Easter Weekend 2013, Matilda 6 Months

So the delayed entries begin....last week, I had a plan for this blog entry and now a week later.....my mind is a junlge of thoughts.  I'll go ahead apologize now for my upcoming lackluster posts.  **I prematurely published this last week and this is now my fourth attempt to complete it.**  Easter is a big public holiday here in Australia so Good Friday and Easter Monday are off.  We had a 4 day weekend and no plans so we jam packed it with a staycation.

Good Friday: Caversham Wildlife Park (kangaroos and kaolas) / Whiteman Park picnic

Feeding Kangaroos

Petting the dirty and stinky kangaroos

Playing with the rabbits

I just thought this was peculiar.

Elliott holding a 3 week old bunny.

Family Koala Photo

Matilda liked rolling around on the blanket at Whiteman Park during our picnic.

Elliott overheard the Bullard's kids requesting ice cream and Matt got him one too.

We were standing here for over 30 minutes until he finished this...

but I was able to take lots of pictures.

This next series of pictures are ridiculously cute.  Elliot wanted to share his chair with mei mei so he scooted over to one side as I placed her next to him.  What happened next was just too cute!!  My heart was melting taking these pictures.  I got over 20 photos and here are a few....they love each other so much!!

Notice Elliott's hand on her leg and Matilda leaning into him

He wanted to tickle her feet

Saturday: bus into CBD, Fremantle

Me and my lovely, sweet baby!

We told Elliott we could ride the train into the city but turns out it's the one weekend every year they do maintenance on the Perth Underground....so we took a bus instead.  Luckily, even though Elliott saw us approach the bus, got on the bus and sat with us, he still thought we were on a train so all was not lost. In his defence, this weekend, he has asked about riding the train "because it was broken yesterday but now it's fixed."

Dinner at The Mexican Kitchen in Fremantle with friends. Tasty food.

In Freo for the Street Arts Festival and went to the park for a bit for the kids.

Easter Sunday: Easter basket, Dinosaur Park, Marcus's 3rd Birthday

Finding his Easter basket fun and toys

Happy as can be

Matilda was changing clothes at Dinosaur Park in King's Park and I had to get a picture of her chubbiness.

Trying to get that perfect 6 month photo

Standing up and walking around with Daddy's help

We invited Ewan, Elliott's best friend, and they had a ball!

After naptime, we went over to Ana's house for Marcus's 3rd birthday party for a swim and cake.  Matilda outgrew her bathers so we went in with just the nappies.  She liked it but we didn't stay long as it was a bit cold for her.

Cute and random photos:

Elliott is showing mei mei how the singing teapot works.

Hello, teeth???  Chewing on Sophie the Giraffe

We've been writing a capital and lower case letter on the doodle pad (thanks Rosa!) during meal time lately and this time, Elliott insisted on writing it himself.  This made me cry!!!!!!!!!!  I know that it is the letter "O" but I didn't know he knew how to do it. 

Note: He still seems ambidextrous (both right and left handed) to us and drew these in a counter clockwise motion. 

Additional Note: Grandpa Baldwin is ambidextrous. 

This was Elliott's Easter art work he came home with.  Good thing he told us it was a chicken!!  Mom and Dad had no idea!!  Love ya Elliott!!

Love you Matilda!

Onsie provided by Rosa.

Wearing Elliott's Rockets onsie and putting a girl's twist to it by adding a skirt.  I was taking picutres of Matilda before going to school and Elliott insisted I take one with him in it.  He LOVES her!!

6 Month Stats

eating rice cereal, apple puree and carrot puree

100% breastmilk

no teeth

can move up to 4 feet in a scoot/crawl motion

extremely happy, content, sweet baby that loves to smile, such a joy!!

8.6 kg (19 pounds)

Thank goodness she hasn't grown too much since her 5 month mark!

Mommy's Birthday Week

This last week back at work wasn't too bad as I eased back into it with checking emails, finding where I left off, setting up meetings and of course....pumping (expressing) twice a day.  I don't miss that at all but it must be done.  Here are some random pictures from the week, the Easter event at Next Generation Gym and cake for my (our) birthday.

Elliott didn't mind Mei Mei on his back - he loves her so much!!

We headed back to Cottesloe Beach for Sculptures by the Sea because Elliott really liked it.  This one is bamboo sticks with wind pipes that spin and blow a whistle sound.  This is my favorite one.

Look who's up in a plank!!

My cutie pie! 

Notice her hair is curly and fluffy, most definitely not like Elliott's light and static-look when he was little.

Elliott's Easter outfit with Roary in the Racing Car in his hand

He wanted a picture with the bunny and then didn't want to get too close.

It was odd to hear the bunny talk and he had an Aussie accent.

Attempting to take a picture.

Family Picture!!

Daddy's Little Girl

Elliott is anti-face painting but we managed to get an elephant painted on his arm.

Birthday cake!  Elliott blew out the candle!

Elliott left his golf clubs out and Matilda wiggled her way over.

I love seeing her reflection too.

Easter in the WA and Grandpa is here!

It's been awhile since we bought Elliott some decent toys and he really doesn't have anything "big" so we bought this kitchen set that was on sale at the department store.  Nothing fancy by any means but it serves its purpose and Elliott likes to play with it.  He enjoys the "home corner" at daycare and supposedly he "cooks" and "plays with the pots and pans."

Pretending to get food out of the milk container and feeding himself with the fork.

Play Kitchen where the dishes and silverware are perpetually dirty since there is no where to store them.  Lucky for us, they are typically "stored" all over the upstairs floor.

Expat friends of friends from Houston that invited us over for Thanksgiving when we first arrived, also invited us over for Easter brunch and egg decorating last weekend. They have a little girl, Sam, a few days older than Elliott and there was another little girl from his daycare that is also just within a few days from his birthdate so they all got along very well.

Dyeing eggs was very much an adult supervised activity.

One little girl had a yellow leg from spilled dye.

No white eggs in the WA, they are all brown so the colors didn't come out EXACTLY right, but not too bad.

Easter Egg Hunt!!

Daddy was the Easter basket and also collected candy from all the eggs Elliott managed to open.  He definitely instilled the 5 second rule when marshmallows and Swedish chews fell in the yard.

Elliott found an egg!  Parents kept rehiding eggs so this went on for 30+ minutes.

Still into the belly button, not quite like a few months ago, but he does check occasionally to make sure it is there.

The other girls had chocolate but Elliott was the one that ran around in circles like he had sugar.  Boys will be boys.

Somehow I became the baby magnet and Elliott and Sam were cuddling.

After Elliott's nap on April Fool's Day, Daddy came home from the airport with Grandpa!  He brought toys for Elliott and Elliott warmed up to Grandpa in no time.

The real Roary and Maxi meet the Hot Wheels named Roary and Maxi.

Elliott watching an episode of Roary the Racing Car with Grandpa to show him what it's all about.

The next morning, Grandpa helped feed Elliott his waffles (pronounced "coffee) and yogurt.  This was the last day before his second haircut.  I just like the first picture.  

"Coffee and butter" which means "waffle and peanut butter."

Daycare is closed for Good Friday and Easter Monday but Elliott played hookie all week (except Monday so Grandpa could get some rest and recover from jetlag) to spend time with Grandpa.  On Thursday, they went to swim lessons and he showed Grandpa his moves.  One day soon, I'll get Matt to post an entry on how Elliott has been doing but overall, he has improved with every lesson so we'll probably continue this through the winter.  And yes, it is strange to think June and July is winter.  Then after his nap, they went to the aquarium to see the sharks, stingrays, turtles and all sorts of fish.  We have not been since Lao Yie was here in January and Elliott had a great time!

Not sure what is happening here.

Good Friday is a public holiday and EVERYTHING is closed so we were all at home.  One thing we've been craving is a good ol' Southern breakfast so we made biscuits, bacon, scrambled eggs and Grandpa made gravy.  YUM!  Of course, Elliott didn't eat anything except the bacon and kept asking for more.

Elliott woke up 30 minutes early today and his mood showed that.  He cried on and off almost all day.  He's eating bacon here and happy but decided to give a 2 second cry between bites.

My Yummy Plate.

Maybe because Christmas and Elliott's birthdate are 6 months apart, but we feel like there is a lull in new toys/gifts for him so we let him open up another pack of Hot Wheels and a carrying ramp case.  It has wheels so he loves it.  Goodness, boys are easy to shop for!

Patiently waiting for Daddy to open a 5-pack of Hot Wheels.  See the case?

They all take turns going down the ramp.

The case opens up too and he lined them all up.

We tried to teach him that the Hot Wheels "sleep" in the case and he took it pretty literally so he got his "train pillow" and blanket from his crib, laid all of the cars on their backs which either represent them sleeping or a crash.  Notice how they are all neatly lined up side to side?  I hope he doesn't turn out OCD like me.  Well, he can't be as bad as his cousin Abby.  (Love you Rosa!)

After his Good Friday afternoon nap, Grandpa went to get him and I guess he was still sleepy.  Mom was sleeping on the couch too and woke up to find this.  I'm sure Grandpa cherishes the moment!  It's so rare to hold him sleeping now since he does so well with the crib.