as I grow into it I'll post a photo. To thank her, I decided to try out some new skills. I sat in my chair blowing bubbles and rasberries! Everybody laughed, including me. I thought it was great to have three adults all coo'ing over me...

We went out for dinner tonight. Just like last night. In fact, it was exactly like last night, because we went to the same place!

Once again, I was on my best behaviour, and everyone commented on how easy going I am. Mum and dad are very happy I go with the flow these days.

This time we played Singstar (for those unfamiliar with this, it's a playstation game where you have a microphone and sing along to songs and are scored by the computer for how well you hold the notes and melody - two people sing at the same time, and it's a lot of fun, especially for the onlookers). I'm not old enough to have a go, but I sat on mum's knee and watched very intently. I had a look of shock and awe when dad belted out a song. I looked him straight in the eye for a good few seconds, wondering what on earth was going on, but I didn't cry.

I don't know how I managed it, but after a few songs I actually fell asleep, despite the blaring music and the loud wails of wannabe rock stars.

Dad reckons I'd be good at that game, I sometimes ooh and ahh a lot, and can hold a note for a while. Unfortunately, they don't have any songs I know. Not even 'special man'.

Scratched

I'm sporting a few scratches. The biggest one is on my nose. We reckon we know who the culprit is. Me! Mum clipped my fingernails recently, but she thinks I managed it with something else. My toenails! I'm pretty good at getting my feet in my mouth, but sometimes I wave my legs around so much they go all over the place, including wacking myself in the head.

Today wasn't all about scrathes. I spent a good deal of time in the car. The car makes me relaxed. When I'm relaxed I do a poo. Today's poo was a beauty. We got home, mum started to change me, and then I did something I've never done before. I shoved my hand in it before mum could whisk all the offending stuff away. Eeeewww! Not only did she have to clean my butt, but also my hands. That's hopefully the last time I ever do that!

After those two events, today was fantastic. We went out to tea and had a grand time. I was on my best behaviour. I didn't grizzle for the whole time were out. I really love going out, conversations always seem interesting, and meeting new people is always exciting. I hope we go back to Andy and Wendy's. They've got Singstar, and I'm sure I'd love to slobber all over the microphones!

Taking cues

I often get little frights.

Today mum was getting some ice out of the freezer and there was a big crash. I jumped, and started to screw up my face, as I do before I burst into 'I'm freaked out' cries. But mum looked me in the eye and coo'd and ahh'd and prevented a meltdown. Phew.

I've found myself taking behaviour cues from mum and dad. I'll lock my eyes onto theirs and if they smile and let me know everything's cool, then I'll relax.

When I have a shower with mum, dad will stand by and watch me, to make sure everything is ok. I'll stare at him with a concerned look, until he tells me everything's fine. Then I'll be dunked under the water, and look back at dad. He'll tell me everything's cool, I'll smile, and then I'll go under the water again.

If they're happy, I'm happy.

Sometimes it doesn't quite work. Dad was playing with me yesterday, and got a little too loud for my liking, and I screwed up my face, he coo'd and aah'd but it wasn't enough - I wailed and wailed. I even tried out some new cries - very high pitched. But I settled down a minute or so later and we went back to playing on the floor again. Quietly!

Haircut - beta version

Mum and I went to the hairdresser today. Her hair had been hanging in her eyes, so decided it was time for a quick trim. I sat in the pram, quite interested with all the goings on.

When mum was finished she noticed that my hair had been hanging in my eyes, so decided it was time for a quick trim. I sat on mum's lap, the hairdresser put a cape on me, which quickly found its way to my mouth! A couple of seconds later my fringe was a lot shorter.

All my hair growing effort has been at the front. All the other bits have stayed rather short. It's slowly getting darker, and I've still got my 'Friar Tuck' at the back. For th past month or so mum and dad have been combing my fringe over, parting it on the side, but it sometimes looked a bit too much like an old bloke's comb-over. And seeing I'm not yet six months, there's better ways to wear your hair!

Dad says that because it was just a bit off the fringe, it wasn't a proper haircut. More like a pre-haircut. A beta version!

Get in my tummy!

I’ve developed a bit of a habit of needing to touch whatever the closest adult is holding.

If mum has it in her hand I want it in my mouth! Not all the time, sometimes it’s just enough for me to pat it with my hand. But I usually try to get it in my mouth.

Mum grabbed a can of deodorant, put it on the table, and the next thing it was in my mouth!

Fortunately the lid was on, or the fifth thing I would have ever tasted (behind milk, Mylanta, baby panadol, and the rotavirus vaccine) would have been rather yukky! Gosh, apart from the milk, that’s not a very yummy looking list at all is it?

It's not long until I'm going to start on solids. 'Solids' is a bit misleading. 'Mashed to kingdom come' is a bit closer to the mark. Mum told dad we'd probably start with more veggies than fruit, because she read once kiddies get a taste for sweet things they don't want anything else. But there's always exceptions to the rule, and most little people we've come across have quirky eating habits and tastes.

A night out

Mum and dad went out for dinner tonight. A fancy dinner. Without me!

It's the first time they've had a dinner since I was born, and seeing it was mum's birthday, a fitting occassion to dump me with grandma and grandad and uncle Michael. 'Dump' really isn't the appropriate word, we all had a great time. Mum and dad had a good time too. They finished their meal quicker than they expected, and even though they had a chance to go for a nice stroll after their dinner, they both wanted to get back home to see me. How nice.

They had some birthday cake, and when no one was looking dad let me lean in and shove my hand in the icing! Mum quickly grabbed my hand before I could get it in my mouth, and she licked the chocolate icing off, much to my delight - I think it tickled!

How to impress mum and dad at church

New town. New church.

Apart from my very first trip, we've always been quite confortable as a family heading off to church. I've bee pretty relaxed, and apart from the odd well timed 'laaaaa', usually during a quiet prayer time, or just when the preacher pauses for dramatic effect, I've been a model citizen.

Today I gave the perfect example of how a baby should behave.

I was cute, quiet, and didn't get fidgity until the very end of the service.

Mum and dad were prepared. They did a 'rekky' - charting the best course from our seat (in the back corner) for the creche and figuring out where the closest exits were for a quick, and silent getaway. But we didn't need any of that. I actually fell asleep in mum's arms during the sermon. It's a habit mum and dad hope I keep up. Not sleeping in the sermon, but in mum's arms - especially without a feed-song-rocking-patting routine. Praise the Lord!

Rumbly Butt and the clothesline adventure

I had a rumbly bottom today. I don’t know if it was something I ate. I mean, I only eat one thing. So maybe it was something mum ate! We haven’t had pizza for a while, I think we all know how that one went. But our diet hasn’t changed that much recently. After the first couple of farts dad laughed, but after a while, even he thought of fitting some sort of muffler to my nappy.

Sometimes they’re SBDs - but even then I can’t hide them, especially if someone’s holding me - a telltale noise from my duds will give the game away. And there’s no dog in our household to blame!

Mum made the 'mistake' of laughing a bit too much after I did one, and I seemed to cotton on, so the next time I let one rip I gave out a little laugh. That made her laugh even more. It's obviously a little dangerous to start laughing at things that aren't supposed to be funny but what kid (or adult, come on, admit it) hasn't laughed at a well timed blow-off.

But that wsn't the only thing I did today. Fortunately. I helped mum get the washing off the clothesline this afternoon. I’d never seen a clothesline before. In the old house we had little drying racks in the garage, so this was a special occasion. Mum would unpeg the dry clothes and I would hang over her shoulder grabbing and slobbering on the clothes still on the line! So now our clothes come with a ready made wet patch!

Happy Mexicans

Mum and I did a bit of unpacking while dad was at work, but when he got home he and I had a grand time laughing and playing. I found his ‘one man Mexican wave’ hilarious. I’m laughing a lot more than I used to, and mum says it’s lovely to hear her ‘two boys’ chatting and laughing and playing.

I also discovered more wonders at bathtime. Ever since we gave back the borrowed baby bath stand I've been having showers with mum. And as exciting as they are, we're not really sure how clean I was getting, because nobody around here wanted to lather up a baby with soap. Especially a squirmy baby. So we decided to put my blue bath in the big bath and give it a go. Mum had to hold me in a different way, but I loved it. I discovered what my restless legs can do in the water. Splash! Water went everywhere, and we all had a good laugh.

Bye bye house

When we finally got the house completely empty and cleaned, and the cars fully loaded, we drove out the driveway for the last time.

The only house I’ve ever lived in. Not that I seemed too sad.

We didn’t get far. I needed a feed. So we had a quick roadside stop. We got on the road but didn’t get far. Again. The little car overheated. I was sleeping by that time, so as mum and dad had all sorts of excitement with fountains of coolant flowing out of radiators, and lost radiator caps, I slept in the other car.

We finally made it back on the road a couple of hours after we should have, and after one extra food stop (for me) our little convoy finally made it to grandma and grandad's place for a feed (for mum and dad) and a good night's sleep.

Emergency kit

Dad was supposed to go and meet the truck at the storage centre, but he was sick. So mum woke me up, got me dressed, and gave me a 20 minute powerfeed before we hit the road.

I had a case of the sads when we arrived but grandma was there to give me a big cuddle, and after mum gave me a feed I was whisked off to her house to hang out in my chair while mum directed furniture traffic.

When that was all done we had a quick trip to the new house to drop off a few essentials.

A few hours later we were back at the old house. Dad was feeling a bit better, and when it came time for bed mum made an interesting discovery; the load of essentials sent to the new house included all my nappies!

Fortunately mum had packed an emergency kit before I was born, and it was sitting in the boot of the car, for days just like this. It had 3 nappies in it. All newborn size! That's what you get when you pack the kit before the baby's born! Fortunately, the good thing about being skinny is that those little nappies still sort of fit, and cover all the important bits. We all had a good laugh. And breathed a sigh of relief when I decided not to do a power-poo.

Camping at home

Mum and dad actually woke up earlier than I did today. They were busy packing at 6 o'clock. I woke up at a respectable 8 o’clock. The truck arrived at 9 o’clock.

The the day consisted of me being carted around from room to room, as others were packed and cleaned.

I started the day in the kitchen watching mum clean out the fridge.

Then I spent an hour in the lounge room on my mat watching furniture and boxes leave the house.

At 11 mum put me in the bathroom as she cleaned out the bathroom cupboards. I was so sleepy I nodded off all by myself. That hardly ever happens.

By lunchtime the truck was almost fully loaded, so I went out and had a look at all the excitement. Since I was the only one not carrying boxes, I must have been in charge!

Dad was very impressed with the way I handled myself today. Sometimes I have days where I need to be cuddled and taken for walks constantly. But not today. And everyone was greatful for that.

After the truck left we were all so tired the whole family fell asleep on the floor in my room. Dad wasn't feeling very well, so mum and I jumped in the car and got some fish and chips for tea.

We ate on the floor, we slept on the floor. Just like camping. But at home.

More packing

We've been madly packing. The truck comes tomorrow.

I haven't been helping very much. Sometimes I'll sit in my chair, playing with my feet, trying to get them in my mouth, and sometimes I'll whinge and carry on until mum or dad picks me up.

Dad disassembled my cot. I watched him and grinned. Mum said some older babies get quite upset when they see their cot pulled aprt, but I'm blissfully unaware of what's about to happen in the next few days.

Racing and packing

I woke up in between mum and dad this morning. None of us can quite remember the circumstances of me arriving in the Big Bed. Dad woke up before I did this morning, and said I looked very cute sound asleep. When he got out of the shower I had woken up and wore a big grin all over my face.

Today was my second big racing car day, but quite different from the last one. Last time dad and I had a special bonding experience in front of the telly. Today it was just mum and me at home (dad was at the track) and mum was busy packing boxes, and so I was allowed to watch the cars going around and around on the telly as a distraction while mum wrapped up the cups and plates. I'm starting to think the only thing on the TV is racing cars, as I'm not really encouraged to watch the telly at this young age.

Dad got home late, and I had already gone to bed. He was a bit sad not to see me and read our nightly story. But we'll make up for it tomorrow.

Fancy duds

I scored some lovely new clothes today. Brand label and all.

Thanks to Mike and Ruth I've been strutting about, and dribbling all over, my new 'Country Road' t-shirt and jeans. Very spiffy.

We had a fun time visiting with our friends from Tamworth. They had a unit at the beach and we visited them a few times this week. I was quite enthralled with the older kids (2 and 4) and they were equally entralled with me. "He touched me" said one, "what will he do if I pat him" said the other! I smiled and joined in the fun. I wish I could run around!

I had cuddles with everyone, and left them all with a slobbery reminder on their shoulders.

Where's mum?

Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with dad.

We play air guitar, we lie on the couch watching telly, we play on the mat. We do all sorts of fun things.

In the early days of our AM/PM shifts, dad would soothe me back to sleep if I woke up around 10:20. Actually, it wasn't 'around' 10:20 - it was 10:20, every night!

But lately I haven't settled at all. And dad has had to call in reinforcements...

Last night dad was determined to do the job all by himself. I woke up. I cried. He came in to help. 50 minutes later I was still wailing. That's a long time, especially if a baby is yelling in your ear. If there are seven dog years for every human year, then every minute a baby cries surely equals ten peaceful ones. Maybe more.

Mum eventually appeared. She was trying to get a bit of extra sleep, but decided to rescue dad. And me too!

As soon as dad handed me over I stopped crying, heaved a loud sigh of relief and fell asleep on mum's shoulder. Dad's sigh was not one of relief!

When we woke up this morning I was all smiles, and happily played with dad on the mat.

Me and my zebra

I've been hanging out with the first toy I took an interest in. Zeb the Zebra.

When I was a really little baby I would stare at him on my change table. I would stare at him on my sheepskin blanket. I would stare at him in the car.

When I was a bit older I'd grab at him on my sheepskin rug. I'd grab at him in my car seat. And I'd try to grab at him while on the change table.

Now that I'm older I'm into more sophisicated toys. Toys that squeak and rattle. Bright and colourful toys. Toys that crinkle!

But today, as mum was packing up most of my toys, she gave me Zeb to play with. I grabbed him with both hands, gave him a big bear hug (or should that be a Zebra hug?) and slobbered all over his face. Like real friends do!

Going and going and going

Just like that bunny in the ads for batteries I kept going and going and going today.

First we had our monthly get together with the babies born on the same day in the same hospital. I'm still the smallest.

Then we had a lunch at work mum and dad both went to. I spent the time charming all their work mates.

Then we went out for tea, and I stayed up the whole night! I got a little vocal towards the end, but overall was pretty well behaved for a little man who was running on no sleep.

Mum's hoping I'll be suitably zonked out to sleep all night.

Talk to me

I like it when people talk to me.

We were visiting friends from down south today and I became very chatty with Ruth. And she 'talked' back to me in my own words. We chatted for ages.

I like long drawn out sounds like 'aaaaaarrrrrrrrr', 'oooooooohhhhhh' and 'mwwwwwwwaaaaaaaa'. I say a few and then wait for a reply. I also perk up if people gurgle like I do.

I especially like to chat at tea time. Mum and dad sit at the table, and I sit strapped into my 'chair of many colours' looking up at them. If I don't have someone looking at me and saying a few words I often get a bit grouchy. But if they keep talking to me I'll happily sit there for ages.

Funny faces

Mum made me laugh today. Not by blowing on my tummy or sneezing or saying boo, she puffed out her cheeks like a funny monkey. And I laughed. And laughed.

I also slept and slept last night. Seven hours in a row!

Mum says there's no rhyme or reason to my sleeping patterns. But she was very happy with last night's effort.

Everyone's hoping I can make it through tonight, even if our nightly ritual was a bit different than usual; we had to give the baby bath stand back, it was on loan, and seeing we're moving we can't really take it with us, so instead of me having a bath on the floor mum let me have a shower with her. She and dad think the way I screw up my face and shut my eyes when the water goes over my head is rather cute. I'm sure they dunked me a few extra times than I really needed!

The shower didn't last that long, and even though I was in a happy mood when I got my jammies on, I wasn't in much of a mood for a story or a prayer like we usually do. Dad had to deliver a very speedy one ,'bless everyone in the family and help us find a new home, amen' - that was some kind of prayer-speed record. We usually have time to mention everyone in the immediate and extended families by name - and the sponsor kids, and friends, and thank God for all the blessings we have like jobs and clothes and cars. But tonight was a quick one.

I was howling by the time mum came to give me my last feed (hopefully) of the day...

You have to be awake to celebrate a milestone

I'm five months old!

I'm pretty much up to date on all the things a five month old should be doing.

My favourite things include the crumply sounds I can make with my playmat and toy dog. 'Pupsqueak' (that's his name - it's on the tag - we didn't name him!) lives in the car at the moment, and as we drive around mum and dad are treated to a soundtrack of rattles and crumples.

I also like playing with my toes. I sometimes get them in my mouth, but there's often not enough room when there's already eight fiingers in there!

The only thing I'm not too fussed on is sleeping through the night. Sure, I've tried it a few times, and even though it's always met with huge grins from mum and dad, I still find three wake-ups is my preferred method of getting through the night.

Last night I woke up five times. I guess you have to be awake to celebrate a milestone properly. Mum is very tired.

Funny tummy

Dad has been blowing raspberries on my tummy for months, hoping to make me laugh. It works for every other baby on the planet, right? Usually I'll endure it without a laugh or a whinge, but today I let out a chuckle.

In good scientific fashion, dad repeated the experiment, and got the same results. More laughter!

He tried it later on, and I didn't laugh, but he's happy with our progress this afternoon.

I don't often laugh, so when I do it's quite a big deal around here.

Big day out

We spent today visiting friends.

I managed to dribble on everyone, but remained on my best behaviour.

I really like social situations. I happily sat on mum's knee all morning while she chatted away.

One thing I did, which I've never ever done before, was try out my 'let me eat your chin' trick on someone other than mum. It was Alla. she was holding me and talking to me, and I must have felt comfortable enough to lunge at her with my big gummy mouth. I even made sound effects, a big 'arrrggghhhh' just like a pirate! It was a bit weird. But everyone laughed.

By the time we got home I was very tired, but still found it a little hard to get to sleep.

Laughing at laughs

Dad and I were in the study this afternoon, he mimicked my gurgle noises and I smiled.

I like it when both mum and dad make the noises I can make. Then dad gave a bit of a laugh like one of mine. It's a short 'har'. He did it, then I'd do it, then he'd do it again, and I'd do it again.

Then he discovered 'boos' got lots of laughs too.

We both got louder and louder, and had mum laughing too. It was a most excellent time. And we needed some excellent times after the train wreck that was yesterday.

We were so busy laughing that we only thought of the camera at the end, but decided you had to join us in the study for a bit of a laugh (and a boo);

Sleepless

Today is my 150th day on the planet. To celebrate, I decided to enjoy as much of the day awake as possible. If yesterday was the 'director's special extended edition' sleep, today's effort was about as long as the trailers you see before the movie.

And you guessed it, I was grumpy from morning tea onwards.

Dad's been home this week to pack boxes, but there wasn't much packing done today. Just lots of pacing back and forth and shushing, and comfort feeds, and more shushing, and finally a 'please go to sleep' car ride. Even the gentle rumble of the car couldn't send me into a deep enough sleep.

Mum wonders if my grumpiness is because of teething, and keeps shining a torch in my mouth to inspect my gums. Nothing is showing yet. But the cries sure are.

All by myself

These days I have a morning sleep which is supposed to last two hours. Sometimes it's shorter than a Dr Phil episode, but lately I've managed to keep it to feature length.

Today I had the 'director's cut extended edition' morning sleep!

Mum expected to hear the tell tale grizzles at two hours, but there was not a peep to be heard. She waited and waited. Half an hour later she peeked her head around the corner and found me wide awake, happily playing with the bars of my cot.

Mum says it's a very good sign if I can entertain myself, but I do love it when she comes into my room with a big smile and a song and a dance, it keeps me from carrying on with a song and dance of a different kind!

The Camptown Cockroach Races

Mum happened to be awake for my 10:20pm (on the dot) wake up. She thought it was a good opportunity for a top-up feed which hopefully would see me all the way until breakfast time tomorrow.

Halfway through my feed, she noticed a cockroach in the corner of the room. She signalled dad (a knock to the common wall shared by my room and the study). He ran in, she pointed, and mission 'Kill Cockroach in the Nursery' had begun.

He surveyed the area and weighed up his hunting options. Which weapon to use? Rolled up newspaper or bug spray? The newspaper won, for environmental, health, and comedic reasons.

By the time dad found a suitable paper, I had fallen asleep, so everything had to be done quietly, as well as quickly. Ever tried wacking a bug quietly? Dad carefully moved my toybox out of the cockroach falling zone. But when he put the box down the room suddenly filled with the strains of Camptown Races. "Do daa, Do daa". Darn those electronic press-button toys!

He and mum burst out laughing, which made even more noise. I stayed asleep. Phew.

So he crept up under the cocky, and went for a big swing.

Whack! I jumped. He laughed. Mum 'shushed' us both. And the cocky took off. Dad took off after it. It kept running, he kept wacking. It ended up running around two walls of my room and finally out the door. Once it had run into the bathroom dad grabbed the spray and finished it off.

After all that excitement I finished my feed and went back to sleep.

Gentlemen, start your engines

It's a big day at Long Lived Rock HQ.

My first Bathurst race.

Dad told me that this was a historic occassion, and that we'll plonk ourselves in front of the telly at this time every year. He says he remembers watching the race with his dad, and just like the first time he read me a story, dad felt a real sense of 'fatherhood' when we settled on the couch to watch the start of the race.

I got dressed in my race suit (which fits properly now, unfortunately it's a bit on the warm side - maybe we should have actually gone to Bathurst!)

I handled myself quite well I thought, considering that yesterday I got a little bit of a fright when mum and dad cheered on their favourite cars during qualifying. They made sure the cheering was on the subdued side for the start of the race.

I didn't have the stamina to watch the whole 161 laps, but kept up to date with the race during the day. I had a snooze in the afternoon, and I think I caught dad having a bit of shut-eye too.

By tea time the race was over, the cars were being hoistered onto the trucks, and I was being hoistered into the bath. A quick feed and a story later, everything was back to normal.

New toys!

Dad was fascinated today with my fascination with a new toy.

I got a few hand-me-downs from kids who don't need 'baby toys' anymore. Mum threw them in the washing machine, and hey-presto, brand 'new' toys!

Dad would hand me one, I would grab it with both hands, study it for a couple of seconds, and shove it in my mouth! Sort of like what big people do with a new type of food, but I'm not fussy with what I put in my mouth, everything is fair game for my slobber! It's not only people's shoulders that are covered in my dribble at the moment.

Who's the dummy? Pt 2

Some babies are attached to their dummies.

Not me.

I'd rather slurp on a finger, or four, and have even been known to suck my thumb on the odd occassion. So after a couple of days of trying to give me a dummy when I was a little baby, Mum and Dad had pretty much given up on the while idea. Which is probably not that bad an idea.

But the other day, when I was a bit too excited to go to bed, and the clock was ticking, Mum decided it might just be the trick to grab a dummy out of the cupboard and see what happened.

It worked!

So today, when Mum decided to try her new trick again, I had other ideas. I pulled the dummy out of my mouth, turned it upside down, and had a good chew on the sides, the back, the handle, every bit of the dummy except the nice soft bit that's supposed to go in the mouth!

Who says there's only one way to suck a dummy?

Perfect timing

I hadn't done a poo for four days.

Today was visiting day.

What were the chances of said poo arriving at the visit?

Well, it didn't arrive at the visit. But it was there when we got out of the car. Looking on the bright side, I must feel really relaxed in my car seat!

I made a mess all up my back, and on the car seat. Fortunately, mum always has a spare outfit for me to slip into in case of emergency. Unfortunatley, it's never as nice as the outfit I was originally in.

Regardless of the poo, and the outfit I ended up in, we had a very nice time.

2 x 2 hours

I've been toying with the idea of daytime sleeps. Sometimes I'll have a bit of a snooze, sometimes a quick nap, and sometimes, on the rarest of occasions I'll sleep for two hours! Today was one of those days. Mum was happy and emailed dad at work to tell him the good news. After lunch I had another two hour sleep!

It might all be because I woke up in the Big Bed this morning. Mum let me in after I woke up with wet PJs and after she changed me she decided it would be easier for all concerned if she just let me in, and the truth is she doesn't need much an excuse for a big cuddle just before the sun comes up.

The only issue with me being in the Big Bed is that I'm prone to getting the fidgets. And nothing wakes dad up with a start more than a stray arm flung into his ear!

Ladies man

Mum doesn't mind taking me out shopping because I've got a knack of charming most people I meet, especially the ladies.

Today we met a few nice people, including one old lady who came up to mum and complimented her on the hug-a-bub - said it was a beautiful way to carry a baby, as she said this I flashed her a big grin, which inspired more compliments!

Then the lady at the checkout smiled at me and I smiled back, despite the four fingers shoved in my mouth.

My usual tactic is to look at people until they look at me, and as soon as they do I give them a grin.

More of the same

I spent today refining my rolls.

I'm a lot quicker, and I can roll to both the right and the left. I haven't rolled from my back to my tummy, but I think that's mainly because my toys hang down, and it would take something a lot more interesting to get me to roll the other way.

I had another sleep-in this morning, which was welcomed by everyone in the family, but didn't really feel like sleeping during the day much at all. When dad got home I was in an interesting mood, rather quiet, and quite tired. So tired that I didn't even feel like rolling!

The legend of chin

I have developed a taste for chins.

Mum's in particular.

It all started when mum picked me up and put her face close to mine for a photo. I swung around with my mouth open and slobbered all over her chin. I held on too.

It caused huge amounts of laughter.

I've kept it up, and have developed a technique when mum goes to give me little peck on the cheek; I'll turn my head at the right time, mouth open, and rest my big gummy mouth on her chin.

I tried it with dad. But only once. His chin was too prickly!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I predicted both grand final winners. Yay! I hope you won big with my hot tips! Dad says I will have to start tipping more sports. Regularly.

Football finals and finally sleeping through the night

I had another big sleep last night. Eight hours! I woke up a very popular member of the household.

Seeing it's finals footy this weekend, dad decided I should get into the spirit by tipping the winner for each match.

My tips were performed using two plastic cups spaced evenly apart on my playmat. The first one I showed a great interest in would be my tip.

AFL;



NRL. It took me a long time to work this one out, and we had to take it to the video ref after the commentator got it completely wrong. But as mum said afterwards, 'a head butt is quite decisive';

PS The new Windows Movie Maker is worse than the old one!

Rollin'

What a day!

It all started with me sleeping in, and the household being woken by the garbageman at 8 o'clock. Dad says he might have to plug in the alarm clock again, but he was very happy to have such a long sleep. I even had a long sleep during the day.

And then I rolled over.

I've been practicing all the necessary moves over the past few days. I've easily made it onto my side before, but up until today I haven't taken that extra step of doing a full 180.

Dad put me on my playmat for a bit of tummy time. I held my head up for a good minute or so, and then I did a move that landed me on my side, butted up against my turtle toy. So dad moved the turtle, and moved me back onto my tummy, but this time with lots of space around me. Then he and mum started to cheer me on, like I was a footballer going for a goal.

I did the move that landed me on my side. They cheered even more, like it was a semi final. I stayed on my side for quite a while, and then I slowly let myself flop onto my back. Mum and dad went crazy, like I just won the grand final. I looked at them, summed up my new position, screwed up my face and let out a little cry. Mum picked me up and I smiled.

See the world in green and blue

We turned my playmat over.

It's a big deal.

You see, it's two sided. On one side, the side you've no doubt seen in countless photos, it's black and red. But on the other side it's blue and green and all sorts of colours. Apparently small babies like contrasts - black and white, and red to be specific. But as we grow, our palette grows.

So I'm enjoying my playmat of many colours...There's also a squeaky sun and a little purple bug to discover, so I've got many hours of playing and learning ahead.

I've also mastered the grab. I am quite partial to the green frog that hangs over the playmat. He's the one I usually go for. I pull with all my might, and sometimes I manage to get his little foot into my mouth. It takes a lot of effort, but I'm quite the determined frog leg eater! Too bad we're not in France...

I had a lot better sleep last night with not a squeak, squawk or shriek to be heard.

Up and down x 3 with a dash of squealing

Let's all read the last entry together.

To get the full Long Lived Rock HQ experience you'll need to add "shreiking and squealing" every five words or so.

That was the story of last night.

Dad's ears are still ringing...

Up and down x 3

We've got a new night time system. Yes, I know what you're thinking, 'another system'! This one's simple; Dad is on duty for the PM hours, and mum's on AM duty.

After my bath and a story (tonight we read about Esther and Mordecai) I'll sleep for about three hours.

This is what has happened after our bedtime prayer for the past two nights;

Around the time dad is thinking about going to bed himself, I'll wake up and grizzle. The grizzle soon turns into a big cry. Dad comes in and picks me up. He paces around with me until I settle. He puts me back in the cot. I settle for about fifteen seconds and then get an impressive case of the squirmy faces (this is sometimes followed by a fart, or just another big cry). He picks me up again. I settle down. He puts me back in the cot. I start crying before my head hits the pillow. He picks me up. He paces. I settle down. He puts me in the cot. I squirm and cry there's no tomorrow. He picks me up. He thinks about sitting down in mum's feeding chair. He decides to keep pacing. We wait until I am properly asleep. He places me carefully in the cot. I wake up, properly. I cry. He picks me up. He sits in the feeding chair. I settle straight away. He waits. He puts me down in the cot. I squirm silently. He thinks he's done it. I cry. He picks me up. I settle. He puts me down, I squirm silently. He waits. He waits. He waits. He pretty confident this time is THE time. Success! I stay asleep until about 1am. Phew.

By that time dad's clocked off and mum gives me a feed and I sleep until breakfast time.

Open wide

I discovered my feet a few days ago, and my mission ever since has been to get them into my mouth.

I'm not quite there yet, but I've got all the moves worked out, now it's just a matter of co-ordinating them at the same time...I can easily grab my feet, and I can slowly get them to my mouth, the tricky bit is landing the foot in the right place.

Nailed

I'm not fat like other babies. It's probably because I come from lean stock, and you know what they say, 'you can't fatten a thoroughbred'. But I've come up with another possible reason for being skinny. I'm sending all my energy to my fingernails.

They're growing like crazy.

Now, there's a couple of issues with trimming baby fingernails. They're pretty small things. I have tiny hands, and on those tiny hands are tiny fingers, and on those tiny fingers are tiny nails. Secondly, I don't stay still for very long. Bringing a sharp instrument anywhere near a baby who insists of waving arms and legs around like a traffic policeman is not for the faint hearted.

We've got some special baby nail scissors. In fact, we have ended up collecting three nail clippers of varying designs, all especially for babies. But even with them dad chickened out and commissioned mum with the task of trimming my nails. He did lend some moral support in the form of telling her "don't chop off the top of the finger". She didn't.

That was a week ago, and it's time to trim them again, and neither mum or dad are rushing to do it...