Quick post! Crazy day, a billion things happening at work and had to get home and pack for our trip tomorrow. Sebby and I are off to Auckland for Lisa and Jonathan's wedding!
Anyway, Seb's had a great week with his daddy. He's taken up swimming lessons. He went on Monday for a practice, then Tuesday for his lesson, and then Friday just for fun. Daddy calls him AquaBoy. He likes it a lot!
Daddy also bought him a backpack for Expeditions. Seb thinks the best bit is chewing the straps.
So, one week of work is over and done with, and we have all survived reasonably well I think. I've had the odd moment I admit. Getting stuck in homeward-bound traffic is a whole new agony when you know your little man is hanging out for you. But of course Daddy is a star and Seb has been just fine, though a bit grumpy apparently. Well who wouldn't be, without ME? Eh?
Needless to say, Daddy disagrees with this diagnosis.
It was a busy old week though. We had lovely visitors from Oz for four days, Danielle and Ben and Bridie, who is 18 months and a total charmer. Amazing vocabulary, and such a gentle wee thing. She and Seb formed a definite attachment.
On their last night they even took a bath together. There was a bit of duck-grabbing going on but Bridie shared beautifully.
And this new wee habit of Seb's surely reminds me of his big sis. Toe-gnawing. Uh huh.
The best thing about working is getting home. The first day, Seb was out on a walk when I returned; when he got home and woke up to find me gazing down at him, his arms flew out and he quivered all over.
And now I have two whole days with my darlings. YAY!!!
Oh my goodness. A lovely weekend, but a very hard one for Mummy.
Lovely, 'cos it was gorgeous bright autumnal days, and we had a great picnic day on Saturday down at Rabbit Island with Cameron, Nancy, Zoe and Zach, who are completely lovely and twice as nice because of how sweet they are to Sebby. They arrived with a whole bag of toys for him! And he was cuddled to bits, which he loved.
Hard because of the spectre of WORKING LIFE starting tomorrow. Leaving my darling is... no, still can't write about it. Luckily he is going to be looked after by the very best caregiver he could have in the whole world and space, and he's pretty happy about that.
Better late than never: a couple of pictures of Liam and Molly's holiday spot from last week, up at Totaranui. They stayed at a DOC campground, where one of Molly's mates and her family had taken their caravan up for a holiday. Pretty gorgeous eh? Maybe next summer Sebby'll be up for it....
This is me cuddling my angel-pie. Gotta get my snuggling time in this week! Poor little man's being loved to bits. Hey, anyone recognise that cardigan? Talking of which, I have put in a puppy-eyed Request to the Chief Knitter. This little boy is growing out of all his knits so fast, and some of them are distinctly Heirloomy. Which , yeah, is a nice euphemism for moth-holed...!
Luckily, the Chief Knitter is a bit of a star. Here's my bunny in his lovely new dungarees. Dear Chief Knitter, I know you're going to have a fit when you see this pic but don't worry -- I did eventually realise I'd put them on back to front!!! Am a dingbat.
Pretty cute huh? His sister said he looked like "an Amish baby". I think that's a good thing. And it's lovely and warm and snuggly. I love it! So does Seb. I hope those buttons are sewn on tight, he thinks they're the best chewtoy ever. :) Thank you so much, darling clever Fuffy!
This morning we popped in to Plunket for a weigh. Sebby's 7.8 kgs now, just over the 50th centile, tracking on his line. His height is soaring on still. He's now the height of the average 7.5 month old! And my little Molly Moppet wasn't this tall till she was over 14 months. Crazy.
See this innocent looking building? See the long row of windows on the second storey at the right?
Those are the offices of the Nelson Region Economic Development Agency, where I start work on Monday. (Typically, within half an hour of my being offered it, Liam had an interview offer for something interesting, and now we don't know what to do, but a bird in the hand and all that, so I said yes.)
So, on the one hand: yay! A job! An income!
And on the other... well. I can't even think about it too much or I will cry. The thought of only seeing Sebby for a few hours each day is just awful. Funny how my other lovely child doesn't worry me as much; but then, I'll only be losing an extra hour and a half of her company each afternoon. Also, she isn't changing fast as the sky on a scudding-clouds-day. And she seldom lets me smother her neck and thighs and tummy with kisses these days.
Oops, can't write about it much, am about to blub. Let us change the subject and look at the gorgeousness that is sibling love for a while.
In other news; Seb had his five month immunisations yesterday and had a bit of a fever last night but hasn't been too bad. And today we measured him at 69cm long, which puts him at about 90th centile. B-ball for sure!
Well, there's been a lot of hard decision making going on in Seb's life today. Because, you know, it's all very well just being a baby and all that, but it won't last forever. Sooner or later he's going to have to start making the hard-but-important decisions and choices in life. Like: What sport am I going to play?
So he's been trying a few different things. You already saw him learning a bit about footy. Headers were fun, but he's leaving his options open. Today he and Daddy tried a bit of b-ball (apologies for bad focus, obviously it is an action shot):
And a spot of rugby. We didn't get into the nitty gritty of codes yet; we'll leave that for a few months maybe, no need to rush the kid.
It was a lot of fun but maybe he's just going to be into dance. Hiphop to be precise:
Nah, just kidding! Check out this boy's crazy happy still-a-widemouth-frog smile, and melt.
This is you this evening, when I put you down to bed. It's not the photo that I wanted it to be, but it'll be enough to remind me of what I wanted to remember: the last glimpse I have of you every night. When I put you down in your cot after your feed, and you're all full and warm and limp and happy, you look up at me with the most gorgeous expression. It's not a smile, not really; it's just this wide-eyed, contented, love-filled look. It's just beautiful, and I gaze back at you, unable to tear myself away. We just look our love at each other for a long time, and that's how you finish your day.
Anyway, you and me have spent the last three days alone, while Daddy and Molls have been camping. You've been the best boy. It's taken you a few days to adjust to daylight saving, so we've had some early mornings, but you're getting there.
Today you slept till ten to seven, and I can't complain about that. We had a big feed and a cuddle, and you came downstairs with me to get tea and toast, and played in your chair till you got tired, at about nine fifteen. You slept without any complaints, then, till ten thirty, and after another feed we went along the road to buy a jar-full of beer for the crockpot recipe; once we'd got that sorted, you came and spent some time with me in the studio, listening to music and painting. Another nap, and banana and avocado with baby-rice for you; then, after a play, a long walk and a stroller-snooze. On the way home, Daddy and Molly went past in the car, and when we got home, oh, you guys were all so pleased to see each other! You were fought over, passed from arms to arms and back again. Told a hundred times how beautiful you are and how much you'd been missed.
So that's how you spent your day, aged five months. The only time you cried all day was putting on your pajamas, 'cos they're a bit of a fiddle and you were tired; apart from that, your cries are all communications, and easily addressed. Your smiles are constant and predictable as the tides. Making you laugh is so easy and so wonderful.
This is one of the songs we listened to today, your five month anniversary. We listened to the whole album, but on this one, we got up and danced around the studio together, and you smiled your wide-mouth-frog smile, and I loved you till it hurt.
So, here's my handsome darling just a few days shy of his five month anniversary. Such cuteness!
And today's exciting news was... but no, later, first I should catch up on the weekend so far, which involved a lovely picnic at Rabbit Island on Good Friday. Perfect weather, a beachfront barbie, and a lot of lounging around. Also a lot of pinecone hunting and beach walking. Yup, perfect.
See, Sebby agreed with me. How's that for a contented smile? Also, how's that for a great Nelsonian handmade tie-dyed Tshirt, courtesy of Taylor and Lisa? It seemed enormous when they gave it to him at Christmas, but it's a perfect fit already!
The nights are definitely getting a bit chillier now and the mornings too. When he gets up, Seb has to put socks on. I love these, 'cos they're all handmade and special, but he gets teased mercilessly about them by his Daddy, who calls them his "stiletto socks". "Got your heels on again mate?" etc etc. But Seb and I don't care. They're cool.
He's getting to be lots more fun to play with now. Here he is playing ball with Daddy. Don't tell CYFS.
I swear it was a very soft and lightweight ball. Honest.
But what was our big news? I know you're all on tenterhooks. Well, this afternoon, three times in a row... Sebby rolled over! Which was great and v. exciting, but curses, now how am I going to get him to do tummy time???!!!
