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March 10, 2001
Thursday 8th March, 2001.
Yippeeeee! It's autumn down-under.
Well, summer has finally passed…the sun has lost most of it's bite, the blue skies have deepened, the edges of the leaves in our yard are turning yellow and red, and the evenings are getting cooler and breezier. I love this time of year, and I'm really looking forward to a glorious autumn in our new home. Canberra is supposed to be a spectacular autumn city: lots of coloured trees, endlessly golden days, crisp evenings, all building towards what we expect will be a very cold, very atmospheric winter. I grew up in a cold frosty winter town, with very distinct seasons, but have spent the last 12 years in Melbourne where the weather was always a disappointment to me. It was never very dramatic. I missed stormy skies and winds that cut right through to your bones…brrrrrrr, and I look forward to watching the seasons unfold this year, curious as to what to expect…this must be one of the great joys of moving to a new city with a new climate: re-discovering the seasons! We are surrounded by the 'snowy' mountains here, most of the south suburbs lie in a valley, so the mountains loom into the clouds and fill the horizon. I love watching them change with the weather, bluish when it's sunny, shrouded with clouds when it's overcast. I look forward to seeing snow on the mountains this winter, it's been a long time since I've seen any snow! And both Jai and I plan on reading (re-reading) 'Lord of the Rings' this autumn, so we can get completely spooked by the mist on the mountains and can wonder about what kind of secret mischief is going on up there, away from the sound and sight of humans. Ha-ha-ha!
We're busy planning our 'autumn equinox' celebrations at the moment, hence the long-winded weather-report! The next-door neighbour's pumpkin vine has climbed over our fence and is taking over our lawn, and we've got a big, juicy looking pumpkin on our side, almost ready to pick. I'm going to scoop out the middle and make a candle-lantern, Halloween style, to brighten up our darkening evenings. We'll plant some spring bulbs, to see hatch all around the garden at the end of the winter, and we'll brew some home-made coffee stout to shelve and enjoy in the cold winter months. We'll go blackberry picking, mushroom picking, and I might even make some jam. We'll hunt down a terrific autumn park with mountains of leaves just waiting to be kicked and tunnelled through, and we'll rug up and pack an autumn picnic to enjoy: pumpkin scones, blackberry tartlets, Easter eggs, home-made hot-cross buns, (in Australia Easter eggs and hot-cross buns are reminiscent of blustery autumn weather), and the compulsory, bad tasting, picnic thermos of coffee! Yippee, I can't wait!
To usher out summer, we managed to squeeze in a few days at the beach last weekend. We travelled 3 hours to the south coast and spent two nights in a cabin metres from the sea. It was beautiful. Simply stunning. The beaches were spectacular with the clearest water I've ever seen and the softest golden sand, the weather was golden and sunny but not summer-hot where you fry after 15 minutes exposure, and the towns were quaint and charming, turn of the century fishing villages! I DID NOT want to return to suburbia after that, and extracted a firm promise from Jai that we'll book at least a week's holiday by the beach for late next summer. Can't wait, but it's a long wait!
Pixie was completely dumb-struck by the beach. She usually LOVES sand (and dirt of any kind) but there was simply SO MUCH of the stuff that she had not a clue what to do. Unlike her usual vocal self she uttered not a single sound the entire time we were on the beach, she just walked around, watched Jai and I build complicated sand-castles (we had lots of childish fun), and she walked with us down to the water and let the waves wash over her little toes. After about an hour she decided WE'D ALL had quite enough, and demanded that we move back to solid ground; but we figured that with enough exposure we can turn the girl into a wild-haired, bronzed-bodied beach bum like every self-respecting Aussie kid SHOULD be!!! Gee it was fun, and it made me realise HOW MUCH MORE FUN we have to look forward to now we're a little family and Pixie is starting to grow up a bit. I think I'm going to enjoy family life a whole lot more once the demandingness of the baby-toddler years have passed!
Speaking of demanding toddlers, I hope my last entry didn't frighten or disturn anyone, but I am happy to report that my little Pixie has improved dramatically this week; she's been less demanding and funnily enough I spy two new teeth in her gums….could it have been the tooth-monster causing all our grief this past few weeks??? Two of her canines have popped their white-heads through, and once the other two join the party my little girl will have a full set of teeth, apart from the second molars that is. I'm hoping to post some NEW photos with this entry (so pop back in a couple of days to see if they're up) of my 15-month old grinning her pretty little head off, showing the world her mouth full of pearly whites. I really have no idea if what we've just been through was teething, but whatever it was APPEARS to have lifted, so my days are getting a LITTLE bit easier.
Mind you, we've been pushed to a new level of baby-proofing this week. And one of the photos I hope to post shows HRH positively bursting with pride having just discovered that if she climbs onto the dining chairs she can hoist herself onto the dining table and pull off all my cups and books and papers and all the things I pile there to protect them from her sticky grasp. BUGGER!!! Not much will remain safe from her now she's discovered this little trick. Later that same day I found her standing on TWO stacked (on top of each other) packing boxes (she'd used her activity table as a stepping stone to climb up) and she was happily ransacking the TOP shelves of our bookcase, eating and ripping the cardboard covers off our collection of videos. BUGGER!!! Jai and I have discussed the likelihood that we'll have to pack away all our books and videos and dismantle our bookshelves until the hobgoblin gets older…but I tell you, it's a depressing prospect!! A house without books…argh! I mean, even though I barely get time to read them, I still take great comfort in looking at them lining my shelves, and thinking, "one day, ONE DAY, I'll be able to read again!" Ha-ha-ha!
Saturday 10th March, 2001.
Today is MY DAY OFF…ahhhhhhhh! Jai has taken over FULL Pixie-duties and I am as free as a bird. At the moment they've gone to an adventure playground, and I have the entire house to myself. It's such a rare opportunity and I am LUXURIATING in the peace and quiet…ahhhhhhhhhh, scrum-diddly-umptious!!!
Now, after last week's near-nervous-breakdown and Pixie's extreme-demandingness, I have some rather bizarre news to report: in the last two days Pixie has transformed into the most GORGEOUS CUTE ADORABLE FUNNY little GIRL I have ever had the privilege to live with…hahaha! Can you believe it???? Suddenly, and it is amazingly sudden, she has turned on the charm, cranked up the cute-juice, and right before my STUNNED drop-jawed bug-eyes she has BLOSSOMED INTO A LITTLE GIRL!!!!
She is changing, and it's tricky to put the finger on all the ways this transformation is unfolding. Her curly hair has suddenly grown deliciously longer, drifting past the nape of her neck; her gorgeous smile has suddenly grown an extra inch or two; and she's had an EXPLOSION of words and seems to delight more than ever in the silly little games we play together. But the OVERWHELMING impression I am left with is that she's GROWING INTO A REAL LITTLE GIRL….blossoming. Blossoming.
It seems to have finally 'clicked' in her brain that she can use language to get what she wants. She's been able to say 'more' and 'again' for quite some time, but only recently has she really WORKED OUT that she can use these words to get Jai and I to respond, consistently, every time. She loves the word 'gone'…..if she comes up to you saying 'gone, gone,' in her sweet little voice then you know she's LOST something (usually her dummy) and we go on a hunt for it. And I can explain things to her, complicated things like, "Go and find Pooh Bear and give him a cuddle," and she'll rush of in search of her little Pooh and come back with him clutched into her shoulder, humming, "Ahhhhhhhhhhh"…which is how you give cuddles in Pixie-land. And she's started giving Jai and I kisses…if you say, "give me a kiss," she'll come over with her little mouth all open and she'll plant a funny open-mouth kiss on your lips….THIS IS A BRAND-NEW TRICK IN PIXIELAND, and we LOVE it! She can ask for more, and if we find her hovering around the pantry saying "more, more, more" then you can be pretty sure she wants ANOTHER dried apricot to munch on. She can ask for boob-feeds by saying, "booo-booo-boooo" and tugging at my top.
She can say "toe", "cat" (caaaaaaaa, in a whisper), dog (doh), car, Pooh (boooo, in a whisper), Banana (ban), mum, dad, and the latest thing is to tap herself on the head and say "Pis-ky, Pis-ky" in a whisper, (why some words are whispered and others not I am yet to decipher!), and so she's learning her own name. Everybody SIGH…Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! She's dancing more, playing more, giggling more, LOVES being chased, LOVES having the soles of her feet kissed, and has taken to lying around on the floor a lot. She rolls around on the floor to watch TV, and lies on the cool linoleum floor in the kitchen while we're cooking. She's developing more character, seems to feel more in-control, and we're all LOVING these new 'little girl' developments. I am just gonna LOVE seeing her bloom and blossom over the next few years…it's gonna be simply GRAND!!!
The other interesting thing is that I'm on a special diet. I have cut out all fat, all chocolate, and most sugar from my diet, I eat protein with every meal and eat 4-5 HEALTHY meals a day, (it's the Larry North Slim-down Program for anyone interested) and I'm feeling tremendously BETTER for it. I'm not so tired, don't have to go to bed as early, and feel more energised and more balanced. Now, remembering that Pixie is still HEAVILY breast-fed, I've been wondering if my change of diet isn't benefiting her too and make her feel a whole lot better?????????? It's possible, and might explain some of her improved behaviour. So I'm sticking with the diet…it's been three weeks, and I've lost 3-4 kgs, bringing me back to my PRE-PREGNANCY WEIGHT…………Ya-hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! I can get into my beloved Levi's once again, although they are still a little too firm for everyday wear. And so it's a huge relief to have finally found a diet I can stick too, so we'll see what the next few weeks hold…..but so far, so good, for all concerned.
Okay, that's gotta do for now. It's a lovely autumn day, time for me to go outside and play!!!! But before I go I want to send BIG congrats to our cyber-sister Stefani on the safe arrival of Luke, and a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who's left messages on my board lately, what a FANTABULOUS bunch of cyber-sisters you all are! Oh, and as I sit here and sip a 'spotted cow' I'd better send BIG THANKS to Lovely Laura and Thoughtful Chuck!! LOVE TO ALL,
A slimmer, trimmer, happier, Eloise and her blossoming little 'Pis-ky!'
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