Three becomes Four... month one

It's been 1 month since the arrival of Mr.E and what a month it has been!  We were lucky to have a lot of help in the early days with my sister and her family, then my mom, visiting from the US.  It also meant that Mr.E was a Man About Town at just days old!  We went to The Rocks, dined at the Lowenbrau, checked out Sydney's icons: The Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, visited Featherdale Wildlife Park, played at Blaxland Riverside Park, soaked in the sun, surf and sand at Balmoral, and enjoyed a warm winter day at Newport Arms.

At Balmoral

At 3 weeks, Mr.E saw his first movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. While it wasn't too scary for him, it proved too scary for me!  I dreamt I had snakes crawling all over me! http://www.eventcinemas.com.au/babesinarms

My first movie

It's a Hard Knock Life... at Two!
And especially when you have a new baby brother.  It's hard to tell if it's just 'being 2' or if MissE is still adjusting to our new family, but some days have just been plain hard!

Big Sis MissE

• We restarted toilet training from zero.  At least MissE is no longer running away, crying, when we ask her to sit on the toilet.  She gives it the old college try... sometimes!
• We are again getting night-visits from MissE every few days but now instead of going back to sleep in our bed, she stays awake, poking and talking to us.  We know it's because Mr.E is sleeping in our room.  Luckily, we left the child lock on her door from six months ago.  Unluckily, it's useless.  The tiniest bit of pressure and the latch easily slides open which means MissE can open the door.  Problem is currently unsolved.
• She's also become very sensitive lately.  We have to watch our tone when speaking to her because nothing pulls at the heart-strings more than seeing her drop her head down, pout her bottom lip, and sulk off to be by herself.

One thing is certain, as long as we set aside some 'girl time' (just MissE and me) once a week, everything is A.O.K.  MissE has been asking for some time to have her nails painted like mama.  As a reward for good behaviour (no tantrums for a whole day), I painted her toes.  She was so chuffed, she would (and still does) take her socks and shoes off to show everyone and anyone.

MissE's first pedicure

Her favourite colour: PURPLE

See how much I've grown!
Mr.E now weighs 10lbs 4oz and is 23 inches length.

Introducing... Mr.E!

Special Delivery
Our little bundle of joy arrived recently after 13 hours of labor.  It was an entirely different experience from his sister who arrived in 4 hours.  Timing wasn't great: Mr.H was in the midst of a flu, I caught a cold from Mr.H's flu,  and my sister and her family had just left for Port Douglas for 5 days, leaving us without someone to look after MissE, who was also starting to get sick.
So, of course, my water broke on Friday night.  On Saturday, "bump" was monitored at the hospital.  I was sent home with the hopes that labor would begin naturally.  Saturday night, I started to have contractions but by the morning, they were again irregular.  Sunday brought us back to the hospital for "bump" monitoring and again we were sent home for a good night's sleep before being induced Monday morning...
However, at 2am, my contractions were 5 minutes apart and increasingly painful.  Luckily, Nanny was available to look after MissE.  Once at the hospital, I immediately requested gas as the midwife prepared the room for delivery.  Unfortunately, Mr.E was more than happy to stay put for some time contrary to what his parents and the midwives were expecting.  After a few hours of little change and the sun rising, we changed tactic and I hopped into the bath.  Slowly the contractions became more intense but I still felt no urge to push.
As the early afternoon started to creep in, and I was beyond pruney, I left the bath.  A doctor was called in to check my status and we quickly discovered that Mr.E was posterior, meaning his back was facing my back (like father like son), and he was going to be quite large compared to his sister (7lb 8oz).  Although the doctor did her best to turn him, he was not going budge.
Soon, gas was not enough and I was given morphine.   Hello!  Where have you been?  I was able to sleep inbetween contractions and it was just enough to help me relax and allow Mr.E to move into position, but still posterior.  Finally, I needed to push!  An hour later, we finally met Mr. E... who is just perfect!

Introducing Eden Maxwell

July 18, 2011 at 2.23pm

3.88kg or 8 lbs 6 oz

51cm or 21 inches

His Name
Eden, is of Hebrew origin, meaning "delightful" and also "place of pleasure".  Obscurely, there is reference to an Eden in the Bible: 2 Chronicles 29:1212 Then these Levites set to work:
from the Kohathites,
Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;
from the Merarites,
Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;
from the Gershonites,
Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah.
We liked that it was both a traditional yet uncommon name, and that we now have a MissE and Mr.E.

His middle name was chosen as a nod to his Tai Pau (great grandmother)'s maiden name.

Meeting MissE
MissE loves her baby brother.  She is a 'little mom'; she loves to give him cuddles and doesn't like to hear him cry.

MissE is still 'adjusting' to life with a baby brother.  While she isn't jealous, she tells us that she "is not a big girl but a baby" and we are no longer potty training.

Tick Tock...

I'm not sure where the last 38+ weeks have gone, but here I am... tick tock tick tock, playing the waiting game for the arrival of a little mister or is it a little miss?

The second pregnancy is so different from the first.  With MissE, at 28 weeks, I was more than ready.  The nursery was complete, the baby clothes had been washed and carefully folded, diapers and wipes were on hand, and hospital bag packed.  At 36 weeks we had practiced using putting a baby (a teddy bear) in and out of the car seat and pram dozens of times.  This time... the nursery has just been completed, I am still picking a 'going home outfit', we have a few newborn diaper samples (enough to last 4 hours!), and despite being advised several times by my midwife, I have not packed my hospital bag.  Based on my fairly short labour with MissE (<4 hours from go to delivery), you would think I would make this a priority!  I have plenty of time, right???

That's not to say we are excitedly awaiting the new arrival.  I have had a very different pregnancy from MissE so I am curious to know who we are expecting!  What does he or she look like?  At our 4D ultrasound, BabyH was camera shy so we haven't even had a sneak preview.  MissE is also very excited.  She has been very helpful with setting up the nursery, moving toys to where she thinks the baby would like it, and offering to share her toys and books.  Lately, she asks how I am feeling and if my tummy is sore.  Sometimes, she says her tummy is sore because the baby is kicking!

My sister and her family have recently arrived from San Francisco for both a holiday and to hopefully to meet her new nephew/ niece.  I never had the opportunity to have a traditional baby shower, hosted by my bridal party, living 7,408 miles away, so with my sister here, I decided to book a small table along with some of my fabulous friends for High Tea (my favourite!) to celebrate the impending birth.

The Tea Room, Gunner's Barrack's

L to R: Ying, Rita, me, Phoebe, Miranda (front), Cynthia, Joanna (front)

Special Earl Grey

One of two petite four "towers"
(mango custard, macaroons, tiramisu, peach tarts, baked cheesecake)

Samosas, mini quiches and fresh baked scones (with clotted cream and raspberry jam)

No tea is complete without tea sandwiches!

Rather than gifts, I asked my friends to lend their artistic ability for an Alphabet Book.  I asked them to pick a letter or 2 and draw anything the letter represents to the artist, and of course sign their gorgeous artwork so I have very special keepsake!

Cynthia drawing the letter "C"

Little Miss Chatterbox

MissE has a new nickname, it's Little Miss Chatterbox.  Is it a girl-thing?  She talks non-stop.  If she isn't talking, she is singing- still making up her own songs.  Her latest composition:

"Sausage in a pan,

sausage in a pan.

Sizzle, sizzle

Sizzle, sizzle.

(Insert name here) went to the bank!"

We don't discourage her talking unless she is making up words like "gagagoogle" or talking back.  Yes, I thought that I would have at least 9 years until I heard the words "Go away!" or "Leave me alone!" uttered by MissE.  The first time we heard it, I got upset and listened to her, leaving the room to sulk in private.  Mr.H got very quiet.  Now that we have heard it half a dozen times, we have learned to not take it personally and to teach her that it's not nice to say such things only because she doesn't like what we are saying to her (usually she says it when she is in trouble).

MissE has recently taken an interest in recognising the letters of the alphabet and is learning to count items slowly.  She can recognise 'A, B, C, D, E, L, M, O, S, W', so almost her name!  Mr.H calls her the "little learning computer".

While it's Winter here, it's been fairly mild (knock on wood).  We've had the chance to go to the Pregnancy Baby & Children Expo, VIVID Sydney Festival (see VIVID Sydney post), 2 beach days, and checked out a new super-park that has recently opened.

Pregnancy Baby & Children Expo
It was a new and improved venue this year with plenty of room for activities for toddlers.  MissE loved the Gymbaroo set-up (I miss taking her to Gymbaroo), the Golden Ridge mobile petting farm, and best of all, a performance from Dorothy the Dinosaur and Wags the Dog (from The Wiggles).

Arg! Walking the plank

I'm a little teapot, bouncing on a trampoline

I love sheep

Kisses all around!

Manly Beach

Blaxland Riverside Park
This very cool superpark recently opened Phase 1: smooth swings, climbing walls and slides, long tunnels, and a flying fox.  It was hard work chasing after MissE! 

Climb, little monkey!

One way down!

Where does this go?

http://www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au/Visiting/venues_and_parks/blaxland_riverside_park

And a few fun photos to finish!

The artiste at work! (Sophie's 5th birthday party at the Art Barn)

And I run, I run so far away... Flock of Seagulls hair-do

Vivid Sydney

It was the perfect winter night that we bundled up and headed into the city for VIVID Sydney: A Festival of Light, Music and Ideas.  Incredible artists used the city's icons (Sydney Opera House, Customs House, etc) to colour the city with light projections while music filled the air.

Museum of Contemporary Art (children could paint the MCA red!)

Mr.H and MissE

Customs House (light show)

Sydney Opera House feeling GROOVY

Interactive light sculpture

MissE and me with Jellyfish

Flower girls at The Rocks Market by Night

This was MissE's favourite part of the evening, the "Fire Dance" to Katy Perry's "Firework" (now her favourite song).  She could not resist having a bit of a boogie to the music.

Feeling nostalgic...

Maybe it's the third trimester hormones but lately I have been feeling nostalgic.  Today marks the 9th anniversary of the trip of a lifetime.  I set out to find myself, and ended up finding my husband and making lifelong friendships along the way!

2002
It was the Year of Me.  My New Year's Resolution that year was about putting myself first and foremost, and being, dare I say it, selfish.  Ultimately it was the best resolution I ever made.

After accepting admission to The George Washington University for a Masters of Arts, I decided to spend the months prior to re-entering student life by travelling.  My parents enjoy travelling (last year they spent 3 weeks in South America, and the year prior 2 weeks in Russia), and growing up my sister and I spent a great deal of time abroad, instilling the travel bug in me. My parents were nothing but supportive of my need to see the world, if not a little jealous as my European itinerary also included 9 days in Egypt.  But first, I started my travels in May with 3 weeks in Japan and a week with extended family in Hong Kong.  My parents liked that so much, they tagged along!  I then had 2 weeks to pack for my 7 week adventure and my move to Washington, DC (I would only have 10 days in California prior to my cross-country move).

June 21, 2002
On my 23rd birthday, I got on an airplane, spent the 8 hour flight to London reading my Lonely Planet Europe on a Shoestring guidebook (you think of would of read it earlier?) and SLR camera manual (still don't know how to use it properly) with both trepidation and excitement for the weeks ahead.

17 Countries at Breakneck Speed

It begins...

This is The Royal National Hotel in London.  It's where I started and ended, and it was here, that I first saw my husband.  Although we spoke to each other in passing a few times in several different countries, it wasn't until 3 weeks in, in Egypt, we had the opportunity to have a conversation with each other and well, the rest is history as July 9, marks our 6th wedding anniversary!

While re-telling all the experiences and stories and posting the hundreds of photos would be blog overkill, here are a few of my favourite experiences and memories:

The famous Monte Carlo Casino

What a funny, funny night thanks to 2 Mai Tai's.  I convinced one of my very good friend, Miss R, to order a Mai Tai with me, craving a taste of Hawaii.  Well, these were the strangest Mai Tai's- they were bright red, and looked more like a Vodka Cranberry!  At Euros $15 for that tiny glass in my hand, no matter how dreadful it was (and it was dreadful), I was drinking it.  I don't remember much of the rest of the night except that I was asked by several people not to breathe on them because they might catch fire! 

Athens, Greece

The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

#1 on my Bucket List was a visit to The Pyramids of Giza.  One of the most amazing experiences of my life was the Sound and Light Show at sunset (a tear or two might of been shed...).  The 9 days were fast-paced, sightseeing in >42c heat and travelling by night (guarded convoys (although not sure how much protection our always sleeping escort with his AK47 locked and loaded in the seat next to him was) and freezing overnight trains (DO NOT use the toilet, even while travelling First Class).

Hurghada, Egypt

Known as the Las Vegas of Egypt, Hurghada was a nice way to end our tour of Egypt.  Days were spent snorkeling in the Red Sea, and nights at a local cafe smoking hookahs until the early morning hours.  On a snorkeling trip in the crystal blue waters, a pod of wild dolphins swam by our boat... it was a mass exodus off the boat to chase the dolphins who were more than happy to 'play' with us.

Tyrol, Austria

I know you are wondering where photos of 'us' are.  Well, this is one of my favourites.  We stayed in this little place in Austria next to a church and a barn (Moo!).  Every afternoon, beer steins and shots of Schnapps were flowing and oom-pah music was, well, oom-pahing.

Next year will be our 10th anniversary of the Ultimate European and there has already been talk of a reunion...

Cars 2

Disney/ Pixar Cars 2 is coming to theatres soon... and we can't wait!  While most girls are jumping up and down at the newest princess release, mine is excited for the sequel to Cars (as is her kid-at-heart mom, me!)
Here's my favourite clip from the original:

And here's the trailer for Cars 2

Thanks to Nuffnang Australia for this fantastic opportunity, it will be MissE's first movie theatre experience, well that she will remember anyway (yeah for Babes in Arms when she was an infant) but she's ready... popcorn and a Choctops all around!